8 LGBTQ+ Players Who Paved the Way
The battle for representation in sports has been a long one, and it’s still ongoing. Today, more than 40 out members of the LGBTQ+ community are playing for professional women’s teams around the world. Here are a few LGBTQ+ players who paved the way for future generations.
Lily Parr
Lily Parr is probably not a name you know, but she’s a women’s soccer – and LGBTQ+ – icon. She’s one of the most influential players in history; she refused to back down and hang up her boots when the FA banned women’s soccer in 1921 and instead enjoyed a prolific career, reportedly scoring 967 goals for her team.
Off the field, Parr was openly lesbian in a time when that simply wasn’t acceptable. So not only did she pave the way for women’s soccer to become more widely accepted when it was banned around the world, but she’s also become an LGBTQ+ icon for the way she fearlessly lived her truth.
Eudy Simelane
Simelane was a lesbian and activist for the LGBTQ+ community. Simelane was born in South Africa in 1977 and played for her nation’s national team.
During her career, she played midfield for her national team as well as Home Sweepers FC. Her love for the game extended beyond the field. Simelane was also a coach and studied to become a referee. Tragically, Simelane was murdered in 2008. Both the queer and soccer communities remember her work and passion.
Pia Sundhage
Sundhage has had a very illustrious career. Since retiring from playing for the Swedish national team and Hammarby IF DFF, she has coached some of the best teams in the world.
After leading the USWNT for five years, she coached the Swedish national team and has since moved on to lead the Brazil team. Sundhage came out publicly in 2010 when she also revealed the name of her partner, Marie.
She had been living openly as a lesbian since before her time as USWNT coach and stated that homophobia had never been a problem for her.
Abby Wambach
While definitely not the first lesbian player for the USWNT, Wambach did make waves after getting married to her first wife, Sarah Huffman, in 2013.
Wambach had not officially come out before the wedding announcement. Afterward, she stated that she was never in the closet and therefore never felt the need to come out.
In 2013, Wambach became an ambassador for Athlete Ally, an organization focused on ending homophobia and transphobia in sports. Wambach is now married to activist and author Glennon Doyle, and together they work to inspire and build up women and the LGBTQ+ community.
Marta
Marta is one of the greatest players in soccer history. She has been compared to the great Pele by Pele himself. Marta has won back-to-back silver Olympic medals for Brazil and has won several FIFA awards, including World Player of the Year six times. In 2017, she and Orlando Pride teammate, Toni Pressley, started dating, and at the beginning of 2021, they announced their engagement.
Megan Rapinoe
Rapinoe is nothing short of an icon, both for the world of international sports and the queer community. Rapinoe has known she was a lesbian since her first year of college but didn’t come out until 2012.
She and her now fiance, Sue Bird, appeared as the first same-sex couple to ever appear on the cover of ESPN’s Body Issue. Much like Wambach, Rapinoe is an Athlete Ally. She is also a co-owner of a gender-inclusive clothing brand, Re-Inc. Rapinoe is an activist for more than just the LGBTQ+ community; she passionately supports BLM and is at the forefront of the USWNT equal pay lawsuit.
Ashlyn Harris and Ali Krieger
The love story of Ashlyn Harris and Ali Krieger is almost too pure. The couple met in 2010 at a training camp for the USWNT and became fast friends. A relationship formed soon thereafter, but they kept it from the public out of fear that sponsors and the world wouldn’t accept them.
Their 2019 engagement announcement was the first time the couple publicly confirmed their relationship. Ashlyn actually proposed via a selfie the couple took while on vacation after the USWNT’s last World Cup win. The wedding featured an array of LGBTQ+ features, including tables named after queer leaders and activists.
The couple married at the end of 2019 and have since adopted a baby daughter, Sloane.
Each of these women has contributed to advancing the visibility of LGBTQ+ players and the LGBTQ+ community in the world of sports. There are tons of other women and individuals who are doing the work and blazing trails. Tell us about some of your favorites!
Featured Image via Daniela Porcelli/Getty Images
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