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The LGBTQ Sports Hall of Fame has inducted its first class in a decade, welcoming 12 new sports heroes into its ranks, including the first out gay NFL player to play in a game, the first nonbinary player in the WNBA, and a basketball legend.
“These individuals embody the very spirit of our mission of the Hall of Fame,” said Scott Bova, Chair of the LGBTQ Sports Hall of Fame, per Outsports. “Their contributions to sports and advocacy have paved the way for greater inclusion and have inspired countless athletes and fans worldwide. We are honored to recognize their legacy.”
The original class, inducted in 2013, includes tennis legends Billie Jean King and Renee Richards, Olympic diver Greg Louganis, baseball player and inventor of the high five Glenn Burke, NBA player Jason Collins, and Outsports.
In 2014, the Hall of Fame welcomed a new class, which included Olympic diver Tom Daley, WNBA player Brittney Griner, triathlete Chris Mosier, long distance swimmer Diana Nyad, and retired MLB player Billy Bean, among others.
A third class of nine was inducted the next year, including transgender basketball player Kye Allums, soccer star Megan Rapinoe, soccer player Robbie Rogers, and former NFL offensive lineman Roy Simmons.
Meet the newest class below.
Schuyler Bailar
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NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JUNE 26: NYC Pride Grand Marshal Schuyler Bailar is seen in front of the Stonewall Inn attends the 2022 New York City Pride March on June 26, 2022 in New York City.
Bailar made history in 2015 as the first out trans man to compete on a U.S. college men's swimming team for Harvard.
Erik Braverman
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SAN FRANCISCO, CA - JUNE 11: Erik Braverman prior to the game between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the San Francisco Giants at Oracle Park on Saturday, June 11, 2022 in San Francisco, California.
Braverman is the senior vice president of marketing communications & broadcasting for the Los Angeles Dodgers. He married his husband Jonathan Cottrell in 2022.
Sue Bird
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Sue Bird visits the IMDb Portrait Studio at Acura House of Energy on Location at Sundance 2024 on January 20, 2024 in Park City, Utah.
Bird is considered one of the greatest women's basketball players in the world, having played 19 WNBA seasons with the Seattle Storm, winning four WNBA Championships, and being the league's all-time leader in assists and starts. She also won two NCAA Championships at UConn and five Olympic gold medals with the U.S. National Team. She has been in a relationship with soccer star Megan Rapinoe since 2016.
Helen Carroll
Carroll is the sports project director for the National Center for Lesbian Rights, where she has worked to forward the rights of women and queer people in sports.
Layshia Clarendon
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Layshia Clarendon #23 of the Atlanta Dream handles the ball against the Los Angeles Sparks during a WNBA basketball game at Staples Center on June 30, 2016 in Los Angeles, California.
Clarendon, who uses he/she/they pronouns, is the first out trans and nonbinary player in WNBAhistory. The played for Atlanta, Connecticut, New York, Minnesota, and Los Angeles in the WNBA, and in 2021, made history as the first WNBA player to get top surgery. The retired in 2024.
Pat Griffin
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Griffin is an educator, activist, former coach, and athlete, and the former director of It Takes a Team!, a project devoted to making sports a safe space for LGBTQ+ participants.
Bill Gubrud
Gubrud not only founded the original National Gay and Lesbian Sports Hall of Fame, but also started Out At Wrigley, the official community-run LGBTQ+ day at the Chicago Cubs' Wrigley Field.
Carl Nassib
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Carl Nassib #94 of the Tampa Bay Buccaneerslooks on from the sidelines in the fourth quarter of a game against the Detroit Lions at Ford Field on December 15, 2019 in Detroit, Michigan.
Nassib was the first NFL player to come out as gay while on an active roster. He came out in 2021, and continued to play in the NFL until he retired in 2023. He played for Cleveland, Las Vegas, and Tampa Bay.
Violet Palmer
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Referee Violet Palmer duirng the New Orleans Hornets 101-89 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, CA.
Palmer was the first woman to officiate a regular-season NBA game when she officiated a game between the Dallas Mavericks and Vancouver Grizzlies in 1997. She was a longtime ref in the NBA and WNBA.
Sue Rankin
Rankin was the head softball coach at Penn State University for over 15 years and is also a leading academic specializing in LGBTQ students and inclusion in sports.
Diana Taurasi
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Diana Taurasi #12 of Team United States bites her gold medal during the Women's Basketball medal ceremony on day sixteen of the 2020 Tokyo Olympic games at Saitama Super Arena on August 08, 2021 in Saitama, Japan.
Taurasi won three NCAA Championships at UConn before joining the WNBA, where she dominated for 20 seasons, winning three championships and being named to the WNBA's top 25 players in league history in 2021. She married her teammate Penny Taylor in 2017, and the two have two children.
Kirk Walker
Walker is one of the first out gay coaches in NCAA Division 1, as the coach of Oregon State's softball team.
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