Team LGBTQ: Every openly queer athlete competing at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games

To date, the number of LGBTQ+ athletes participating in the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games will be twice as many that competed in the 2016 games — making this year’s Games an incredible step forward for queer athletes and sporting visibility.

Team GB has nine openly LGBTQ+ athletes competing for a medal at this year’s event, including Olympic medalist Emma Wiggs, Lauren Rowels, Robyn Love, and Lucy Shuker. The Team GB women’s wheelchair basketball has four openly LGBTQ+ players too.

The United States and Great Britain are sharing the lead with the name number of open LGBTQ+ athletes who will appear at the 2020 Games. Each team features eight athletes. The US team includes openly LGBTQ+ athletes Monica Sereda, Hailey Danz, Asya Miller, and Terry Hayes.

With the grand sporting event taking centre stage, we’ve taken the time to put together a guide featuring nearly 30 LGBTQ+ athletes who will be starring in the 2020 Paralympic Games. While all the athletes we have included are out, not all of them have opted to publicly label themselves, so we have only included information that feels relevant to each sportsperson’s achievements and LGBTQ+ identity.

As a whole, this list has been curated to highlight and platform the courageous sportspeople joining the Olympics. However, this list is not exclusive and there are likely LGBTQ+ athletes that have chosen not to publicly disclose their identity out of preference, safety, or personal choice. These athletes are equally respected and supported for their achievements.

Below is the full list of the historic number of LGBTQ+ athletes competing in the 2020 Tokyo Paralympic Games.