Olympian Isadora Cerullo Gets Engaged at Rio Rugby Field

olympics-enjoyment-1 With a massive number of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender athletes currently competing in the summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, the inspiring stories have flooded the internet. Our current favorite? The unique and very Olympics-style engagement of rugby player Isadora Cerullo. As the winners of the first ever women’s sevens finals were announced, Cerullo became the first athlete to accept a marriage proposal at the Games. Per the Independent:

Marjorie Enya, a 28-year-old volunteer manager at the stadium, proposed to her girlfriend, rugby player Isadora Cerullo, in a rousing speech on the pitch met with a round of applause, following the medal ceremony of the inaugural rugby competition.

Ms Cerullo, 25, is a member of the Brazil squad who finished ninth in the tournament after failing to beat Japan.

“The Olympic Games can look like closure for me but it’s starting a new life with someone,” Ms Enya told the BBC.

“As soon as I knew she was in the squad I thought I have to make this special,” she said. “I know rugby people are amazing and they would embrace it.”

“She is the love of my life.

“I wanted to show people that love wins.”

Ms Cerullo, who has been in a relationship with her fiancé for two years, grew up in the US and holds dual Brazil-US citizenship.

She and Ms Enya moved to Sao Paulo in order for her to focus on making Brazil’s squad for the Rio Games.

The Rio Olympics will also see the first ever same-sex couple compete together. “British hockey players Kate Richardson-Walsh and Helen Richardson-Walsh will be competing in the Olympics for the fourth time this year after helping Great Britain win its first Olympic hockey medal in London in 2012,” according to the Independent.

Check out our medal-worthy selection of awesome greeting cards right here!

NBA Releases Pride Themed T-Shirts

Untitled-design Thanks to the NBA, LGBTQ sports fans can now celebrate Pride and their love of basketball at the same time! Per OutSports,

“The League, in conjunction with Teespring, has created T-shirts of every one of the NBA’s 30 teams that feature each team’s logo in rainbows. The shirts will be available exclusively on Teespring, and proceeds from the sales of the shirts will benefit GLSEN, which has had a multiyear partnership with the NBA dating back to PSAs the league cut with GLSEN in 2011.”

“Professional sports showing up for LGBT people is one of the biggest cultural developments of the last decade, and really the last five years,” GLSEN executive director Eliza Byard told Outsports. “The NBA has been showing up for LGBT youth and for GLSEN for a number of years. Having this be a league-wide initiative, knowing any LGBT fan in the country can choose to celebrate their team and themselves with one of those shirts, that’s a whole new thing.”

Major League Baseball and the NHL saw some of their teams get the rainbow-logo treatment last year when 47 Brand created a limited Pride line. The NBA’s new Pride series with Teespring is the first time one of the Big Four sports leagues has painted each of its teams logos in rainbow.

For Teespring, a social-commerce platform, this is their second partnership with the NBA, the first being with a handful of musicians.

“Our first collaboration with the NBA was a success, so we truly are excited to partner with the League again, this time for a great cause,” said Morrie Eisenberg, Teespring VP of Business Development & Partnerships. “We’re thrilled to work with the NBA and GLSEN to bring life this collection to life and help fans around the country celebrate PRIDE month in a unique and creative way.”

Openly Gay Wrestler Wins Championship Titles and Does it In Drag

cassandro_london_school_of_lucha_libre_resistance_gallery_2 Viva individualidad!

Mexican wrestler Cassandro El Exotico is reinventing Mexico’s idea of a professional lucha libre wrestler. This must-see video from Great Big Story profiles a showman and athlete turning a beloved a national pastime on its ear. The twist? Mexico loves it! From sparkly capes to fake eyelashes, Cassandro bends genders while making jaws drop on his way to the ring. Inside the ring however, he kicks ass. Cassandro is a championship title holder and has been in sport for over 20 years. Of himself and other gay lucha wrestlers (referred to as “exoticos”) Cassandro told the Guardian, “Nowadays a lot of the fans that really know about lucha libre, they know that some of us – not all of us – have really dignified, with our skills and talent, our gender, the exoticos. Yeah, we are gay, but we do know how to wrestle.” Watch Cassandro’s incredible story here!

Greg Louganis Finally Gets His Wheaties Box

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Four-time Olympic diving gold medalist and five-time world champion Greg Louganis can now be found in the cereal aisle at your local grocery store. After a 30 year career, Louganis will be featured on one of three Wheaties box honoring Olympic legends. Swimmer Janet Evans and hurdler Edwin Moses, respectively, can be seen on the other boxes. In previous interviews, Louganis has said he understood he wasn’t featured on Wheaties boxes during the 1980’s because he didn’t fit the brand’s wholesome image. Louganis came out as gay and HIV-positive in 1995. “[It’s] so incredible to be honored with the likes of Edwin Moses — we were in our first Olympic games in 1976 together,” Louganis told NPR’s All Things Considered. “Janet Evans — we trained at Mission Viejo together — I watched her grow up.” Louganis is the only man to sweep Olympic diving events in consecutive games, winning gold medals in both platform and springboard diving at the 84′ and ’88 Olympics. Louganis’ career is an inspiration to contemporary divers like Tom Daly, who is also openly gay. Daly told NPR,””I would have always wanted someone like him as a role model on the front of a cereal box,” Daley told NPR’s Ari Shapiro. “He’s a great model and forever will be the greatest diver to walk this earth.”

A recent Change.org petition, which garnered over 45,000 signatures to get Louganis his own Wheaties box, didn’t play a part in this recent series however. “We were aware of the petition, as we see this all the time from fans wanting their favorite athlete on the box,” Mike Siemienas of General Mills said. “But appearing on a Wheaties box is not a popularity contest. Wheaties chooses athletes based on their achievements on and off their field of play.” Although decades after his appearance at the Olympics, Louganis is thrilled that his Wheaties moment is happening now. “Back in ’95, I wasn’t expected to live very long because we thought of HIV-AIDS as a death sentence, so to be here today, now 56, the box means so much more to me than it would have then because I feel like I’m being embraced as a whole person, not just for my athletic achievements.”

Out Figure Skater Adam Rippon Wins National Championship

Last Sunday, 26 year-old out figure skater Adam Rippon won the gold at the U.S. Figure Skating Championship! www.usnews

Rippon’s career has been full of ups and downs and the last time he medal at this competition was at age 16. In an interview with TeamUsa.org, Rippon says he went into the long program with a different plan of attack.

“I talked with my coach before I came here, Rafael Arutunian, and he told me that I had one goal: It was to skate clean and to perform,” said Rippon, who scored 270.75 points skating to a Beatles medley. “I knew after I made the opening mistake that I needed to skate clean and perform, and I was really glad that I was able to do that today and come out on top and finally be national champion.”

Adam came out last October and in the youth driven world of skating, his recent win is somewhat of an anomaly. Watch him adorably explain his success to NBC Sports as well as his short program below!

https://youtu.be/gBC2185vjoQ

NHL Shows Its Pride with Rainbow Pride Tape

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Here’s a fun story from the NHL courtesy of Joe My God:

The Edmonton Oilers became the first NHL team to use Pride Tape, a multicolored tape to promote inclusiveness in sports. The Oilers used the tape Sunday during their annual Skills Competition at Rexall Place. “Many view professional hockey players as role models and our team felt this was a great initiative to let every person know they’re welcome in the game of hockey,” defenseman Andrew Ference told the Oilers website. “We’re all proud to play for a team and city that supports diversity and human rights.”

Wells and Calder Bateman Communications are working together on a Kickstarter campaign to raise enough funds to produce 10,000 rolls of the tape. As of Sunday, they have raised more than $40,000 of their $54,000 campaign goal. On the Kickstarter page, Pride Tape is described as a badge of support from the teammates, coaches, parents and pros to young LGBTQ players. It shows every player that they belong on the ice, that everyone is on the same team and your help is needed to make it a reality.

NBA referee comes out of the closet

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Earlier this week, NBA referee Bill Kennedy revealed he is gay. “I am proud to be an NBA referee and I am proud to be a gay man,” Kennedy told Yahoo Sports on Sunday night. “I am following in the footsteps of others who have self-identified in the hopes that will send a message to young men and women in sports that you must allow no one to make you feel ashamed of who you are.” Kennedy’s coming out comes on the heels of the explosive suspension of Sacramento Kings guard Rajon Rondo. Rondo unleashed a firestorm of anti-gay slurs directed towards Kennedy following his ejection from a game in Mexico City earlier this month. Kennedy along with two other referees heard Rondo’s tirade, leading to his league suspension announced last Friday.

The NBA has thrown their support behind Kennedy and denounced Rando’s behavior. NBA commissioner said in a statement, “”I wholeheartedly support Bill’s decision to live his life proudly and openly. Throughout his 18-year career with the league, Bill has excelled as a referee because of his passion, dedication and courage. Those qualities will continue to serve him well both as a game official and as a positive influence for others. While our league has made great progress, our work continues to ensure that everyone is treated with respect and dignity.”

Rajon Rondo is the third player suspended for using anti-gay slurs. Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers and Chicago Bulls center were both separately fined by the NBA during the 2011 season.

New York Giant Show Love for LGBT Athletes

The dude-centric world of sports still might have a long way to go in accepting LGBT athletes but there has certainly been progress this year. Like this new campaign from the New York Giants. In partnership with the You Can Play Project-an organization which protects the rights of LGBT athletes and sports professionals, the video features six Giants players including Victor Cruz and Prince Amukamara. Per the New York Daily News:

“You Can Play is proud to receive the Giants’ tremendous show of support,” said Wade Davis, the organization’s executive director and a former NFL player. “The entire Giants organization has committed to inclusion for all, including LGBT athletes and fans. The vocal support of alumni like Harry Carson, the Giants’ front office staff, and current players sends a giant message to all sports fans, especially young fans everywhere. We are thrilled that the Giants are leading the charge in the NFL for LGBT inclusion.”

Way to Giants! Here’s hoping other teams follow your lead.

Olympian Gus Kenworthy Comes Out

Olympic freeskier and X Games star Gus Kenworthy became the first openly gay action sports athlete when he came out of the closet in a new interview with ESPN magazine this week.

With a slew of athletes from a variety of sports coming out over the last year or two, Kenworthy is the first of his field to come out as openly gay. In addition to winning 3 AFP World Championship titles, Kenworthy won the silver medal at the Winter Olympics in Sochi. Given the culture of his sport, Kenworthy says the decision to come out was not an easy one. Per ESPN:

“They say it’s a community of individuals and everyone is doing their own thing and it’s not a team sport, so you get to be yourself,” Kenworthy says. “But you don’t, really.” Unlike team sports, athletes never leave the locker room.  They turn pro as children and become immediately indoctrinated by the culture. “Between the contests and the shoots, everyone’s always skiing and training together,” Kenworthy says. “But it is the same, it’s totally like that: Be creative, be yourself, be all this stuff, but also literally just be everybody else.”

Kenworthy, despite professionally being in the closet, says he knew he was gay from about age 5. Now he’s determined to serve as a role model for other gay athletes and continue his stellar career. “I want to be the guy who comes out, wins s— and is like, I’m taking names,” he says.

Michael Sam sacks Johnny Manziel

photo courtesy of CNN

In a preseason game between the St. Louis Rams and the Cleveland Browns, rookie Michael Sam,the first openly gay player in the NFL, sacked the high profile quarterback in the last quarter.

Michael Sam made huge headlines when he came out as gay before the NFL draft last February. Since then, Sam has been watched closely by both pro and anti-gay fans. Many skeptics (ie: bigots) felt Sam would be a distraction in the locker room, a distraction to the fans and that a gay player didn’t have what it takes in a “man’s sport”.

Luckily, Sam and the Rams have proven the homophobes wrong and he made the team and is starting off the season well.

Best of luck to Sam as he moves forward. And to the bigots…. F**K You!