Beyond the Rainbow Laces: LGBTQ+ Athletes on Visibility, Vulnerability, and Changing the Game

From exhilarating stadiums to national podiums, sport has long been a space that celebrates grit, unity, and passion. But for LGBTQ+ athletes, it’s often also been a place of silence. Silence in the locker room. Silence in the stands. Silence in sponsorships, where being "out" can still feel like a professional risk.

This Pride Month 2025, we want to highlight the journeys of trailblazing athletes who have broken boundaries, the organisations pushing for equity in sport, and the realities LGBTQ+ professionals still face today.  

 

From the Pitch to Pride: A New Era of Visibility?

 

In recent years, sports have seen a surge in openly LGBTQ+ athletes, many of whom have become powerful advocates for change. But visibility hasn’t come easy.

Jake Daniels, a forward for Blackpool FC, made headlines in 2022 when he came out publicly at just 17, becoming the UK’s first male professional footballer to do so in over 30 years. However three years later, Daniels is now determined to be known as more than just 'the gay footballer'!

Daniels became one of many who are challenging that invisibility. In 2023, Campbell Johnstone became the first All Black to come out as gay, stating, “If I open up that door and magically make that closet disappear, then we’re going to help a lot of people.”((The Guardian)

Meanwhile, in motorsport, Ralf Schumacher publicly came out in 2024, a huge milestone for a sport still largely steeped in traditional norms.

But visibility is only one part of the story.

Despite progress, 1 in 4 LGBTQ+ people still feel unwelcome in community sport. Nearly a third don’t feel comfortable watching live matches in public spaces, and 21% say they’ve experienced discrimination at fitness clubs or sporting events (Report by Stonewall).

Clearly, there’s more work to do.

 

Owning the Transition: Authenticity in the Workplace

 

Transitioning from elite sport into a new career is rarely straightforward, and for LGBTQ+ athletes, it’s often layered with added complexity.

Maarten Hurkmans, Dutch Olympian rower, now thriving at BlackRock after being placed by add-victor in 2022, has openly championed authenticity in both his sporting and corporate life. Like many athletes, he’s faced the challenge of forging a new path while staying true to his identity.

For jobseekers in the LGBTQ+ community, authenticity often collides with uncertainty:

• Do I come out during interviews?
• Will my identity affect how I’m perceived professionally?
• Are employers really inclusive or just rainbow-washing?

The reality is: inclusive hiring isn’t just about being “open to diversity.” It’s about actively creating safe, supportive systems, from recruitment language to employee policies to leadership representation.

“When you love who you are, you won’t care what anyone else thinks, and that’s the most powerful feeling in the world.” – Joy Forster, hockey player and LGBTQ+ advocate (Sports Media LGBT+)

 

How Companies Can Show Up for LGBTQ+ Talent

 

Another recent Stonewall research shows that nearly 40% of LGBTQ+ employees still hide their identity at work, a stark reminder that inclusion remains a work in progress.

To be truly inclusive, organisations must go beyond performative support. This means:

• Educating teams with LGBTQ+ inclusion training (especially for hiring managers, and anyone else from senior leaders to team colleagues)
• Creating safer application processes, including optional self-ID fields and flexible pronoun options
• Supporting transitions, both career and personal, with real policies and supportive onboarding structures
• Engaging with expert partners like Pride Sports, Sports Media LGBT+, and Stonewall
• Fostering open dialogue with active listening, not assumptions, and build space for diverse experiences

It’s about embedding inclusion into every part of company culture, starting with recruitment, but never ending there.

 

A Platform for Progress

 

At add-victor, championing diversity and inclusion is at the core of what we do. Sport has always been a powerful vector for representation, resilience, and identity, and we’re proud to support that legacy.

We’re not just connecting talent to opportunity; we’re helping people bring their full selves to every chapter of their careers.

We believe:

• Job interviews should be empowering, not identity-concealing.
• LGBTQ+ voices deserve visibility and real representation, not silence.
• And career growth should never come at the expense of self-expression.

That’s why this Pride Month, we’re not just celebrating stories, we’re sharing strategies, championing best practices and resources, and calling for accountability from the wider workplace across all industries.

 

Best Practice Checklist: Being “Rainbow Ready”

 

Source: Sports Media LGBT+

Inclusive Language Do’s & Don’ts
✔ Use gender-neutral terms when addressing groups (e.g. “everyone,” not “ladies and gentlemen”)
✔ Refer to people by their self-identified pronouns
✘ Don’t assume someone’s gender or sexuality based on appearance or voice

Top Tips to Create Safer Spaces

• Listen without judgment or interruption
• Display inclusive signals (Pride stickers, pronoun badges, allyship lanyards)
• Share learning resources widely and regularly
• Promote visible LGBTQ+ role models across all levels of leadership