There have been 50 modern Paralympians who have identified as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, pansexual, non-binary, queer, or who have openly been in a same-sex relationship, including two who also competed at the Olympic Games. The first Paralympic Games in which an athlete now known to be LGBT+ competed was the 1992 Summer Paralympics.
The most decorated LGBT+ Olympian is British Paralympic equestrian Lee Pearson, with 17 medals including 14 golds. At least 32 LGBT+ Paralympians are medalists (64% of LGBT+ Paralympians), of which 16 have at least one gold medal (32%).
| Athlete | Country | Sport | Games | Medal(s) | Notes | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| data-sort-value="Armbruster, Jen" |  United States | Goalball | 1992, 1996, 2000, 2004, 2008, 2012, 2016 | Armbruster is married to Asya Miller, and was widely out before 2012. | ||||
| data-sort-value="Polinario, Rafael" | Rafael Polinario | Swimming | 1992, 1996, 2000, 2004 | After competing in the 1980 Summer Olympics for Cuba, Polinario sought asylum in Canada and became a coach for their Paralympic swimming team, particularly his daughter, Anne Polinario, and other Paralympians Elisabeth Walker-Young and Nydia Langill.[1] [2] [3] | ||||
| data-sort-value="Miller, Asya" | United States | Goalball | 2000, 2004, 2008, 2012, 2016, 2020 | Married Jen Armbruster prior to 2012.[4] | ||||
| data-sort-value="Pearson, Lee" | Equestrian | 2000, 2004, 2008, 2012, 2016, 2020 | Was widely out prior to 2012; was a Paralympic flagbearer in 2016.[5] | |||||
| data-sort-value="Jones, Allison" | United States | Alpine skiing, Cycling | 2002, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2010, 2012, 2014, 2016 | Jones was a flagbearer at the Rio 2016 Paralympics in her last of eight Olympic appearances, having competed every two years alternating skiing and cycling since 2002.[6] She married a woman in 2014.[7] | ||||
| data-sort-value="Garcia, Edenia" | Swimming | 2004, 2008, 2012, 2016, 2020 | Came out widely in 2019.[8] [9] | |||||
| data-sort-value="Wheeler, Stephanie" | United States | Wheelchair basketball | 2004, 2008, 2016 | Won gold as a player in 2004 and 2008 (after which she came out), and as coach in 2016.[10] [11] | ||||
| data-sort-value="Cole, Ellie" | Swimming | 2008, 2012, 2016, 2020 | In a relationship with partner Silvia Scognamiglio, whom she met at the London 2012 Paralympics.[12] [13] | |||||
| data-sort-value="Goh, Theresa" | Swimming | 2008, 2012, 2016 | Goh came out widely in 2017,[14] though said she had never hidden her sexuality, and later reflected that the response in Singapore, where she had feared she could be jailed, had been quite positive.[15] | |||||
| data-sort-value="Lima, Josiane" | Rowing | 2008, 2012, 2016, 2020 | Including the 2020 Games, Lima has competed at every Paralympics in which rowing has featured.[16] She was widely out prior to the 2020 Games, and an advocate for combating queerphobia in Brazil. | |||||
| data-sort-value="Madsen, Angela" | United States | Rowing, Athletics | 2008, 2012, 2016 | Madsen competed in Paralympic rowing in 2008,[17] and then in Paralympic throwing events in 2012 and 2016,[18] winning her bronze medal in the shot put. She came out in 1981 while in the military, a year after the military-induced injury which paralysed her.[19] She died while rowing from Los Angeles to Hawaii in 2020.[20] | ||||
| data-sort-value="Ouellet, Cindy" | Wheelchair basketball, Sitting cross-country skiing | 2008, 2012, 2016, 2018, 2020 | Ouellet competes in wheelchair basketball at the Summer Paralympics since 2008, and competed in different cross-country skiing events at the 2018 Winter Paralympics.[21] She was widely out prior to 2018. | |||||
| data-sort-value="Burkland, Monique" | United States | Sitting volleyball | 2012, 2016, 2020 | Widely out prior to competing, Burkland married her trans male partner, before he came out, in 2016. After he came out, Burkland said that her teammates were all supportive of them. | ||||
| data-sort-value="Dunlevy, Katie" | Cycling | 2012, 2016, 2020 | Widely out by the 2020 Games, Dunlevy had come out at the age of 29 after being in denial "for years". She noted that, while cycling is not as largely queer as football or rugby when it comes to women, her own para cycling team was majority queer women. After the 2020 Games, she also told ESPN that people only approached her as an LGBT+ sportswoman in the run-up to those Games.[22] | |||||
| data-sort-value="Hamer, Jude" | Wheelchair basketball | 2012, 2016, 2020 | Widely out prior to 2020 Games, at which point she was in a relationship with pararower Lauren Rowles.[23] | |||||
| data-sort-value="Harvey, Claire" | Sitting volleyball, Athletics | 2012, 2016 | Harvey competed in sitting volleyball at the 2012 Paralympics. She was set to compete in the discus throw at the 2016 Paralympics but could not due to injury.[24] [25] She was widely out prior to competing,[26] saying at the 2012 Games: "I've never been in the closet. I need everything that I am to take me on that court as best I can and that's part of me... I'd like to think I'm an athlete first, and if being gay is part of that, and gives young people some inspiration then all well and good."[27] | |||||
| data-sort-value="LaneWright, Crystal" | Cycling | 2012, 2016, 2020 | Widely out prior to the 2020 Games.[28] | |||||
| data-sort-value="Miller, Desiree" | United States | Wheelchair basketball | 2012, 2016 | Was married to German wheelchair basketball player Mareike Miller. Widely out prior to 2016.[29] | ||||
| data-sort-value="Miller, Mareike" | Wheelchair basketball | 2012, 2016, 2020 | While Miller competes at the Paralympics, she does not have a permanent disability; she took up wheelchair basketball after persistent injury curtailed her basketball career.[30] She was a flagbearer at the 2020 Games. Was married to American wheelchair basketball player Desiree Miller. | |||||
| data-sort-value="Samuel, Moran" | Rowing | 2012, 2016, 2020 | After Samuel suffered a spinal stroke during her basketball career, Samuel's wife suggested she try rowing. Samuel was a flagbearer at the 2020 Paralympics.[31] | |||||
| data-sort-value="Shuker, Lucy" | Wheelchair tennis | 2012, 2016, 2020 | Widely out prior to the 2020 Games.[32] | |||||
| data-sort-value="Vervoort, Marieke" | Wheelchair racing | 2012, 2016 | Vervoort was an openly lesbian Paralympic wheelchair racer who gained wide attention when, shortly before the 2016 Rio Games, she announced she planned to die by euthanasia and that going to Rio was her last wish.[33] She clarified this did not mean straight away;[34] she died in 2019.[35] | |||||
| data-sort-value="Wiggs, Emma" | Sitting volleyball, Paracanoe | 2012, 2016, 2020 | Widely out prior to the 2020 Games. Wiggs competed in sitting volleyball in 2012, having been offered several sports at a paralympic talent identifying day but wanting to be involved in a team.[36] After 2012, she switched to paracanoeing.[37] [38] | |||||
| data-sort-value="Williams, Laurie" | Wheelchair basketball | 2012, 2016, 2020 | Widely out prior to the 2020 Games. In a relationship with teammate Robyn Love. | |||||
| data-sort-value="Chernoy, Yuliya" | Rowing, Shooting | 2016, 2020 | Married to her partner.[39] | |||||
| data-sort-value="Danz, Hailey" | United States | Paratriathlon | 2016, 2020 | Widely out by the 2020 Games. | ||||
| data-sort-value="Dunkin, Abby" | United States | Wheelchair basketball | 2016 | Widely out prior to competing. | ||||
| data-sort-value="Giglia, Megan" | Cycling | 2016 | Widely out prior to competing.[40] | |||||
| data-sort-value="Goodkind, Laura" | United States | Rowing | 2016, 2020 | Goodkind identifies as gender neutral. They compete in mixed doubles as the female partner, and was widely out prior to the 2020 Games.[41] [42] | ||||
| data-sort-value="Gross, Barbara" | Wheelchair basketball | 2016, 2020 | Also known as Babsi Gross or Groß. She won a silver medal with her team in 2016 before the governing bodies of wheelchair basketball, including the International Paralympic Committee, altered their eligibility criteria in 2020.[43] After appealing the decision, Gross was allowed to continue competing.[44] Widely out prior to the 2020 Games. | |||||
| data-sort-value="Kramer, Bo" | Wheelchair basketball | 2016, 2020 | Widely out prior to the 2020 Games.[45] [46] | |||||
| data-sort-value="Love, Robyn" | Wheelchair basketball | 2016, 2020 | Widely out prior to the 2020 Games. In a relationship with teammate Laurie Williams. | |||||
| data-sort-value="Maldonado, Alana" | Judo | 2016, 2020 | Widely out prior to the 2020 Games. After winning gold in Tokyo, having taken silver at home in Rio, she told the media that she would not take off her gold medal until she got home and saw her girlfriend. | |||||
| data-sort-value="Murby, Ness" | Ness Murby | Athletics | 2016 | The BBC noted that as a trans male athlete, their presence "created less of a stir" than trans female athletes.[47] | ||||
| data-sort-value="Rowles, Lauren" | Rowing | 2016, 2020 | Widely out prior to the 2020 Games, at which point she was in a relationship with wheelchair basketball player Judith Hamer.[48] [49] | |||||
| data-sort-value="Barbosa, Tuany" | Athletics | 2020 | A judoka before her impairment, Barbosa began training in para athletics throwing events at the encouragement of a former teammate.[50] | |||||
| data-sort-value="Eaton, Kaitlyn" | United States | Wheelchair basketball | 2020 | Widely out prior to competing. | ||||
| data-sort-value="Hayes, Terry" | Terry Hayes | United States | Wheelchair fencing | 2020 | Widely out prior to competing.[51] | |||
| data-sort-value="Hensen, Querijn" | Swimming | 2020 | ||||||
| data-sort-value="Lambird, Robyn" | Athletics | 2020 | Lambird became the first non-binary Paralympic medallist. They said that, growing up playing sports around men, they never felt they had to hide their gender identity and never felt unwelcome within those circles, but has spoken of how the disabled queer community is marginalised. They use social media as an advocacy platform for their community.[52] | |||||
| data-sort-value="Llanes, Tara" | Wheelchair basketball | 2020 | Widely out prior to competing. | |||||
| data-sort-value="Menezes, Debora" | Parataekwondo | 2020 | Widely out prior to competing. | |||||
| data-sort-value="OBrien, Kate" | Cycling | 2020 | O'Brien took up bobsleigh in university, and got as far as qualifying for the 2014 Winter Olympics before an injury took her out of competition. In her time out, she was recruited to join the Canadian track cycling team as they prepared for the 2016 Summer Olympics, at which she competed. At a track cycling demonstration in 2017, O'Brien was involved in a major crash and suffered traumatic injury; Team Canada incorporated her into their Paralympic track cycling team for the 2020 Games.[53] [54] Widely out prior to the 2020 Games. | |||||
| data-sort-value="Osnaya, Brenda" | Paratriathlon | 2020 | Widely out prior to competing. Osnaya has also competed in weightlifting, swimming and athletics as a para-athlete, and roller skating as an able-bodied athlete.[55] | |||||
| data-sort-value="Ribeiro, Mariana" | Swimming | 2020 | Widely out prior to competing.[56] | |||||
| data-sort-value="Robinson, Lucy" | Wheelchair basketball | 2020 | Widely out prior to competing. | |||||
| data-sort-value="Ryan, Courtney" | United States | Wheelchair basketball | 2020 | Widely out prior to competing.[57] | ||||
| data-sort-value="Sereda, Monica" | United States | Cycling | 2020 | Widely out prior to competing.[58] | ||||
| data-sort-value="Smith, Hallie" | United States | Rowing | 2020 | Widely out prior to competing. | ||||
| data-sort-value="Strong, Maz" | Athletics | 2020 | Strong was one of two out Australian non-binary para athletes at the 2020 Games. | |||||