LGBTQ news and entertainment
Some news items you might have missed:
• LGBTQ Nation: Out Olympic gold medalist Greg Louganis (above) has shared he is leaving the U.S. for Panama in an effort “to start anew, with an open heart and an open door – opening up to possibilities.” Louganis recently auctioned off three of his five Olympic diving medals for a whopping $430,865 to help finance the move. Continue reading “Olympian Greg Louganis Leaving U.S. ‘To Start Anew’ + More News”
Kike Gil (image via Instagram/credit – Pedro Pieroco)
Do not miss “Back on Board: Greg Louganis,” a documentary following the life of openly gay and HIV-positive Olympian Greg Louganis, on HBO tonight at 10PM.
Only 28-years-old when he was first diagnosed with HIV, Louganis was one of the first openly gay men in sports. The documentary chronicles the four-time Olympic gold medalist’s life since becoming a household name in the 1980s.
“I didn’t feel welcomed in diving,” Louganis, now 55 years old, says in the trailer. “There was homophobia. Some of my teammates were calling my fag.”
Louganis’s decision to live openly and authentically paved the way for several other gay and lesbian athletes, such as Michael Sam, Jason Collins, Robbie Rogers, Brittney Griner, Orlando Cruz, Megan Rapinoe, Lori Lindsey and Tom Daley.
Olympic gold medalist diver Greg Louganis, 53, married paralegal Johnny Chaillot, 52, Saturday evening at Geoffrey’s in Malibu.
According to People, the two were married in Malbu last night.
“It was amazing because I have so many people from all facets of my life here tonight and they are all here and celebrating it is all wonderful,” Louganis told People immediately following the sunset ceremony. “I already feel different. The ceremony was so reflective and representative of who we are.”
The couple apparently met on Match.com last year, and became engaged a year later.
Congratulations to the happy couple!
Four-time Olympic gold medalist Greg Louganis has written an op-ed piece in which he strenuously objects to a boycott of the Sochi Olympics:
Boycotting sends the wrong message and will only harm the hard-working athletes set to compete in the 2014 Olympics, not the Russian government itself.
I know from personal experience. My first Olympics I won Silver at age 16, and then in 1980, at the height of my diving career, President Jimmy Carter opted to boycott the 1980 Olympics in Moscow as a method of protesting the Soviet invasion in Afghanistan. The toll on fellow athletes and me was devastating. We had trained our entire lives for that one moment.
Fortunately, I was lucky enough to continue my diving career and return to compete and win two gold medals in the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles (an Olympics the Eastern Block counties boycotted) and repeat two gold medals in 1988 Olympics in Seoul. But, other athletes were not so lucky. Some of those who missed the 1980 games never had another chance to shine.
This boycott hurt the wrong people, taking a toll on prominent athletes more than the country it targeted. I’m concerned the same would be true today. There are far too many athletes for whom the 2014 Sochi Olympics represents their only chance at success. A boycott will only hurt these athletes’ careers.
Read the entire essay at PolicyMic.com
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| Johnny Chaillot and 4-time Olympic gold medalist Greg Louganis |
Olympic gold medal champion Greg Louganis is getting married to his partner, paralegal Johnny Chaillot who works for a prominent L.A. law firm.
“I finally met my soul mate – the more I fall in love with Johnny, the more I fall in love with myself. This is what the universe had in store for both of us,” Louganis, told People magazine.
Louganis famously won hearts and four gold medals for diving at the 1984 and 1988 Olympics Games. These days he serves as a mentor to the US Olympic Dive team as well as making motivational speeches.