THE BOYS’ CLUB
In 2015, Gus Kenworthy came out as gay, an announcement proclaimed on the cover of ESPN The Magazine. He is the first openly gay professional freeskier and one of just a few LGBTQ professional skiers in history. The few others’ stories might not be as familiar: Swedish alpine skier Anja Paerson, who came out as a lesbian in 2012 shortly after retiring from her racing career; and transgender and intersex downhill skier Erik Schinegger, whose professional career ended when he transitioned to live as a man.
In the long and lauded history of downhill skiing, we know of just three professional LGBTQ athletes. Why?
Kenworthy, who
