At Least 10 Out LGBT Athletes Competing At The Paralympics In Rio

This article originally appeared on OutSports.After a Summer Olympic Games that saw arecord-smashing number of publicly out lesbian, gay and bisexual athletes, the Paralympics are set to follow suit in Rio.We know of at least 10 publicly out Paralympians who will be competing for gold in Rio, the most we have known of in a single Paralympics. Just as with the Olympics, we hope this list will grow during the Paralympics as we identify more athletes who have had the courage to come out. Also just as with the Olympics, the vast majority of out athletes we know of are women.Jen Armbruster (USA, goalball)Abby Dunkin (USA, wheelchair basketball)Allison Jones (USA, cycling)Angela Madsen (USA, track & field)Aysa Miller (USA, goalball)Desiree Miller (USA, wheelchair basketball)Cindy Ouellet (Canada, wheelchair basketball)Lee Pearson (Great Britain, equestrian)Moran Samuel (Israel, rowing)Marieke Vervoort (Belgium, wheelchair racing)Great Britains Claire Harvey, who was set to compete in the discus,had to withdraw due to a hand injury.In addition there are also some coaches who are out, including Team USAs head womens wheelchair basketball coach and former Olympic gold medalist Stephanie Wheeler, along with her assistant coach, Amy Spangler.Well be tracking how all of the LGBT Paralympic athletes and coaches perform over the course of their competitions in Rio.If you are an LGBT Paralympian or know someonewho is publicly out, please email us at outsports@gmail.com.For more from OutSports, check out these stories:Team USA Paralympic flagbearer Allison Jones is LGBT and marriedTroy Aikman still mad at Skip Bayless over 20-year-old gay rumors3 weeks later, still no apology from Nico Hines for Daily Beast article that exposed gay Olympians -- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.
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