Golf

In 1996, Muffin Spencer-Devlin became the first LPGA player to come out as gay.^[9]

In 2018, Tadd Fujikawa came out as gay, becoming the first male professional golfer to do so.^[10][11]

Squash

In 2018, Todd Harrity came out as gay, thus becoming the first openly gay professional male squash player in the world. At the time he was ranked No. 1 in the United States out of all male squash players.^[12][13]

Tennis

American tennis player Billie Jean King acknowledged her relationship with Marilyn Barnett when it became public in a May 1981 palimony lawsuit filed by Barnett, making Billie Jean the first prominent female professional athlete in the world to come out.^[14]

Basketball

In 2002, Sue Wicks came out as gay, making her the first openly gay person playing in the WNBA.^[15] Many female players have since come out as gay; for example, Sheryl Swoopes came out in 2005, Brittney Griner came out in 2013, and Elena Delle Donne came out in 2016.^[16] However, Swoopes later married a man.^[17]

In 2013, Jason Collins publicly came out as gay.^[18] President Barack Obama contacted him offering his support.^[19] In 2014, Jason Collins played for the Brooklyn Nets of the NBA, making him the first openly gay athlete to play in any of the four major North American professional sports leagues.^[20][21][22]

Flag football

In 2002, the National Gay Flag Football League was founded.^[23]

Football

In 1975, former football player David Kopay became the first professional athlete from a major team to come out.^[24]

Football player Alissa Wykes of the Philadelphia Liberty Belles became one of the first active American athletes to publicly come out as gay when she announced that she was a lesbian in an article in the December 2001/January 2002 edition of Sports Illustrated for Women.^[25][26][27]

In the 2014 NFL draft, the St. Louis Rams drafted Michael Sam in the seventh round, the 249th of 256 players selected,^[28] which made him the first openly gay player to be drafted into the NFL.^[29][30] However, on August 30, St. Louis released Sam as part of a final round of cuts to reduce their roster to the league-mandated 53 players before the start of the regular season.^[31][32]

In June 2021, Las Vegas Raiders defensive end Carl Nassib came out as gay via Instagram, making him the first openly gay active player in the NFL.^[33][34] He later became the first openly gay player in an NFL playoff game on January 15, 2022.^[35][36]

Hockey

In 1985, the Los Angeles Blades was organized as the first gay hockey team in the United States.^[37]

In 2021, Canadian Luke Prokop, who was drafted by the Nashville Predators in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft, became the first active player signed to a National Hockey League contract to come out as gay.^[38][39][40]

Rugby

In 1998, the Washington Renegades RFC was formed as the first gay rugby team in the United States.^[41]

Soccer

In 2013, Robbie Rogers publicly came out as gay.^[18] President Barack Obama contacted him offering his support.^[19] Thierry Henry, at the time playing in Major League Soccer, was quoted in a column for New York Daily News as saying "he (Rogers) is a human being, first of all. And that’s good enough."^[19] Later in 2013, Robbie Rogers became the first openly gay man to compete in a top North American professional sports league when he played his first match for the LA Galaxy of Major League Soccer.^[42][43][44]

Many female soccer players have been openly gay while actively playing for American teams, such as Joanna Lohman^[45][46] and Megan Rapinoe.^[47][48][49] Megan Rapinoe came out in 2012, while a midfielder for the Seattle Sounders and while on the United States women's national soccer team.^[50][51]