Not only is Team USA full of incredibly talented athletes, but it’s also incredibly queer!
The Summer Olympics may be where LGBTQ+ athletes really take over — mostly because women’s basketball, soccer, and rugby are all full of out players — but the Winter Games are getting more queer every year.
There are more out LGBTQ+ athletes going to the Milano Cortina Olympics than at any Winter Olympic Games before, with 41 queer athletes competing, Outsports reports.
From women’s hockey to skiing to figure skating to snowboarding, queer athletes are competing for Team USA at the highest level. And despite rampant anti-LGBTQ+ sentiment taking over politics, not only were eight queer athletes chosen to represent the United States, but 73% of Americans agree that all athletes, regardless of sexual orientation, should have a chance to compete at the Olympics, GLAAD reports.
So here’s a look at all of the out queer Olympians for Team USA who have stated, confirmed in interviews, or displayed on their social media their out and proud life. These queer athletes will have you proudly rooting for the folks on our team!
Hilary Knight - Women's Hockey
Star forward Hilary Knight is headed to the Olympics for the fifth time as part of Team USA, becoming the first American hockey player to do so. Knight won gold in 2018 and silver in 2010, 2014, and 2022. She currently plays for the Seattle Torrent in the PWHL and is dating Olympic speed skater Brittany Bowe.
Alex Carpenter - Women's Hockey
Seattle Torrent star Alex Carpenter is representing Team USA for the third time after helping win silver medals at the Olympics in 2014 and 2022, where she was the only out American hockey player. Carpenter married Steph Klein, an assistant equipment manager with the Toronto Marlies, in Hawaii in 2023.
Cayla Barnes - Women's Hockey
Cayla Barnes, another player on the Seattle Torrent, has been to the Olympics twice before, winning gold in 2018, where she was the youngest player on Team USA, and silver in 2022. Barnes and her girlfriend, Hope Walinski, a goalie for the Providence College Women’s Hockey team in Rhode Island, have been dating for a little over three years.
Conor McDermott-Mostowy - Speed Skating
Conor McDermott-Mostowy is an openly gay speed skater who’s competing in his first Winter Olympics this year. The star crushed the men’s 1000-metre race at the 2026 U.S. Olympic Team Trials in Milwaukee, and he’s ready to bring LGBTQ+ representation to one of the biggest stages in the world.
Brittany Bowe - Speed Skating
Bowe is a speed skater who will be representing Team USA at the Olympics for the fourth time. She previously won the bronze medal in the team pursuit in 2018 and the 1000 meters in 2022. Bowe currently holds the world record in the 1000m. She has been dating Team USA women's hockey star and five-time Olympian Hilary Knight since 2022.
Amber Glenn - Figure Skating
At her Olympic debut, pansexual athlete Amber Glenn will be representing Team USA as the first out queer woman to compete in women’s figure skating. The 26-year-old is also the oldest U.S. Olympic women’s singles figure skater in nearly a century. Glenn is the first openly queer woman ever to win the Grand Prix Finale and is the first U.S. women’s champion to win three back-to-back national crowns since Michelle Kwan.
Breezy Johnson - Alpine Skiing
U.S. Alpine skier Breezy Johnson will be hitting the slopes for Team USA at the 2026 Winter Games in Milano Cortina. Johnson previously qualified for the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing but was unable to compete due to injury. She came out as bisexual in a post on Instagram that same year, writing, "To those people out there who feel a little different and want to see people like them at the top, I am here to represent that we are out there, we are normal, and we can do whatever we want.
Maddy Schaffrick - Snowboarding
Snowboarder Madeline "Maddy" Schaffrick is set to compete for Team USA in the Snowboard Pro Halfpipe event. She returned to the sport after taking 10 years off following her retirement at age 20. During her time away, she worked as a publisher and a coach before making her comeback in 2025.
