Adam Rippon has been making headlines for being one of the first openly gay men to compete in the Winter Olympics. His humor, outspokenness against the Trump administration, and all-around fabulous gayness has captured the heart of every damn queer out there.
But Adam isn’t the only out Olympian competing in the Winter Olympics. There are a slew of gay and bisexual women who haven’t been getting nearly the same amount of press as Adam. So let’s give a round of applause to these out, badass women, and make sure to cheer them on during this year's Winter Olympic games in Pyeongchang, South Korea!
1. Daniela Iraschko-Stolz
The Australian Ski Jumper has already won an Olympic medal. In fact, she became the second openly gay athlete to medal in Russia. Prior to heading to the 2014 Olympics, she married her partner Isabel Stolz in 2013, telling the Kurier newspaper at the time, "I don’t want to hide myself...I never cared at all what other people think about me."
2. Cheryl Maas
The Dutch snowboarder made a statement during the Sochi Olympics when she held up her gloves, which were covered in rainbows and unicorns right in front of the camera. Maas is returning this year for her third Olympics, and she’s married to former snowboarder Stine Brun Kjedlaas. The couple has two children.
3. Barbara Jezeršek
The cross country skier competed in the Sochi Olympics for her native country, Slovenia. This year, however, she’ll be competing for Australia, now that she’s an Australian citizen. She was one of the Olympians who was outspoken against Russia’s anti-LGBTQ laws four years ago.
4. Ireen Wüst
Wüst is a straight up beast. She’s already won four gold medals, three silvers, and one bronze. At age 19, she won her first gold medal, making her the youngest ever Olympic champion in speed skating for the Netherlands. She’s been out as bisexual since 2009. Her partner, Letitia de Jong, is also a competitive speed skater.
5. Belle Brockhoff
Brockhoff came out as gay a year before the Sochi Olympics in order to protest. The Australian snowboarder actually suffered a serious knee injury a few months ago, but is still competing for the Aussies this year.
