Neither Bean nor Johnson were stars in their sports, and their stories became public only after their competitive athletic careers were over. This familiar pattern has existed since Kopay first told his story in 1975.

In the major North American team sports of football, baseball, basketball and hockey, plus in individual sports such as tennis and golf, not a single athlete had come out as gay during his career as of November 2000. The same also holds true for prominent athletes in major college sports.

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At the 2000 Summer Olympics there were six openly homosexual athletes, but only one of them--U.S. diver David Pichler--was male.

Bean and Kopay, speaking at a San Francisco symposium on gays in sports in March 2000, were not optimistic that this situation will change any time soon. There is still too great a stigma attached to homosexuality in the male locker room, they said, and too great a fear that disclosure would cost an athlete dearly in salary, endorsements, and fan support.

The example of professional football player Esera Tuaolo's widely publicized coming out on HBO's "Real Sports" in October 2002 may give some cause for optimism. As with other elite athletes, Tuaolo, who played in the 1990s with the Green Bay Packers, the Minnesota Vikings, and the Atlanta Falcons, waited until he had retired from active participation in football before he told his story of the pain he experienced in the closet, including feelings of depression and loneliness, even thoughts of suicide. His announcement received a great deal of attention and elicited mostly positive comments from former teammates.

Others, however, hinted darkly at the violence that would be directed toward an openly gay professional football player, and San Francisco 49ers running back Garrison Hearst gratuitously proclaimed, "I don’t want any faggots on my team," a remark that he apologized for after it sparked an uproar in the gay and lesbian community of San Francisco.

A similar reaction greeted the coming out of National Basketball Association player John Amaechi, who did so in 2007, four years after his retirement.

During his playing career, Amaechi was aware of speculation about his sexual orientation. He even called his homosexuality "an open secret" among sports writers; nevertheless, he did not make any public declaration about it because of possible negative reaction from other players or coaches. "It would be like an alien dropping down from space," he said. "There'd be fear, then panic. They just wouldn't know how to handle it."

After retiring, Amaechi returned to his native England, where he works as a commentator on the weekly telecast of an NBA game and heads the ABC Foundation, which builds sports centers and offers mentoring and athletic programs for children.

Of Amaechi's coming out, his publicist, Howard Bragman (who also represents two prominent lesbian athletes, basketball star Sheryl Swoopes and golfer Rosie Jones), said that Amaechi is "an activist for a lot of different causes and thought it was silly that he wasn't an activist for the LGBT community, so he decided there was no reason for him to stay in the closet."

While reaction to Amaechi's coming out was mostly positive, former NBA player Tim Hardaway used the occasion to announce his homophobia. "You know, I hate gay people, so I let it be known. I don't like gay people and I don't like to be around gay people," he told a Miami radio station, and proceeded to obsess about having gay players in the locker room. In response, superstar players Shaquille O'Neal and Charles Barkley condemned Hardaway's comments. After he was publicly rebuked by NBA commissioner David Stern, Hardaway issued a half-hearted apology.

Still, the fact remains that active players, at least on the major competitive level, are reluctant to come out. Sports is still the final closet for gay men in society.

In the popular imagination, the terms "gay" and "sports fan" seem like oxymorons. But this particular stereotype--like many others--is inaccurate. Gay men have not only participated in athletics to a far greater degree than is acknowledged, but they follow sports with the same intensity as their heterosexual counterparts.

Not only are there specialized websites devoted to gays in particular sports, such as Rainbow Ice (www.plover.com/rainbowice), which follows gays in figure skating, but also Outsports.com (www.outsports.com), a website launched in 2000 for gay fans and athletes, which attracts tens of thousands of hits each month.

The popularity of such sites help disprove the theory that gay men are not interested in sports. Lively discussions on Outsports about all aspects of sports by a diverse readership demonstrate that love of athletics is shared by gay and straight men alike.

The International Gay Rodeo Association, a thriving group with more than thirty affiliates across the United States and in two Canadian provinces, celebrates both the cultural heritage of the rural West and the glbtq identities of its participants.

Although lesbians and athletics have long been identified with each other, lesbian athletes, despite great achievements, still face numerous obstacles.

Fears and misconceptions about transgendered and intersexed athletes abound.

Closeted throughout his professional basketball career, John Amaechi is the first player from the National Basketball Association to acknowledge that he is gay; since coming out, he has become an eloquent spokesman for glbtq rights.

Former baseball player and current television personality, Billy Bean was closeted throughout his major league career but has since become a proud advocate for glbtq rights.

Mark Bingham, San Francisco businessman and rugby enthusiast, is believed to have helped avert the crash of United Airlines Flight 93 into a populated landmark on September 11, 2001.

The first major league baseball player to acknowledge his homosexuality publicly, Glenn Burke believed that homophobia impeded his chances for a more successful career.

Canadian skater and painter Toller Cranston combined artistry and athleticism to help revolutionize figure skating.

World and Olympic figure skating champion John Curry was one of the first athletes to speak candidly about his sexual orientation while competing.

Frontrunners is an international confederation of gay, lesbian, transgendered, and gay-friendly runners, joggers, power walkers, strollers, rollerbladers, and sometimes bicyclists of all abilities.

The first openly gay man and the first Mexican-American to win the United States figure skating championship, Rudy Galindo, himself HIV-positive, has worked hard to increase awareness of AIDS, especially in minority communities.

A quadrennial sporting and cultural event designed for the glbtq community, the Gay Games has become a lucrative attraction for host cities.

The first American professional athlete to acknowledge his homosexuality publicly, former National Football League player David Kopay stands near the head of the short list of openly gay and lesbian elite athletes.

Widely regarded as the greatest diver in history, Olympic champion Greg Louganis has acknowledged both his homosexuality and his status as a person living with AIDS.

One of the greatest tennis players in history, Martina Navratilova has become an outspoken supporter of gay and lesbian rights.

The first world Outgames, held in Montreal in the summer of 2006, inaugurated what promises to be a quadrennial athletic and cultural event that combines the pursuit of athletic excellence with the joyous celebration of community.

At the height of his athletic career, Australian rugby superstar Ian Roberts made the courageous decision to come out as a gay man.

In 2005 basketball star and three-time Olympic champion Sheryl Swoopes publicly came out as a lesbian and acknowledged her committed relationship with another woman.

Olympic medalist Mark Tewksbury was closeted throughout his competitive swimming career, but since coming out has become an advocate for glbtq rights.

One of the best tennis players of all time, William "Big Bill" Tilden achieved spectacular success on the courts only to suffer an equally spectacular fall when his homosexuality and penchant for underage boys became known.

Olympic decathlete Tom Waddell is best known for founding the Gay Games, a sports and arts event modeled on the Olympics.