Greg Louganis recalls how he was forced back in the closet after 1984 Olympics
By Will Stroude
When four-time Olympic gold medal-winner Greg Louganis came out publicly as gay in 1994, he was one of the most decorated sports starts in history to open up about their homosexuality.
Sadly for Greg, however, it all could have happened a lot sooner.
In Attitude’s special awards issue – in shops and available to download now – the US diving hero reveals how after plucking up the courage to come out to friends and family in his early 20s, he was forced back in the closet after being propelled to worldwide fame with his double gold at the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.
“My agency pulled me aside and said ‘We want you to tone the gay thing down’,” Greg recalls. “And I was like: ‘OK’.
“So, I was out and then I was back in the closet, although friends and family knew.”
Explaining the psychological effect it had on him, the 56-year-old says that, rather than allowing himself to think of his sexuality as a shameful secret, he chose to adopt a different approach.
“The way I processed it in my mind was… even though I’m a public figure, I’m also entitled to a private life, and this is my private life.”
Read Greg’s full interview in Attitude’s November issue. Buy in print, subscribe or download.
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