Five famous sports personalities who have come out

When Thomas Hitzlsperger announced yesterday that he was gay, he joined an elite band of high-profile sport stars who have come out and openly admitted their homosexuality. Here are the five famous sports personalities who have come out as gay.

Martina Navratilova (Tennis)

Few fans of tennis, would ever forget the name Navratilova. For, not only was she one of the greatest tennis players of all-time, but also became the first openly homosexual tennis player when she announced it in 1981, after gaining US citizenship. Her record of 18 Grand Slam singles titles, 31 major women’s doubles titles (an all-time record), and 10 major mixed doubles titles speak for itself. She is also one of just three women to have accomplished a career Grand Slam in singles, women’s doubles, and mixed doubles (called the Grand Slam “boxed set”). After her playing career, she became active in politics and in 2000, she was the recipient of the National Equality Award from the Human Rights Campaign, the nation’s largest gay and lesbian activist/lobbying group.