Irish National Track & Field Champion Denis Finnegan Comes Out
Ten-time Irish track & field champ Denis Finnegan burst out of the closet during an appearance on the "Five Rings to Rule Them All" podcast, which is hosted by Cyd Zeigler.
Zeigler reported on Finnegan's public coming out at his sports-themed LGBTQ site Outsports.
During his discussion with Zeigler, Finnegan sounded a familiar refrain of athletes who have increasingly started to emerge into the light, publicly embracing authenticity.
"There are still people who are scared or unsure of what's happening, so I hope just telling my story might help one person notice there's more acceptance out there," Finnegan said.
The athlete - who now lives in Melbourne, Australia - went on to recall that it was the less macho atmosphere of track & field that drew him to that sport.
"I'd be training with girls, I'd be training with guys, and I think that did help a bit," Finnegan told Zeigler. "I was never worried about any kind of comments on the track. But when I was going for, say, football, it was more of an issue."
Finnegan is just the latest athlete to come out; recently, sporting LGBTQs have been claiming their authentic selves all over the globe, from Swiss wrestler Curdin Orlik to Argentine basketball star Sebasti�n Vega.
Athletes who are not LGTBQ themselves have also come out as dedicated allies, such as retired NBA star Dwyane Wade, who spoke glowingly of his trans daughter's "leadership" to talk show host Ellen DeGeneres last month.