“About my homosexuality - I feel privileged. Sometimes I think I’m experiencing twice as much living as others who have not liberated themselves. Soon, perhaps, we can drop the labels, when we all realize that sexuality is not black and white, but a marvelous nuance.“ Dr. Tom Waddell
Tom Wadell attended college on a Track scholarship, originally majoring in Physical Education. After the death of a close friend, he switch to focus on Pre-Med. By 1965 he was interning at Beth El Hospital, Brooklyn. (The same year he participate in the Selma March.)
When he was drafted in 1966, Waddell was assigned to be a medicine officer and paratrooper. But he protested when he learned he would be shipped to Viet Nam. Instead of being court-martialed, to his surprise he was sent to train for the decathlon in the 1968 Olympics. In Mexico City Waddell placed sixth among the 33 competitors and broke five of his own personal bests.
After his release from the army, Wadell completed his medical residencies and at Conducted research on viruses at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C..
He eventually settled in the Castro District of San Francisco and set up his private practice. His military experience, medical degree, and sports background eventually led to an opportunity to became the team physician for the Saudi Arabian Olympic team at the 1976 Montreal Olympics.
While living in San Francisco, Waddell joined a gay bowling league. It inspired him to organize a gay sporting event modeled on the Olympics. The first "Gay Olympics” took place in 1982 as a sports competition and arts festival.
Note: The International Olympic Committee (IOC) sued Waddell’s organization over its use of the word “Olympic.” They won and the event was renamed the Gay Games.
Waddell had several long term relationship in his life. One Zohn Artman who worked in public relations and fundraising. Another important relationship was with Sara Lewinstein, a lesbian athlete he met while working on the Gay Games. They learned that both wanted to have children. Together they had a daughter born in 1983. To ensure their rights were protected, Tom and Sara married in 1985.
Sadly Waddell was diagnosed with AIDS in 1985. He survived to the success of Gay Games II in 1986. He participated in the javelin event, winning the gold medal.
Tom Waddell died from AIDS on July 11, 1987, aged 49. A San Francisco City Clinic where he once worked was named after him.
Greg Louganis is “probably the greatest diver in history".
Louganis won his first Olympic medal at the age of 16 at the at the 1976 Montreal Games.
He won the gold medal in the 3m springboard AND 10m platform events at the 1984 Los Angeles Games - the first athlete to attain these duel competitions in 56 years.
Louganis repeated his double win at the 1988 games in Seoul.
(The US boycotted the games in Moscow in 1980. Based on his performance at the later two game, he likely would have achieve the same wins a third time.)
But reaching those goals was not easy, especially in his personal life. Between 1983 and 1989, Louganis was in an abusive relationship with his manager Jim Babbitt. It’s through Babbitt that he contracted HIV (diagnosed in 1988). Louganis final ended the relationship and needed to obtain a restraining order to keep Babbitt away. He also learned that Babbitt absconded with 80% of his earning.
Learning of his HIV diagnosis six month before the 1988 Seoul games, Louganis immediately began a regiment of drugs to keep the disease at bay (every four hours around the clock).
During the preliminary rounds of competition, Louganis struck his head on the springboard, developing a concussion. Despite this setback, he reached the finals an won. But that’s when the panic set in. He had not revealed his HIV status in advance because he feared the backlash that people with HIV/AIDS face. Plus he didn’t know if he put someone else at rush since some blood fell in the pool. He needn’t have worried because, as the CDC confirmed, chlorine kills HIV. And the diseases can’t be contracted by the skin touching the virus, unless an open wound was also present.
Louganis didn’t receive as many endorsement deals you might have expected after the double win (Speedo being the major exception). Some have speculated that homophobia played a part, but Louganis thinks he was simply overshadowed by Mary Lou Renton who became America’s sweetheart for her gymnastics achievement at the same games.
Although Greg lived “an openly gay life”, he firmly announce to the public that he was gay at the 1994 Gay Games. And revealed his HIV status in a 1995 televised interview with Barbara Walters.
Since retiring from competition, Louganis has coached other divers. He was a mentor to the US diving team at the London 2012 Olympics and the Rio de Janeiro 2016 Olympics.
He’s even pursued acting (his degree from college was in theater after all).
More importantly, Louganis became gay rights activist and an advocate HIV awareness advocate. He has worked frequently with the Human Rights Campaign which fights for the civil liberties for LGBT community and people diagnosed with HIV/AIDS.
Louganis became engagement with his partner Johnny Chaillot, and the couple were married on October, 2013.
