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back David Kopay made the stunning revelation that he was gay. Since then the list of openly gay athletes has slowly yet steadily grown. It now includes Glenn Burke, an outfielder for the Los Angeles Dodgers and Oakland A's from 1976 to 1979, and the only major-league baseball player to ever come out; Roy Simmons, a former offensive tackle for

AT BAT: Glenn Burke (left) and umpire Dave Pallone during their major league years.

the New York Giants; swimmer

Bruce Hayes, who won a gold medal in the 800-meter freestyle relay at the 1984 Olympics; former Mr. America and Mr. Universe Bob Jackson-Paris, now publicly quite in love with Rod Jackson-Paris; British soccer player Justin Fashanu; Gay Games founder and Olympic decathlete Tom Waddell, who died of AIDS in 1987; former major-league umpire Dave Pallone; and Gallagher.

For years rumors have abounded about other athletes as well, though only a few have become public fodder. Carl Lewis has denied that he's homosexual, even while In Living Color's Blaine and Antoine have questioned his sexuality on national television. Magic Johnsón, since announcing he was infected with HIV, has repeatedly fought off talk that he is gay. And, alas, Christian Laettner, when questioned, has said that he is not gay. Thankfully, his reactions have been far from homophobic. As a freshman at Duke he once walked across campus holding hands with another male student. "Look, it made me seem mysterious, and I don't mind that," Laettner told Sports Illustrated in 1991. "It made people think twice

AT THE FINISH: Christian Laettner (left) in 1993; Bruce Hayes (below, left) and M. Juca at the 1983 Pan Am Games.

about me, and I don't mind that either. The stereotype of a bigtime athlete is that he's supposed to be able to get a date with anyone he wants, and that he 'gets around.' It's stupid."

Another big-name athlete, who has been rumored to be gay for years, plans to finally go public with his story next year. In his autobiography, due out in January, Olympic gold-medal diver Greg Louganis promises to speak openly and honestly about his homosexuality for the first time. "While I haven't competed since 1988, from what I hear it's not much better today than it was years ago, and it was no picnic then," says Louganis.

Then there's Matthew Hall. You may never have heard of him, but two years ago, Hall, a 24-year-old figure skater on the Canadian national team, took a step that no other professional or nationally ranked athlete in North America ever has. He came out while still active in his sport. Granted, news of an openly gay figure skater won't exactly shock your average Mets fan, but it is significant.

AT LAST: Tracy Wilson and Robert McCall (left) at Geneva in 1986; Ed Gallagher (above) in 1987.

For Hall, the reaction has been mostly positive. "No one gave a shit that I was gay," says Hall, who

prior to coming out had taken a two-year break from skating. "They didn't care. They were just glad to see me come back. It was wonderful. Lloyd Eisler, who is like my idol, came up to me and said, 'You should be proud of yourself. It's really great having you on the national team,' and Kurt Browning said the same thing. Kurt's a very good friend of mine. He's not gay, but, of course, all the gay men are hoping for this four-time world champion to be this gay icon sort of thing. He handles it very well. He'll say, 'Ask Matthew that question.'

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The worst thing that's happened? "This year at nationals I got a standing ovation in the long program, yet they didn't show me on TV," says Hall, who cites the deaths from AIDS of Canadian figure skaters Dennis Khoi and Robert McCall as important turning points in his decision to come out. "It was the best performance of my life. I was calling my best friend asking, 'Did you see it?' and he said, 'No, they're not showing you. They are showing someone else.' I was very disappointed."

AT EASE: Greg Louganis

(left, center) rehearses in 1987; Dave Kopay (below, left) with teammates in 1968.

Hall, nevertheless, has no regrets. "My goal is to make the world team this year," he says. "I'm

GAY GAMES IV

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