#6 – Greg Louganis
When it comes to diving, Greg Louganis is at the top of the list after winning four gold medals at the 1984 and 1988 Olympic Games. Though he’s known for his incredible athleticism, he’s also known for the tragic accident during the 1988 Games when he hit his head on the diving board but somehow rebounded for an epic win.
Just six months before the 1988 Olympics, Louganis learned that he was HIV positive but decided to keep the diagnosis private while undergoing treatments every four hours with the experimental drug, AZT. By 1995, Louganis publicized his condition only to have many of his sponsors drop him as HIV was considered extremely taboo at the time. Many others also criticized Louganis for not disclosing his diagnosis especially when he spilled blood into the pool after hitting his head. Today, Louganis continues to serve as an activist for the LGBT community and for those diagnosed with HIV/AIDS.
#5 – Rudy Galindo
Another international athlete on the list, Rudy Galindo is an American figure skater known for his incredible talent and grace on the ice. Perhaps best known as Kristi Yamaguchi’s partner in the United States National Championships in 1989 and 1990, Galindo was also the 1996 U.S.
National Champion, the 1987 World Junior Champion and a Bronze Medalist at the 1996 World Figure Skating Championships.
In the midst of his success, Galindo revealed in 1996 that he was gay and that his brother, who was 10 years older, had passed away from AIDS complications. Four years later, in 2000, Galindo announced that he had contracted HIV. Now, at 46 years old, Galindo is successfully managing the disease and appears healthy while choosing to keep his health and personal life as private as possible.
Discussion about this post