Cyd Zeigler is one of the world’s foremost experts on LGBT issues in sports. He is the cofounder of Outsports (with Jim Buzinski). He appears regularly on ESPN, and in the New York Times and USA Today, and provides expertise on LGBT sports issues for countless other media outlets including Sports Illustrated, CNN, the Los Angeles Times, and NPR. In his latest book, Fair Play: How LGBT Athletes Are Claiming Their Rightful Place in Sports (Akashic Books), Zeigler tells the story of how sports have transformed for LGBT athletes, diving into key moments and issues that have shaped sports for LGBT people today. He shares intimate behind-the-scenes details about various athletes and stories–including NFL Hall of Famer Michael Irvin, transgender MMA fighter Fallon Fox, and NFL hopeful Michael Sam, among others–along with contextual insights about elite sports, including the overhyped “distraction” myth surrounding gay athletes. Always the forward-thinker, Zeigler maps out the necessary steps to complete sports’ transformation and fully open athletics to LGBT people.
