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Endurance Athlete Nick Davis Calls for Greater LGBTQ Inclusion in Sport as New Data Shows LGBTQ Discrimination Limits Participation in Sport and Fitness
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – JANUARY 27, 2026 – Endurance athlete, fitness coach, and reality TV competitor, Nick Davis, issued a renewed call for greater LGBTQ inclusion in organized sports in a recent interview with Gayety's Andy Lalwani, as new data and a wave of global media coverage underscore how discrimination continues to limit participation for LGBTQ people.
Davis, who’s currently appearing on the reality competition show, Trainer Games, streaming on Prime Video, has emerged as both a fan favorite and a leading voice in the conversation around representation, identity, and access in athletic spaces — particularly as visibility in fitness grows while competitive sports remain resistant to change.
This, as PinkNews reports, is a new poll revealing that exclusion is not theoretical, but systemic, with many LGBTQ people still experiencing discrimination while exercising. The results also found that just over a third of LGBTQ respondents (34%) felt their sexuality was a barrier to taking part in sport and exercise. The polling was released by Stonewall UK’s Rainbow Laces campaign, an annual, visible show of support for LGBTQ inclusion in sport.
“There are two very different conversations,” Davis said. There’s the fitness industry, and then there’s sports. In fitness, representation is definitely there, but when it comes to male professional sports, the representation is nowhere to be found. If you look at the major leagues — the NHL, NFL, all of it — there isn’t a single out male athlete. That’s thousands of athletes, and quite literally zero representation.”
While Davis has acknowledged progress in fitness culture, he says organized sports, especially men’s sports, continue to lack meaningful LGBTQ representation: “When it comes to sports, there’s quite literally zero representation,” he said.
In recent weeks, former Australian pro basketball player AJ Ogilvy publicly came out as gay, marking a rare moment of visibility in men’s professional sports and underscoring how uncommon such announcements remain. At the same time, popular culture has begun reflecting these tensions. The culture-shifting series Heated Rivalry has sparked broader conversations about queerness, masculinity, and professional sports, including commentary from its cast urging real-world change beyond on-screen representation.
“Heated Rivalry brings up a really important conversation because it highlights something we don’t see enough of in real life,” Davis said. “Representation exists in fitness, but it still doesn’t exist in male professional sports. The fact that people outside of queer spaces are talking about it now feels like progress, even if we still have a long way to go.”
For Davis, these moments signal a shift — but not yet a solution.
“Since doing [Trainer Games], I’ve gotten deeper into the world of sports. I’ve completed an Ironman 70.3, and I’ve got a very exciting marathon coming up. And through that, I’m realizing firsthand that the representation just isn’t there. It’s really not there at all. I absolutely felt like I was competing for more than just myself. I felt a responsibility to defend dancers and queer athletes, to show that we are just as strong, just as capable, just as badass — even if we don’t look like or talk like the typical male athlete,” he said.
As athletes, media, and institutions grapple with what meaningful inclusion truly looks like, Nick Davis is using his platform — both on screen and off — to push the conversation forward. His message is clear: participation in sport should not require sacrificing identity, safety, or authenticity, and he feels compelled to share more of his experience and inspire others to join him in his newly-found advocacy.
About Nick Davis: Nick Davis is a New York City–based endurance athlete, fitness coach, and Broadway Tour performer. He is a featured competitor on the reality competition show, "Trainer Games," and an outspoken advocate for LGBTQ inclusion in sports and athletics, using his platform to challenge barriers to participation and visibility. Learn more about Nick HERE.
