These elite athletes could be the first openly gay men competing in the Winter Olympics.

LGBT issues have been at the forefront of the Olympics since the 2014 Games in Sochi put a spotlight on Russia’s institutionalized homophobia. Many athletes, concerned about their safety or about being distracted from competition, opted to stay in the closet: Of the 2,900 competitors representing 88 nations at the 2014 Games only seven were openly gay.

And none were men.

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