John Amaechi

Judith Arndt

Billy Bean

Amanda Bearse

Tom Bianchi

Melissa Etheridge

Rudy Galindo

Bruce Hayes

James Hormel

Sir Elton John

Billie Jean King

David Kopay

Judith Light

Greg Louganis

Chris Morgan

Leigh-Ann Naidoo

Petra Rößner

Esera Tuaolo

Ji Wallace

Esera Tuaolo

Residence: Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA

Sport: American football

At a glance: Born of Samoan descent in Hawaii ... A quick, 280-pound (127-kilo) defensive tackle, Esera played 9 years in the National Football League for the Green Bay Packers, Minnesota Vikings and Atlanta Falcons ... Named to the NFL all-rookie team in 1991 ... Played in the Super Bowl in 1998 ... Named best defensive lineman in the Pac-10 in 1989 at Oregon State ... Retired from the NFL in 1999 and came out in late 2002 ... Has become a prominent spokesperson for numerous LGBT causes ... In 2003, Esera spoke to nearly 200 NFL employees in New York on the topic of being a gay man in sports ... Just a few weeks before Gay Games VII in Chicago, the NFL included an openly gay speaker in the diversity training program at its rookie symposium in San Diego for the first time in the program's 10-year history — once again, Esera was that trailblazer ... A talented singer, Esera was the first player to perform the national anthem at a nationally televised football game ... Released a CD "First Christmas" in December 2004 ...

In 2006, Esera's autobiography, "Alone in the Trenches," was published by Sourcebooks ... "Alone in the Trenches" has been widely praised and won the autobiography/memoir category in the 2007 Hollywood Book Festival ... Esera was among the athletes saluted at Chicago's 100 Champions event in April 2006 to promote the Gay Games ... He attended Gay Games VII in Chicago — his busy week included a keynote address at the Sports Diversity Day conference, singing the Gay Games theme song "Take the Flame" in the opening ceremony, and participating in volleyball and flag football ... He has become a popular presence and performer on the R Family Vacation cruises ... Esera dedicated his new song, "Oh God," by Harvey Krieger and Bill Russell, to Dave Kopay at the Gay Games' 25th anniversary dinner and awards celebration in October 2007 ...

Quotable: "Playing in the National Football League as a gay man has given me strength in areas that I never thought I could make a difference. Now that I am out and proud, I have learned that breaking stereotypes is a very important part of moving forward in our fight for equality. That's what the Gay Games are all about — breaking down stereotypes about athletes in the LGBT community. I'm happy to add my voice to those telling the world that Gay Games participants, whether novice or world class athletes, are your mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles and cousins. I am very thankful to those athletes whose inspiring stories have paved the way for a gay athlete like myself. I will always be grateful to David Kopay for writing his story, as it gave me hope and, during some dark moments, the will to live. I only pray that my story is equally inspiring to others. People ask me whether playing in the NFL was my dream. My answer is no, I am living my dream, being an out and proud athlete, having two children, two dogs, and the house with the white picket fence. I have a lot to look forward to."