Waving a different flag: how motor sport is welcoming LGBTQ+ drivers

The positive repercussions of Hurley’s openness are something to celebrate, but it’s also heart-breaking to ponder how much more comfortable his career might have been if he’d not been encouraged to keep such a core component of himself so hushed in the paddock. An infamously shy interviewee, he even admits in the documentary Hurley to once considering deliberately squandering a race lead in order to avoid the gaze of the TV cameras afterwards.

Motor sport history has LGBTQ+ names interwoven through it, but in many cases their true identities were revealed after their careers – or their passing. Lella Lombardi and Mike Beuttler raced in Formula 1, while the remarkable life of Roberta Cowell, among the first British women to transition in the 1950s, includes motor sport success in various disciplines.

Raymond Mays, who helped found ERA and BRM, is also widely believed to have been queer (a word now proudly reclaimed) but was never formally out. It was often gossip and euphemistic references that hinted at LGBTQ+ racing personalities – hardly the most empowering of circumstances for young racing spectators questioning their identity on the sidelines, desperately seeking a role model to draw them in.

It’s this impetus that’s brought Racing Pride to life. Co-founder Richard Morris is openly gay but suffered homophobic abuse while karting as a teen before even coming out. The organisation brings together LGBTQ+ ambassadors worldwide at all levels of motor sport – from marshals and mechanics to engineers and drivers – and unites fans through events and online discussion boards.

“We’re trying to bring enough of a culture shift that people come into the automotive industry expecting that they’ll be welcomed and not worrying about whether they’ll fit,” he tells me. “We want to frame things positively for people before they’ve even come into the sport. One of the potentially beautiful things about motor sport is that it can be open to so many people. Everyone is on a level playing field.

“It isn’t typically divided into sex categories – so there is no issue with transgender athletes – while adaptations to the car allow those with a disability to race. Motor sport does have the opportunity, if it’s done right, to be a very inclusive space.”

Motorsport UK is unashamedly proud of its inclusion of transgender and non-binary athletes and Morris is working with the organisation as it evolves its equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) strategies. These fall under the role of its Head of Sustainability, Jessica Runicles.

“Our research shows that if you are LGBTQ+ you are more likely to have had a bad experience in motor sport,” she tells me. “What’s positive is people are reporting it. If people report it, we can do something about it.”

Jessica is helping launch an online educational portal that anyone with Motorsport UK membership can access. “It’s about educating people around which language to avoid. Reports often come from someone overhearing ‘bantering’ conversation rather than words being said directly to them. The intent may to upset someone may not be there but that doesn’t matter if it still has an impact.

“I want to create an environment where everyone can be fully themselves when they’re competing in the UK – because they really can be. They can turn up at events as their full selves.”

The FIA appears to echo this feeling, a spokesperson telling us: “There are no limitations on gender participation in FIA competitions – equal opportunity is foundational to motor sport and this is a virtue we will continue to promote.”

The sport’s governing body caused a wave of concern among the queer community earlier this year when when it updated a rule to ban “political, religious and personal statements” without prior approval before and after races, in what could easily be construed as an attempt to legislate the kind of bold statements with which Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel made headlines in recent seasons. Both have proudly worn rainbow colours as the F1 circus has visited countries with especially poor records on LGBTQ+ rights and acceptance.

“The main reason for the update is to avoid using the platform of the sport – key moments in the competition such as national anthems, podiums and so on – for personal messaging,” says the spokesperson, confirming the change was to more clearly align motor sport with the wording of the International Olympic Committee’s Code of Ethics. “We believe it is a fantastic thing that Formula 1 can help to raise awareness of causes, and that sport has a unique power to bring people together from different cultures around the world to share ideas and common interests.”

Is it giving off mixed messages? Either way, Vettel as an individual was a shining beacon of inclusivity in the sport and precisely the kind of straight ally that can forge a more comfortable road ahead for queer athletes and spectators, not least by being the first F1 driver to grace the cover of Attitude magazine in 2022.

“By racing in those countries and politely, but firmly, standing up for the values and principles that are important to us, I think we can have a positive impact,” he told interviewer Alastair James. “I feel that a gay [Formula 1] driver would help to speed up the elimination of prejudice and help push our sport in a better direction.”

The work of Lewis and Seb turned controversial races on the F1 calendar into a discussion about human rights, going someway to dampen the negative PR that can’t help but emanate from such dates. “Fundamentally we shouldn’t be there but I think it’s important to engage,” says Charlie Martin, a transgender driver with Le Mans in her sights. “If you withdraw completely from the process, how are you ever going to create positive change? The power of sport to create change in society is a big thing. You look through history and there are plenty of amazing examples of that happening. The stand people like Lewis and Seb have taken is really commendable.”

Charlie works with LGBTQ+ charity Stonewall and has been part of Racing Pride since its 2019 inception. She transitioned at 30, taking a break from the sport she loved fearing there wouldn’t be a place for her once she returned.

“When you grow up without any role models it’s very easy to just count yourself out. You feel very limited by the circumstances life has dealt you. That’s a massive motivation for me being so out there – the change I can create purely by being visible within my industry. I’ve met people who’ve transitioned and said they couldn’t have done it without seeing how positively I’ve been getting on.

“Motor sport has an amazing feeling of community and belonging but to suddenly feel like I might not fit in was a strange experience. I knew I had to jump in at the deep end and swim hard against the current for a while. If motor sport doesn’t modernise it’s in real danger of becoming irrelevant to future generations of kids who are much, much more open about how they identify in terms of their gender and their sexuality. There’s a good opportunity for Formula 1 to lead and set an example.”

Despite much political turmoil and an ‘anti-woke’ agenda by some of its most prominent politicians, the USA’s sporting scene appears a comfier landscape for athletes being out and proud. There have been prominent gay athletes in several of its most mainstream sports while a strong handful of Racing Pride’s ambassadors are Stateside. And racing in paddocks where you’d expect their presence to ruffle more than a few feathers, too.

Devon Rouse raced NASCAR trucks and came out during a Fox Sports broadcast. “I was scared of what the reactions were going to be and how everything was going to go down, worrying about if it was going to alter my career. I had absolutely no role models. [Being gay] was just not a thing in motor sport. My biggest fear was what it would do for my career if I actually told the world who I was. It came to that point where it was time to do it. Making history and breaking barriers was pretty cool!”

Did he notice an improvement in his on-track performance after unburdening himself? “Absolutely, 100%. I had a much clearer mindset after telling my whole truth. I no longer had to hide anything or worry about every word I said.”

NASCAR immediately knew he was an asset; the sport appears more forward-thinking than one might immediately give it credit, selling a bunch of Pride memorabilia while running numerous diversity programmes alongside to make sure its revolution is more than skin-deep.

Drag racer Travis Schumake and stock car racer (and former biker) Zach Herrin both came out during breaks from their racing career. “Motor sport was always sexually driven,” says Zach. “You’d have grid girls and if you didn’t get their numbers and go hang out with them, people would make jokes. It started to take its toll on me. Every time you put your leg over a bike you need 130% concentration because when things go wrong, they do so very quickly. Ultimately I had to step away.”

We spoke to another Racing Pride ambassador, Tom O’Gorman, as he prepared to race an Audi RS3 TCR in a Daytona 24 Hour support race. As we did so, a strong handful of queer fans popped politely by to say hello and thank him for the positivity his presence brings. But he’s also aware of the privilege his appearance as a white male driver affords him. Much like Hurley Haywood, his sexuality isn’t the most immediate talking point when you first meet him.

“The very least I can do is be as public as possible so that it’s an inherent piece of who I am at the racetrack. Whatever out actually is. My friend James doesn’t have an option to be out as black, he just is black. It’s the same for women in motor sport.

“If I’m the first gay person someone meets at a motor sport event, I’d love to make sure that if the second happens to be more openly queer than me, they are treated with the same level of grace I am.

“When I came out to my local autocross club as a teenager they said “if you ever get a hard time, let us know, and those people will not be welcome back”. So even at an age when I wasn’t yet comfortable with myself, I was super empowered by those people. I should be creating those good experiences for somebody else. Politically and socially we’re in danger of having our rights taken away so I need to take being a gay racing driver more seriously than a marketing play.”

Is it easier for women to come out in racing?

Much like footballers, female drivers appear to have an easier time being open about their sexuality than male counterparts. Any coming out process tends to attract less attention.

“I’ve never had any negativity come from living authentically,” says Abbie Eaton. “When I first started racing I was definitely worried about people’s perception of me and how it might change if I was more open about who I was. A lot of Danica Patrick’s sponsorship in America was based around the fact she was a very attractive woman, and her fanbase were men. I didn’t want to put sponsors off if my male audience weren’t going to be interested. But I’m a strong-minded individual and I just let it happen naturally. I never had a coming out post online or anything like that, I was just being me.”

Abbie raced alongside Jessica Hawkins in W-Series, who she’s in a relationship with. “Why it appears to be easier for female athletes to come out, I don’t know,” says Jessica. “We need figureheads like Hamilton and Vettel using their high profile to influence others. For a straight man like Seb to be so passionate about it has really given strength to some people that need it across the sport. We’re moving in the right direction but I don’t think we’ll have achieved what we need to until it’s no longer a subject that needs to be spoken about.”

“There is a stereotype of a male racing driver that is long established and well outdated,” adds Richard Morris, co-founder of Racing Pride. “With female drivers there’s more an opportunity for you to make an image of what you think a female racing driver looks like.”