#AuthenticMe

What are the consequences of coming out as LGBT in sport? When they say ‘it gets better’, how much better does it get?

BBC Pride in association with BBC Sport and Sports Media LGBT+ present ‘#AuthenticMe’ – a special panel event looking at how being your authentic self can boost performance in sport.

Chaired by BBC Sport correspondent and broadcaster Katie Gornall, #AuthenticMe will feature the personal testimonies of athletes who partly attribute their achievements to being openly LGBT, such has been the positive impact on their self-confidence, mental fortitude, and ability to focus on their objectives. Katie will be joined by race walker Tom Bosworth and racing driver Charlie Martin.

There’ll also be a special presentation of the BBC’s new LGBT Sport Podcast, created and hosted by BBC Jersey Sportscene journalist Jack Murley following the success of his radio web series ‘The Other Side’.

Join us at BBC Sport HQ from 5:30pm for a drinks reception and a slice of pizza. We'll start the conversation at 6:30pm and there will be an opportunity for networking afterwards.

Special thanks to BBC Sport and our event partners the Sports Journalists' Association and InterMediaUK.

More information

Tom Bosworth is a triple world record holder in race walking and Britain’s top athlete in the discipline. In advance of the 2016 Olympics, Tom spoke to Victoria Derbyshire about his experiences of being a track competitor who happens to be gay. Since then, he has placed in the top six in Rio, won a silver medal at the Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast – where he also captained the England team – and continues to break British and world records, most recently in the 3000m race walk at the Anniversary Games in London in July.

Charlie Martin is a racing driver who this year has been competing in the Ginetta GT5 Challenge, a supporting series to the British Touring Car Championships. Charlie’s career behind the wheel, from hill-climbing towards her ultimate goal of competing at the famous 24 Hours of Le Mans, was interrupted in 2012 by her transition – “the scariest thing I could ever think of doing”, as she describes it. Her initial return to motorsport proved to be a welcoming one, and since then she has forged ahead with enormous grit and determination. You can hear her tell her inspirational story in full at the event.

Sports Media LGBT+ is a network group for those in the industry who are lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender, and for allies too. The group was founded in November 2017 after conversations between sports media professionals highlighted a lack of LGBT+ visibility in the sector. The group believes in the importance of discussing diversity and inclusion both in the workplace and in sport, and recognises that journalism and broadcasting have key roles to play in achieving greater representation and equality for all.