On August 4, HBO will premiere Back On Board: Greg Louganis. The film, which won the audience award for documentary feature at Outfest in 2014, is an up close and personal look at the life of the four-time Olympic gold medalist, now 55. It examines the many hardships Louganis has faced — before, during and after his Olympic glory — as well as the choices, relationships and missed opportunities that he has experienced throughout his career.
In addition to winning back-to-back gold medals at the 1984 and 1988 Olympics, Greg Louganis was one of the first openly gay athletes in America. When Louganis came out during a 1995 press conference, he also revealed he was HIV-positive, cementing his status as an activist. When asked about that defining moment during an interview with Queerty last year, Louganis explained, “I didn’t realize it at the time because I was just thinking, ‘I’m Greg Louganis. I’m known for diving. I’m nothing special.’ Now I realize how just being myself and sharing who I am, I am an activist.”
Greg returned to professional diving to mentor the 2012 Olympic hopefuls after a lengthy hiatus of over 25 years. “Greg’s story is connected to so many important moments in American history, including the Olympics, the AIDS epidemic, the gay rights movement and even the recent home-foreclosure crisis,” says Will Sweeney, the writer-producer of Back On Board. “Greg’s return to diving to mentor the Olympic team gave us a natural way to tell his unique story and explore his enduring legacy.”
Watch a clip of Greg mentoring younger swimmers below.
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Louganis expressed the awkwardness of watching a documentary in which he is always front and center. “It was somewhat disturbing but, ya know, it’s my life,”he told us last year. “The thing I’m proud of is that I take ownership of it because; like I say in the film, ‘I allowed it.’ I allowed the abuse. I allowed a lot of the things that happened in my life. I have to own up and take responsibility for that.”
Watch the trailer for the compelling doc below.
Desert Boy
I have always admired Greg Louganis.
Richard Hernandez
He! Is courageous!!
ryantbo
I have been a long time fan of Greg and have been so blessed to have met him and get to know him. I kept hoping this would play at a festival somewhere in my area so that I could see it. I am so glad that HBO is bringing it to a wide audence. Greg came out at a time when it wasn’t “in vogue” and then to announce that he was HIV +. Greg has done so much for the gay community and for him to show the world his life – warts and all – just makes him so much more to admire. As Greg always says, Namaste!
joseph
Thank You! For being The “MAN” you are……………..Much Appreciation…..
mlbumiller
I contributed on the kickstarter campaign fir this project. Most frustrating thing it’s being seen nationally before any of the people that made it happen can.
jwtraveler
I see nothing courageous about him. There’s no question that he is a great diver. He stayed in the closet while he was competing internationally because it was in his best interest to do so. When he retired from international competition he came out as gay and HIV-positive because it served his best interests at that time as it continues to do. As an Olympic athlete, his life has been a bit different from the average person, but his personal struggles are not substantially different from those experienced by most LGBT people and others who face adversity in their lives. I respect Louganis as an athlete and harbor no ill will toward him, but I don’t see anything heroic. Like most of us he is living life the best he can with the hand he was dealt, just a little more publicly.
stonrdude
Been here and heard this before, he is just another gay guy. He is making money off people like me and you. He is not a hero.
ryantbo
@mlbumiller: another reason I will no longer contribute to Kickstarter. I did the infamous Bombshell on Broadway where they sold 3 times the contributions they had seats for. Then f****d up the codes on sale day so you didnt even have a chance to buy tickets. never again because there isn’t a true appreciation or reward to being a contributor. Hell I never even got the “prize” for my donation
BigG
I’m sure he is a nice guy, but like others have said, he hasn’t done anything substantial. His story is just like everyone else’s. He’s not an activist and has remained relatively quiet in our community. I’ve never seen him be an active voice in our community at all. He doesn’t do anything that doesn’t benefit him in some way.
jwtraveler
@stonrdude: He’s not making any money off me. I think he’s written a couple of books. Everyone is free to buy them or not.
anthonyz
Anyone who had to battle the AIDS epidemic and survived has lived a heroic attempt to overcome tremendous odds. But then add to that the Olympic ideal (Olympism is a philosophy of life, exalting and combining in a balanced whole the qualities of body, will and mind) and a spotlight in the public view and it becomes magnified 10 fold. To say he was not an activist and only in it for his own gain is a selfish viewpoint. He was overcoming fear and injustice in a very unforgiving Reagan era and yet is willing to tell his story. Not everyone can shout their story from the mountain top and be the “voice” of the community. Sometimes it is just a story that needs to be told as another perspective of how one individual overcame great personal struggle and because of that I may gain a better sense of empathy and compassion for my fellow gay brothers no matter what their level of activism may have been.
priyesh
.
boowa
How about a little charity of spirit, brothers? Is Greg any different from any celebrity who establishes himself in his field and then uses that fame to bring light to his causes? That’s the power of fame. If you want to see where it was not used, look at Rock Hudson. I don’t worship Greg for this, but I do appreciate it.
Saint Law
@priyesh: Yours wins best comment on this thread.
Saint Law
@priyesh: But then to be fair it was the only one I read.
GayEGO
Anyone who is gay and comes out in public is courageous as it feels uncomfortable based on the past discrimination we have endured, I know because I have.
For those who have not yet done that, you have not experienced that uncomfortable feeling, a feeling that some have committed suicide over.
Maude
Speaking as a former diving team member in high school, I can tell you that if I had ‘come out’, I would have been dropped from the team, or ostracized until I quit.
I saw it happen to one member of our track team, (of which I was also a member)and I don’t think it was a coincidence when his family moved to another state so he could participate in track and hopefully get a collage scholarship.
I was a ‘jock’ and very protective of my reputation all through my high school and college years…..
I was ‘outed’ when I attended a reunion of my former classmates, and three of us were caught ‘in flagrante delicto’.
Maude
@Richard Hernandez:
Are you a stutterer? or just so unsure of yourself that you have to annoyingly repeat whatever you want to say….three times?
Lvng1Tor
The best part about being a diver in high school during the 80’s is I could keep a picture of him in my locker and no one batted an eye. For all the “he’s just like everyone else…” complainers and BTW BIG whoop you didn’t get to see a film first…waa waa waa..”I only help people do something if it benefits me”…cry baby His being gay was a widely known “secret” coming out as HIV+ and gay knowing that it could end endorsements and take away a career and income he worked his but off to have…all to add his voice and celebrity to this plague IS COURAGEOUS and He has worked for years raising money for tons of causes…you don’ know what you are talking about when you say he is just like everyone else…he helped thousands by his act of bravery..what He did could still to this day 2015…not 1995 could still ruin a career (at least the HIV part) people these days want to compare what happened 20 yrs ago by today’s standards..you can’t do that.