How queer people changed motorsport history and continue to shape it today

As Pride Month draws to a close, we continue to celebrate and support the LGBTIQA+ community year-round: our columnist Mika Böcker explores the history of queer athletes in motorsport — and how they have contributed, and continue to do so.

Motorsport has always been characterized by innovation, has always been a pioneer, so why not in the area of diversity?

Anti-queer sentiments have gained influence worldwide in recent years. These developments have a direct impact on marginalized people. Discrimination and attacks against queer people are increasing worldwide, sometimes with state involvement. At the same time, protection against discrimination and the inviolability of human rights are being questioned in many places.

Essentially democratic countries such as the UK, Hungary, and Serbia are demonstrating how the dismantling of a secure, democratic constitutional state begins with the fight against queer people. Other countries such as the USA and Russia have already left democracy behind.

These threatening developments do not stop at sports. Trans women, non-binary women, and intersex people are particularly targeted. Based on a scientifically refuted, alleged advantage these people are supposed to have due to their biological sex, they are completely excluded from sports, supposedly to protect women.

This applies to everything from football to martial arts to swimming. Those affected even exclude less physically demanding sports such as darts, billiards, and chess. While the motorsport world was distracted by the 12 Hours of Sebring, the SCCA attempted to change its rulebook to make it look like only cisgender male drivers could compete in the motorsports series it controls. This attack on participant rights was repelled by fierce protests, but it demonstrates that discrimination against queer people is also widespread in motorsport.

During Pride Month, we fight for our rights, for our existence, and for our survival. Of course, we celebrate that we’ve made it this far, what we’ve achieved, and that we’re so diverse. The pride in not letting ourselves be defeated is what we celebrate. At this point, as an author, I must be transparent and acknowledge that I’m not only part of the motorsport world, but also of the queer world.

Given the developments around the world, we at Racers want to take a look at how queer life within our beloved sport has changed over time, what achievements LGBTIQA+ people have made, and set an example for diversity in these difficult times. Motorsport is one of the few sports where the gender of a participant shouldn’t play a role, and physical differences are less significant than, for example, in martial arts.

The sport hasn’t always been the cis-hetero male domain we recently viewed it as. As we described in our feature on International Women’s Day, we owe a lot to many women since the early motorsport era. But there are also some queer individuals without whom racing might look different today — and in some cases, perhaps even the entire world.

An early pioneer of motorsports, albeit on-water, was the British Marion Barbara "Joe" Carstairs, born in 1900. She was openly a lesbian, at a time when, in retrospect, we would consider it extremely difficult. Her partners during and after the First World War included Dolly Wilde and Marlene Dietrich. However, she married a childhood friend because same-sex marriage was not possible at the time and she wanted to become independent from her mother.

Ph: Topical Press Agency

Even during the war, she gained experience behind the wheel, driving ambulances on emergency calls. After the war, she and her loved ones founded the X Garage, a rental car and chauffeur service that only employed women. She used her mother’s inheritance to finance her motorsports by having speedboats built and taking part in boat races. Here she was able to win important races, set records, and later finance the careers of other racing drivers.

Among other things, she was involved in the Blue Bird land speed record. Later in her life, she retired to the Bahamas. There, she built not only her own estate, but also a lighthouse, schools, churches, and several businesses that remain an important part of the local economy today. She also had housing projects built for the locals.

A similar pioneer of motorsports and queer life is Roberta Cowell. She is considered the first British trans woman to undergo gender reassignment surgery. However, various developments during puberty resulted in subtle physical shapes that were sometimes perceived by others as feminine.

She has always been fascinated by speed and the glamour and fame that comes with it; she began tinkering with cars at an early age, building her own sports and racing vehicles, either entirely from scratch or based on existing vehicles.

Despite a severe fear of flying and heights, she aspired to become a fighter pilot—and after studying engineering during the war, she achieved that goal. In the 1930s, she took part in numerous racing events, sometimes competing in several over a single weekend. While most of these races were held in the United Kingdom, she also competed at Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium and at various circuits in France. She celebrated several successes, including in races that would later become part of the Formula 1 World Championship, established in 1950.

Ph: The New York Times

After the Second World War, the horrors she experienced led to post-traumatic stress disorder. A Scottish psychiatrist who treated her for this condition later allegedly recognized her feminine subconscious. She had known this femine side since childhood, but she always tried to conform to the most masculine role model possible. She practiced martial arts, fought with other teenagers, showed a keen interest in mechanics, smoked.

At the same time, even then, she had a strong aversion to the male sex and therefore also to male homosexuals. She now lacked the energy to fight against femininity, which was an integral part of her identity. Through a medical student friend, she obtained large doses of estrogen and began a hormonal transition. She also sought gender reassignment surgery, but was denied this because - contrary to her own belief - it was proven that she was not intersex.

Using several tricks, she finally managed to have the operation in 1951. Because of this operation and the changed gender registration, she was now banned from Grand Prix racing, and she participated in hill climbs and vehicle construction.

Through her transition and motorsport activities, she became a queer pioneer. Unfortunately, this did not prevent her from expressing queerphobic views herself. She repeatedly claimed to be intersex, despite clear evidence to the contrary. Her descriptions of this alleged intersex condition varied over time, often invoking different medical explanations—many of which were medically disproven or would have implied fertility, which is contradicted by the fact that she had biological children.

However, until her death, she claimed her intersex condition as a unique selling point to distinguish herself from trans women. She frequently described trans women as imitators of herself, following a trend and later regretting it.

Ph: Getty Images

Our next celebrity also made history: Lella Lombardi. She is one of only two women to ever start a Formula 1 race and famously the only one to score points. She also finished in the top ten several times, including at the infamous Nürburgring, as well as Montjuich in Spain, where she earned her historic half-point. She is also the first woman to compete in the German Touring Car Championship (DTM), albeit only as a guest driver. She was also very active in sports cars, competing four times at Le Mans, with an 11th place finish in 1977 being her highlight.

Many competitors, especially in Formula 1, couldn’t stand losing to Lombardi — and as a lesbian, her presence made her doubly an outsider. Throughout her career, many tried to hinder her success, including attempts to sabotage her race cars.

The Italian, however, remained unfazed. Rather than giving up, she not only continued her career with determination but also spoke out regularly against discrimination toward women and drivers in motorsport. She is credited with helping make Formula 1 more accessible to women. Following her achievements, many women entered the sport across various roles, not just as drivers.

That said, there were also many drivers who remembered Lombardi fondly. Her quirks, in particular, left a lasting impression. She was considered charming, yet also stubborn and fiercely independent — but above all, a skilled and safe driver. She liked doing things her own way and cultivated an image that said: I’m strong, don’t mess with me.

Her sexuality was never really an issue in the paddock, as she usually didn’t bring her girlfriend with her. This enabled her to successfully defend herself against the dirty tricks of bruised male egos. Until her untimely death, she lamented the inequality in Formula 1 and wished only that what she had achieved for the sport would be preserved indefinitely.

Around the same time as Lombardi, another queer person was active in Formula 1. The Briton Mike Beuttler is considered the first openly gay Formula 1 driver and one of the few to ever come out. In his early days, he was a teammate of Ronnie Peterson and three-time world champion Niki Lauda, but his largely unsuccessful career was forgotten. This was primarily ended by the oil crisis, when sponsorship money dried up. Nevertheless, he was considered a tough fighter until the end. After his career ended, he retired to California and disappeared from public life.

Beuttler was generally viewed positively by colleagues and journalists, like someone you’d meet in any bar, simply a nice person. Despite his sexual orientation, he always had a girlfriend with him to the races, as it was quite normal at the time. At that time, British society was far from open enough to acknowledge or accept his homosexuality; he was forced to keep a low profile there, which was one of the main reasons why he went to California, which was more open at the time.

Journalist Ian Philips, who was covering Formula 1 at the time, said that hardly anyone really knew that Beuttler was gay, and that at the time it was mostly just speculation. No one bothered to investigate this further, as it was even more frowned upon back then than it is today. No one would have come out voluntarily. Moreover, his female companion provided a good distraction.

In the end, however, most people didn’t mind, because Beuttler was such a kind person and simply a part of the sport he loved. Moreover, it was something that simply wasn’t discussed at the time. Much like in football today, where there are certainly many queer individuals, coming out remains nearly impossible due to the macho culture. It only became somewhat easier in the years that followed, as the coming out of former racing drivers would later demonstrate.

Overall, experts agree that hiding his identity, his being, and the fear of being discovered put enough strain on the Briton to impair his performance on the track. Today, his story serves as an inspiration for current drivers, with the knowledge that there have been queer people in motorsport before. Beuttler was certainly not the first gay person in a racing car, nor will he be the last, but despite the conditions for queer people at the time, he was a person full of joie de vivre. Philips reflects aptly on this matter: First and foremost, he was a person who lived his life, content with himself.

Of course, there were also queer starters outside of Formula 1. One of them is Michelle Ann Duff, a former motorcycle racer in the 1960s. Her most successful season was 1965, when she won the Finnish Grand Prix and finished second overall in the championship. In Japan, she suffered a near-fatal accident, which she only survived after several emergency surgeries.

Duff married a Finnish woman in 1963 and had two children in the following years. Her successes during these years contradicted the myth of the infamous "father second." It wasn’t until 1984 that she transitioned, and subsequently separated from her wife.

However, she doesn’t describe her experiences in her autobiography, as it is exclusively about her experiences in sports, which are of higher priority to her. Since then, she has worked as a photographer, journalist, and writer. She hadn’t revealed or announced her transition to anyone except a few close friends beforehand. Former acquaintances from the sport didn’t recognize her afterward and almost collapsed from the positive shock.

However, the press at the time placed more emphasis on her gender reassignment than on her sporting successes, using the latter at most in headlines like "Motorcycle ace is now a woman" or "The impressive new life of the gender transition champion." Furthermore, she was reduced to similar superficialities as cis women. She herself stated in interviews that she felt no remorse about her gender reassignment and simply wanted to be accepted as she is.

Although her transition only took place after her career and when she was over 45, Duff showed a feminine side from an early age. At the age of seven, she secretly wore her mother’s clothes, as according to her, wearing feminine clothing simply made her feel relaxed.

At that time, however, she had no idea of her gender or sexuality. As she grew older, she realized that her feelings about it wouldn’t go away and that something needed to be done. Throughout her career, she wore feminine clothing underneath her racing gear, but only felt confident about transitioning during her second marriage. Her story shows the double life queer people can be condemned to, but also that it’s never too late to transition.

One of the late bloomers when it came to coming out was the American Hurley Harris Haywood. The three-time Le Mans winner kept his homosexuality a secret for a long time, even though it was a huge burden for him. He is one of the most successful drivers in sports car racing with an enormous list of achievements, including five overall victories at the 24 Hours of Daytona - a record - three at Le Mans, and two at Sebring.

Ph: Porsche AG

However, he only came out publicly in a documentary by Patrick Dempsey about his career. He had previously come out as gay in his autobiography published in 2018. To mark the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots, the online magazine Queerty ranked him among the top 50 "trilblazing individuals who actively ensure society remains moving towards equality, acceptance, and dignity for all queer people."

A major hurdle during his career was the constant fear of coming out and the external pressure. Especially in the 1970s and 1980s, this could have meant the end of his career. Naturally, the paddock rumor mill was always active. It wasn’t until he ended his career in 2018 that he married his longtime friend, Steve Hill.

He told Queerty how this change came about: A high school student asked him for an interview about motorsports. He came out during the interview and recounted how much suffering and discrimination he had experienced because of it. Haywood explained to this student that it’s not important what you are, but who you are. Others will only remember the latter in the long run. The mother later thanked him and inspired Haywood to save not only this boy’s life, but also as many as possible in similar situations.

A more recent example is British driver Abbie Eaton, an established racer across various motorsport disciplines. In addition to successes in karting, rally-cross, GT, formulas and Porsche Carrera Cup, she was also a test driver for the TV show The Grand Tour.

Ph: Rebelleo Motorsport

Eaton came out as a lesbian at the age of 17 and, among other things, had a relationship with a fellow W Series driver. In 2019, she joined the LGBTIQA+ motorsport movement Racing Pride. She explains: "Racing Pride creates an opportunity to show that the world we love can be a welcoming environment for LGBTIQA+ people like myself." She became the organization’s fourth ambassador at the time, along with Sarah Moore, Richard Morris, and Charlie Martin, and hopes to inspire others. She is simply pursuing her own path through motorsport, being open about herself, and finds the opportunity fantastic.

In 2023, Eaton co-founded Rebelleo Motorsport, whose goal is to challenge the status quo and break down barriers in motorsport. The project wants to create an opportunity to drive for everyone, regardless of background, gender, ethnicity, queerness, or beliefs. The team competed in the Lamborghini Super Trofeo and the Porsche Carrera Cup GB.

Already mentioned as a Racing Pride Ambassador, Charlie Martin also deserves a mention. In addition to her successful motorsport career, she is also a vlogger and activist for transgender people. After attending the 24 Hours of Le Mans with her brothers, she became a racing driver herself and set her goal of becoming the first trans woman to compete in the race. She achieved the same success in 2020 at the 24 Hours of Nürburgring.

There, she drove the start, the restart after the night-time storm interruption, and the finish. She finished 52nd out of over 100 teams and achieved fourth place in her class. A year later, she competed in the ADAC GT4 with the predominantly female Driverse Team. In 2019 and 2024, she was able to drive on the historic La Sarthe circuit as part of the 24 Hours of Le Mans supporting program, both times becoming the first trans woman to achieve a podium finish.

Martin’s gender identity became clear at an early age. After reading an article about a trans woman at the age of 7, she knew this was the right path for her. Seeing this article about Caroline Cossey was a true 'eureka moment.' In 2012, Martin took a break from motorsport to focus on her physical transition.

That same year, she changed her gender registration and underwent several gender reassignment and plastic surgeries. She resumed motorsport in 2013. In addition to her time on the racetrack, Martin is a strong advocate for LGBTIQA+ people and promotes greater acceptance, especially for trans people. Her prominent status has helped her achieve wide recognition also outside the racetracks.

Ph: Fotospeedy

During her time in the Ginetta GT5 Challenge in 2018, she led a campaign in which drivers were encouraged to wear rainbow stickers on their cars to celebrate Pride Month. Her goal with such campaigns was to promote greater equality in motorsport. On her desire to be the first trans woman to race at Le Mans, Martin says: "I think it’s important that people in those positions should be visible. People from the LGBTIQA+ community are in all sports and walks of life, and they inspire and encourage others."

Due to her commitment to this highly competitive male-dominated field, she also became Stonewall’s first sports ambassador, and through a combination of experiences, collected stories, and self-tests, she has now taught over 500 clients how to better support queer people.

She is now a partner and ambassador for many charities for queer people. In addition to those already mentioned, these include "Mermaids,“ "Athletes Ally,“ and the diversity section of "Motorsport UK.“ She is also in demand as an expert for TV, radio, and magazines. Furthermore, she has partnered with BMW, Sky, British Vogue and many more at CSD and Pride events and is considered an important and trusted speaker.

Ph: Fotospeedy

Of course, there are not only individuals, but also entire organizations that advocate for queer visibility in the sport. These primarily include the diversity programs of national and international motorsport federations such as the FIA, the DMSB, or Motorsport UK. However, independent organizations also exist, and fortunately, these are increasingly gaining influence. One of these organizations is Racing Pride.

The organization is considered a leading group when it comes to promoting the inclusion of LGBTIQA+ people; their self-imposed goal is to unite the motorsport world and bring about significant, lasting positive change. With various partners, Racing Pride welcome queer motorsport athletes and professionals from all areas, support them, and promote their presence within the sport, highlighting their successes, sharing experiences, and holding various Pride events, including directly at the racetracks. At the same time, through their partners, racing Pride provide opportunities to participate in motorsport.

The non-profit organization is funded not only through sponsors and partners but primarily through donations and memberships from the queer community. This enables the establishment of a "Pride Hub," which travels to the racetracks; for community members who cannot attend the track, there is a digital space, training sessions, quizzes, and much more. On-site events are however limited to the UK.

Ph: Racing Pride

Through digital initiatives, additional groups and events are being established that further strengthen the community, while operating independently. One example is the Race for a Cause, held annually since 2024 — a sim racing event supporting LGBTIQA+ causes. Funds have already been raised twice through entry fees and donations during the 24-hour race, with a clear upward trend. In 2025, donation totals were five times higher than in 2024, and the participant list filled up quickly.

An example from the beginning of the year demonstrates how important the involvement of independent diversity organizations can be. The Sports Car Club of America, which sanctions large parts of American motorsports, presented a revised version of its basic rulebook.

The changes to the driver requirements were striking: The usual gender-neutral language of "they" was completely changed to "he," which might have suggested that the male gender was a prerequisite for motorsports within the SCCA. The he/him/his wording also covered the medical section, including pregnancy.

The news was shared on social media, among the others, by the organization Shift Up Now, whose primary mission is to provide development programs and support for women in motorsports. Within a few hours, a major backlash erupted on the SCCA's social media channels, and the planned rule changes were withdrawn. This was followed by a formal apology and a revision of the rulebook with diversity experts to make it more inclusive than the original regulations.

NASCAR is also currently grappling with issues related to Pride and LGBTIQA+. Although some queer individuals are prominent within the organization and its racing series, NASCAR lacks sufficient support, which is particularly low given the overall developments in the US. This makes it the first motorsports governing body to withdraw from this issue and is receiving massive criticism.

This year’s contribution is limited to a single post on the LinkedIn platform; the text post, "Celebrating the LGBTQ+ community during Pride Month and beyond,“ feels like rainbow-washing, in which the inclusion of queer people is used solely for marketing purposes.

June is Pride Month and is used to celebrate queer life, honor the achievements of basic human rights, remember the long, hard struggles to achieve them, and make queer culture visible. With increasing discrimination, hate speech, and hate crimes, many also take pride in surviving despite everything. Just like everyone else, we want to be able to live, love, and be who we are with equal rights, without having to hide. We queers, too, have interests and hobbies and want to pursue them, including sports. We don’t want to gain advantages or make non-queer people queer, but rather, just like them, survive as we do, ideally doing what we love.

Motorsport, in particular, is considered a purely cis-hetero male domain, but history shows that not only women have revolutionized and contributed greatly, but also queer people who have fought against all hate and discrimination. Queer people are just as indispensable in motorsport as they are in the rest of society.

Ph: Racers - Behind the Helmet

They have always existed and always will — our examples from the past and present show how important it is to approach these topics openly, rather than exclude people from sport or deny them life’s joys because of unchangeable characteristics. They also demonstrate what has already been achieved, what progress has been made, and what is possible when one perseveres despite the odds.

But they also show that there is still a long way to go — true equality has yet to be reached. In motorsport especially, this should be more attainable than in many other sports: drivers face the same tasks, the same challenges, and rely equally on their machines. Sexuality or gender don’t determine performance, which makes motorsport the perfect arena to foster equality. Motorsport has always been characterized by innovation, has always been a pioneer, so why not in the area of diversity?

The impact left by these drivers and initiatives will be remembered for years to come and will inspire future generations. They help young people see a place for themselves — perhaps even discover a passion — in a world that is not always welcoming to queer individuals. With growing acceptance in recent decades (despite some recent setbacks), queer participation has steadily increased.

Of course, we couldn’t include every athlete, and there are certainly many untold stories — but the progress is undeniable. We must continue to celebrate and support diversity not just during Pride Month, but year-round, both on and off the racetrack.