Out Olympian Greg Louganis on Monday
made history as the Rose Parade's first openly gay Grand Marshal.
The 128th annual Rose Parade
was pushed back a day because of a “never on Sunday” rule.
Louganis, 56, rode in a car with
husband Johnny Chaillot-Louganis. The couple married in 2013.
The parade's two other grand marshals
were also Olympians: track and field sprinter Allyson Felix and
swimmer Janet Evans. This year's theme was “Echos of Success.”
After being named in November, Louganis
said that he hopes “it inspires people and that they know they are
loved.”
Louganis dominated diving in the early
80s. He came out gay and HIV-positive in his 1995 best-selling
memoir Breaking the Surface.
Recently, General Mills put Louganis on
a box of Wheaties as part of its revamped “legends” series, an
honor he was denied while competing.