Being the LGBT/HIV activist that I believe myself to be, I ran at the opportunity to watch one of my greatest heroes, Greg Louganis, in his new documentary – Back on Board. Greg has always been almost super human to me. I mean, come one, he is a four time Olympian Gold Medalist and his records have never been broken so far. While he has been very public about his struggles with being an Olympic athlete who is gay and has HIV, Back on Board really cuts through all the glamor and gets to the heart of who Greg Louganis is – a person.

The movie starts with a phone call to Bank of America. What most folks don’t know is that Greg has been having significant financial difficulties and was about to lose his home. Having that as the opening scene just captivated me (I didn’t even check my phone for the full hour and a half which is rare for me). I was like, “Greg Louganis having financial problems? How is this possible?”

The documentary takes a very interesting perspective, showing Greg’s life currently and seeding it with clips of his Olympic days. I saw his current struggles as well as the struggles he went through when he was competing as he was basically stigmatized for being (at that point rumored) gay man. For God sakes, the man never received a Wheaties box because he didn’t fit the image that the cereal company wanted (i.e., heterosexual). What was really nice was that Greg never blamed anyone for the issues he faced nor did he criticize anyone for their homo-prejudice (I refuse to use the word homophobia because people are not scared of homosexuals, they are prejudice towards them). Despite the adversity he faced, including an HIV diagnosis at a time where people were dying at the drop of a hat from this pandemic, he was able to become the greatest diver in history.

The documentary also addressed a very important issue, and one that I had not thought about: what happens to these athletes once they retire from competing? Endorsements run out and these individuals are left with such financial insecurity. I almost felt like we as a society failed Greg. We elevated him to this super human level and then when it was all said and done, we forgot all about him. This may be a call to develop some sort of financial program for retired athletes to have some financial security post retirement.

Another piece of the documentary that also moved me was actually seeing the dive that changed the world “live.” I don’t recall seeing Greg hit his head back in 1988. I jumped when his head hit the board and for a split second, felt that abject fear that Greg and so many others must have felt at the time. I can only imagine Greg’s horror at possibly infecting others with HIV as so little was known about the virus at the time. I was also present to his struggle in keeping his HIV status a secret due to the stigma that existed (and still does) at the time.

I was also moved by Greg’s current endeavor of mentoring new Olympic hopeful divers. What a gift for these young hopefuls to be mentored by the greatest diver in history. This is also a testament to Greg’s altruistic nature and love for the sport. Fortunately, society has change significantly in their view of homosexual athletes, although some stigma remains. This part of the documentary made me wish that I was an Olympic diver so that I could be mentored by one of the best.

Lastly, there was one line in the documentary that really resonated with me. The documentary interviewed Greg’s husband, Johnny Chaillot. Johnny and Greg met through Match.com. When Johnny saw that Greg was a “match” for him, he stated that he was taken aback as he couldn’t go on a date with THE Greg Louganis. However, they did decide to go on a date and the rest is history. Johnny then said (and forgive me for not quoting you verbatim), “I realized that he was just a person like me. He just lived his life in the public eye.” Wow, just wow.

Back on Board was one of the most inspiring movies I have seen in a long time, possibly ever. If it is showing in your city, run, don’ walk, to go see Back on Board. While I still think that Greg Louganis is super human, I have now grown a new appreciation for him as a hero and a person. He has inspired me to believe that one person can make a difference. Thank you Mr. Louganis for your contribution to my life. My one regret of the evening is not being able to thank him in person.