The Brazilian men’s national volleyball team is currently drawing attention not only for its athletic prowess but also for its roster. In the squad for the Volleyball Nations League, four openly gay players are listed—a first for a professional men’s national team in a major team sport. One of them is Olympic champion Douglas Souza, who for years has been one of the most visible queer figures in international volleyball. The other openly gay players in Brazil’s 30-man roster are Douglas Pureza, Adriano Xavier, and Maique Reis.
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In social media, photographs of the four players at the team’s training camp are going viral. A volleyball blog shared the clip with the caption: “Volleyball, representation and respect go hand in hand here!” The post was accompanied by a volleyball emoji, a rainbow flag, and a flexed-arm emoji.
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Adriano Xavier, who has been a national-team regular for years, spoke before the now-viral post about his sexual orientation. The 24-year-old is known for being reserved and for sharing little about his private life. The new post, he wrote with heart emojis.
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The 24-year-old Adriano Xavier, who has been a fixture in the national team for years, did not publicly discuss his sexual orientation before the now-viral image. Known for being shy and for sharing little about his private life, he simply added heart emojis to the post.
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Douglas Pureza publicly came out in 2024 after winning the league title with his club Sesi-Bauru and being named the Superliga’s best libero. In a coming-out interview, he spoke mainly about the psychological strains and the “scars” left by years of hiding his identity in professional sport. Today, he often shares photos with his boyfriend on social media.
