Connor Barwin is proof of how attitudes about gay issues are changing in sports. After Outsports wrote about his tweets supporting same-sex marriage, he reached out and said he wanted to do an interview on the issue. He is the first pro team sport athlete to ever contact Outsports to talk about gay issues.

You’d be hard-pressed to name two people who have collectively had a stronger impact on the gay-sports movement than Pat Griffin and Helen Carroll.

These two pioneers have been working toward equality for the better part of 30 years.

They’ve visited high schools. They’ve talked to colleges. They’ve waged legal campaigns. They’ve educated educators.

And with more incredible work in 2011, our readers have named these two women our "Persons of the Year."