Mark Tewksbury
Bicentennial Honorary Degree Recipient
Doctor of Laws (honoris causa)
It has been 20 years since swimming superstar Mark Tewksbury came out publicly as gay. He was the first Canadian sports hero to take this revolutionary step, one that helped pave the way for 鈥済ay jocks鈥� (as he has self-identified) to show their true colours on the national and international stage. A multiple Olympic medalist, Mr. Tewksbury became a household name after winning gold in Barcelona in 1992. His athletic career highlights include 21 national titles, seven world records, and four Commonwealth Games gold medals. He has been inducted into the Canadian Sports, Canadian Olympic, and International Swimming Halls of Fame.
Mark Tewksbury co-founded the ethical sport movement OATH鈥擮lympic Advocates Together Honorably, served as co-president of the first World Outgames in Montreal in 2006, addressed the United Nations on the decriminalization of homosexuality, and is president and chair of Special Olympics Canada. He is also co-founder of The Great Traits, a training and development company; makes regular TV appearances; speaks internationally; and has authored three books, including the popular 2006 Inside Out: Straight Talk from a Gay Jock. He received the Bonham Centre Award from the Mark S. Bonham Centre for Sexual Diversity Studies at University of Toronto in 2015, the Governor General鈥檚 Meritorious Service Medal in 1993, and was named Fondation Emergence Person of the Year in 2007.