On a recent episode of Oprah: Where
Are They Now? four-time Olympic diving gold medalist Greg
Louganis talked about being featured on a box of Wheaties.
Louganis dominated diving in the early
80s, but General Mills denied him a Wheaties box, saying at the time
that he did not meet their “wholesome demographic,” a possible
reference to rumors that Louganis was gay. In his 1995 best-selling
memoir Breaking the Surface, Louganis came out gay and
HIV-positive.
Chicago mom Julie Sondgerath launched a
change.org petition calling on General Mills to put Louganis on a
Wheaties box. While Sondgerath's petition received lots of media
attention, General Mills has said that it did not factor into their
decision.
“It means more now than it probably
would then,” Louganis
said. “I feel like I'm being embraced as a whole person.”
Wheaties is also honoring hurdler Edwin
Moses and swimmer Janet Evans as part of a revamped “legends”
series.