Celebrity Celebrity Belief & Identity Celebrity LGBTQ+ Issues Author Andrew Gelwicks on Why He Wanted to Tell Queer Athletes' Stories in New Book Olympian Adam Rippon is one of the athletes featured in The Queer Advantage, which celebrates trailblazers in the LGBTQ community By Lindsay Kimble Lindsay Kimble Lindsay Kimble is the Executive Editor, News at PEOPLE. She have been working at PEOPLE for seven years. Her work has previously appeared in POPSUGAR, Us Weekly and Entertainment Weekly. People Editorial Guidelines Published on October 12, 2020 03:10PM EDT Andrew Gelwicks. Photo: Taylor Miller Growing up, Andrew Gelwicks thought that sports weren't for him. With perspective and time, though, that view, he tells PEOPLE, has changed. Gelwicks — a celebrity fashion stylist — has written a new book to celebrate trailblazers in the LGBTQ community, from athletes to musicians and actors to artists. The Queer Advantage — out Tuesday — profiles Adam Rippon and more, exploring how their sexual identity gave them an advantage on their journey to success. "The Queer Advantage was born out of curiosity," Gelwicks says. "After considering my queerness to be something that had to be overcome for a large portion of my life, and a potential barrier to success, I began rethinking this. I started questioning the messages society had been feeding me all these years and wondering if my queerness was neither weakness nor an obstacle, but actually an advantage." He continues, "This was such a revelation to me and I wanted to know whether other people felt the same way — specifically, queer people who had found considerable success in various fields. Was this common in our community? Had these leaders also found their queer identity to be a deep source of power?" WWE NXT Star Jake Atlas Says He Doesn't Want to Be Known as 'the Gay Wrestler' Among the athletes featured in the book are triathlete Chris Mosier, tennis champion Billie Jean King, and soccer star Ali Krieger. Their inclusion, Gelwicks tells PEOPLE, came after some reflection. "Throughout my life, I’ve had a strange relationship with sports," Gelwicks says. "I've always felt disconnected and somewhat unwelcome. I realize that’s irrational and stems from my own experiences growing up, but I also know I'm not alone in feeling this." Now, for his book, Gelwicks tells PEOPLE, "Showcasing queer athletes at the top of their games was an important step in learning how wrong I’ve been about sports. I love seeing queer people dominate in every industry, and sports is no exception." RELATED VIDEO: Soccer Superstar Alex Morgan Reveals How Sports Changed Her Life Gelwicks explains that in his youth, he "wished more than anything to not be gay" — and that resentment and anger was "crippling." Tennis Icon Billie Jean King Is the Latest Inspiring Woman to Become a Barbie: 'I'm So Thrilled' The Queer Advantage. Courtesy Hachette Books "It wasn't until my early twenties when I was able to truly contemplate those feelings and how they affected me, that I was able to comprehend and appreciate all the wonderful, positive aspects of queerness." He hopes The Queer Advantage will help readers learn to embrace their individual identities, as well as their differences and uniqueness. "Everybody has something they have struggled with, but how can you turn that struggle into your strength?" The Queer Advantage will be available for purchase on Tuesday.