Mark Tewksbury first came to prominence as a record-breaking backstroke swimmer. His sixteen-year athletic career included 21 national titles, 7 world records, Olympic gold, silver and bronze medals, and a cover appearance on TIME magazine.

When he publicly came out in 1998, Tewksbury was one of the first openly gay Olympic Champions in the world and has been a leader with the global 2SLGBTQ+ movement ever since. He is the author of three books including his revealing and honest autobiography, Inside Out: Straight Talk From A Gay Jock (2005).

In 2015, Tewksbury was one of three pioneers featured in the Canadian Museum for Human Rights exhibit recognizing trailblazers in sport. In 2019, he was awarded a Muhammad Ali Humanitarian Award for his work in gender inclusion and sexual diversity. In 2020, Tewksbury was appointed Companion of the Order of Canada, the nation’s highest civilian honor. In 2022, he represented Canada as part of the Honours Procession at Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II’s State Funeral.

Embracing the notion of life-long learning, in 2026, after three years of studies and working in a commercial kitchen, Tewksbury completed the Red Seal culinary program. He lives in Calgary.