When Tom Daley revealed that he is in a relationship with a man in a YouTube video this past Monday, his supporters acknowledged his courage. For a 19-year old Olympic bronze medalist as popular as Daley to come out as being in a relationship with a man is a major step forward for the LGBTQ movement. It’s also a boon for the confidence of gay men and women who have yet to find an opportunity to share their true selves with others. After becoming the International Swimming Federation World Champion in the ten meter platform event in 2009 at the age of 15, his fame skyrocketed as he became the object of Great Britain’s affection, peaking when he entered the 10 meter platform final at the 2012 London Olympics.
Sifting through what the Chinese government will let me read on the internet, I came across a comment that perturbed me in the way that it revealed several types of what I can only describe as ugliness that exists in our world.
“This will make no difference with tolerant and progressive companies in this country. But if those countries have an international presence, there is pressure from eastern Europe to not sponsor gay people. I can’t prove I lost sponsors, but deals that were agreed suddenly disappeared,” said Graeme Obree, former double world pursuit champion cyclist and an openly gay professional athlete.
The fact that Daley’s sexual orientation could cost him sponsors before the 2016 Rio Olympic Games is a pretty detestable possibility. Considering the intolerance that still exists in many countries that participate in the games, though, it’s definitely a risk that he will have to face.
Earlier this year Russia, host of the 2014 Winter Olympic Games, passed legislation that outlawed the promotion of “homosexual propaganda” to people under the age of 18, a blatantly discriminatory measure. In response to this ban, which effectively outlaws homosexuality, many athletes are planning to boycott the Winter Olympics. If the boycott continues to gain support and publicity, it could cause an even larger rift between the LGBTQ community and those governments that oppose homosexuality.
Although this example reveals the lengths we still have to go before LGBTQ people can be globally accepted, it also shows that professional sports is becoming an essential platform for achieving acceptance. With the support and attention that athletes receive worldwide, more and more athletes coming out could be the push that this movement needs. Daley’s announcement exemplifies just what kind of push this can be: All you need to do is think about the media coverage his video has already gotten and the spread of his message through his 2.5 million Twitter followers.
One last drawback that I couldn’t help but dwell on when reading this statement, though, is the effect that mass commercialization of professional sports will have on athletes’ decisions to come out. What first drew my attention to this problem was Obree’s mention of losing contracts with international companies. If athletes are going to become a compelling force in fostering acceptance of the LGBTQ community, money cannot be a factor in their decision. Obree makes it sound like the loss of extra income should be a major worry for Daley now that he is open about his relationship. If it’s a matter of expressing his true self for a cause versus keeping the money flowing into his bank account, I would hope that the former garners more importance.
Daley says in his video that in an ideal world he would not have to make this kind of announcement because it really shouldn’t matter who he falls in love with, but that he recognizes it is important to countless people around the world is at the very least high-minded of him. His actions transcended the desire for a simpler, wealthier life and with that, his example will hopefully encourage more active athletes to join him in this drive for acceptance. more considerable scale.
