Tom Daly

He doesn’t have to say anything. He chooses to speak to the media because he gets paid shit loads of money for it – and likes to appeal to as bigger fan base as possible.

No doubt some other story is lurking that was going to out him so he’s made the first move, given he was adamant just 3 months ago that he was not gay.

Personally couldn’t give a hoot, just wish the “News” was actually newsworthy. I bet this guy feels like a dick though..

http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/sep/11/tom-daley-not-gay-reset-the-gaydar

Did he openly define himself as gay though? It seemed like a 50% sort of thing from the video; “I’m with a bloke now and it’s changed my life… but I still like the ladies”. Whilst the subtext is that he’s finally found what he has been looking for in a partner, the words are somewhat mixed.

Lots of people are accepting of gay relationships, but loads and loads of people aren’t. From family and friends to randoms on the street. I’ve had everything from abuse to being spat on. It may not feel like a big thing, to you guys reading about Tom, but trust me it feels like it at the time. There was a gay story line in Corrie a while back, it made SUCH a massive difference to how some people spoke to me. You wouldn’t believe it, and to have properly famous people in Real Life say, I’m gay deal with it” is a massive help to people, not just guys and girls thinking about it, but everyone. The more it becomes open, there more it won’t matter, but were def not there yet!!

I think Christiano Rohnaldo missed a trick really. My Gaydar isn’t always the sharpest, but when you looked at him, did you think “Now there’s a lad who likes to take a pride in his appearance, and to look after his personal grooming. And the pictures in the paper with the white speedos… well given his carefully manicured physique, what man wouldn’t don the white speedos……”

And everyone gave him so much abuse anyway, which he used to thrive on, You’d think he might as well have just got it out in the open and made himself a bigger icon than Kylie

Theres only one man who Ronaldo wants to love and sleep with.

Himself.

I think that a gay footballer would be able to use it to their advantage after the initial cavemen getting it out of their system reaction. For a start other players probably would run a mile if he pretended to fancy them being as most pro-footballers are somewhat backwards. Could be quite useful for a forward.

I bet this guy feels like a dick though..

You might wanna rephrase that… 😆

oops. spat my coffee out then!

I should read my posts back…

I think Christiano Rohnaldo missed a trick really.

I would wager he is gay but I think he is under a lot of pressure from his people and sponsors. If you think the UK is narrow minded there are lot of other Countries where things are a lot worse. If Nike or whoever think they are going to lose money then they make sure he keeps it under wraps.

Gay?
Well knock me down with a feather, that Freddie Mercury fooled me in the same way…

I would wager he is gay but I think he is under a lot of pressure from his people and sponsors. If you think the UK is narrow minded there are lot of other Countries where things are a lot worse. If Nike or whoever think they are going to lose money then they make sure he keeps it under wraps.

Let’s be honest, if you’re gay and trying to hide it, what better way than dating Irina Shayk, if he’d have been knocking about with Pam St Clement then I think the game would be up.

if you’re gay and trying to hide it, what better way than dating Irina Shayk

Absolutely. No one would ever suspect.

The thing that seems really strange to me is that he had a son by a surrogate mother. Why, if you have such an urge to become a father would you do it that way? Not saying it’s 100% but seems strange to me.

gwj72 – Member

This sort of thing is usually made into news by the person in question spending years denying it. As Tom Daley did.

Hang on, so he made it news by denying it… Did he just spontaneously tell everyone he wasn’t gay or were people already making it a story? (hopefully obviously rhetorical!)

He was asked in interviews and came out and voluntarily made statements when rumours got out, that he was categorically NOT gay. As recently as September this year. Then I guess his management team changed tac and now he is.

My point is if he was just who he was and honest from the start it wouldn’t be a story now. And he’s still saying “of course I fancy girls” – of course you do Tom, especially the ones buying your 2014 Calender!!

I think it’s just cynical manipulation of the press for his own means. Which he is entitled to do (f*ck the press) but lets not make him an OBE for doing it.

I’m still waiting for a bashing back doors comment now he’s available to you guys

My point is if he was just who he was and honest from the start it wouldn’t be a story now.

To be honest he needs to be asked in the first place as NW points out it is obvious what came first the question and not the answer

He did not make his sexuality a news story folk asking him did.

Non-story.

On the one hand, we’ve come a long way as a society in that he’s able to “come out” without being stoned to death; on the other, the fact that it’s news at all means we have a ways to go yet.

I guess lots of young ladies are now feeling disappointed

I never really understood that logic. Do they sit there going “oh, he’s gay, now we’ll never be together…”? I mean, when I was a teenager I fantasised about famous ladies as much as the next barrel of hormones and acne did, but don’t recall ever seriously thinking “you know, I might be in with a chance there.”

Ho hum.

It is completely and utterly unreasonable to tell a 19-year-old kid that he “should have been honest earlier” about his sexuality.

My point is if he was just who he was and honest from the start it wouldn’t be a story now

Honest about it from the start….right 🙄 #notreallylisteningmuch

Bigdummy +1

How old is he again?
Seems to me the limelight has made him have to confront this earlier than he might otherwise have wanted to or indeed needed to.

-of my four gay man friends (who all say they are totally gay ie definitely do not like the ladies at all. Anymore.) only one of them knew he was gay at Daly’s age, one a bit later, one had girlfriend and a child, and one was married to a lady for several years. (FWIW the average age of realising/coming out amongst my lesbian friends and family is quite a bit lower. Not sure how that compares to the rest of the yookay though…)

Junkyard – lazarus

To be honest he needs to be asked in the first place as NW points out it is obvious what came first the question and not the answer

He did not make his sexuality a news story folk asking him did.

I don’t follow. He has offered himself up as a celeb, clearly. His private life will be under scrutiny. He was asked if he was gay he said no. Rumor got out he really was so he made press releases denying it. Now he’s posting to youtube saying he is after all.

He has as much of a part to play in making this a “story” than the press. To be fair to him he is probably just following some managers direction, but it is all just playing the game for most profit isn’t it?

(Hi Emsz! *waves*)

Emsz: Nail, head.

I’ve had similar experiences to Emsz and still get an awful lot of pee-taking at work. Tom is only 19 so it is good for him to be out so young so he can go for who/what he wants instead of hiding.

Why hasn’t Rossi come out?

He has offered himself up as a celeb, clearly.

C’mon, he was a child sensation, loads of media interest with even more attention once the story about his Dad became known. He hardly pushed it to get there.

Sure, he didn’t shy away from the publicity that that gained, particularly more recently but it’s unfair to characterise him as a fame-seeker, particularly not from the outset.

Besides, he’s a pro athlete with a limited shelf life, working to be popular to help gain sponsorship or a career other than diving in a few years is hardly a sin, is it?

Anyone noticed his pink nail varnish on his toes as he prepares to take position to dive off the board on the ad for Splash?

Saw that and drew my own conclusions. Each to their own and all that though

Hmmm must paint my toenails pink. I reckon my daughter would like it.

Clubber – nothing was stopping him retraining and becoming a plumber after his athletic career! He chose the media/celeb route.

Funny this story surfaces the month before a new series of Splash when all the trailers are starting to be played. I know I am a cynic, but this has “Media strategist” written all over it.

I don’t follow. He has offered himself up as a celeb, clearly. His private life will be under scrutiny. He was asked if he was gay he said no. Rumor got out he really was so he made press releases denying it. Now he’s posting to youtube saying he is after all.

He has as much of a part to play in making this a “story” than the press. To be fair to him he is probably just following some managers direction, but it is all just playing the game for most profit isn’t it?

You do realise he’s 19, not some 50 year old in the closet Tory backbencher?

Seems to be a lot of covert homophobia in this thread. All the “Why does he have to say anything, can’t he keep it to himself”. Or another way of saying it, “It’s fine to be gay, but don’t wave it it my face.”

nothing was stopping him retraining and becoming a plumber after his athletic career

Of course not but why should he just to try to hide his sexual preference? Besides, I doubt that telling the media that he was going to do that would have stopped them outing him and making a story. He was in the public eye already for the reasons outlined above and keeping his head down wasn’t going to change that.

but this has “Media strategist” written all over it.

That’s one option. Another is “media want to out person who is in the public eye”

I for one applaud the fact that he has become public on his sexuality.
As regards his career, he’s taken his fame to make money as a tv celeb
Why the hell not?
Who wouldn’t?
He can retrain to become a binman or whatever once he needs to.
Until then let him make a few quid.

We’ve come a long way since the 70s, when my parents wrote “bonny and blithe and hopefully not gay” under my date of birth in my baby book (I was born on a Sunday), but we’re still not at a point where everyone feels able to be openly gay. The more high-profile people who are out, the better.

It shouldn’t be a big issue, but it is.

What I find interesting in the uk is the stigma given to a gay person.
Let’s be honest, who cares if you’re gay or not these days?
The most important thing is if you’re not an arsehole.
Some of the league of gentleman type villages however have intense homophobia. Where has all this hatred come from?

Where has all this hatred come from?

I blame religion.

*dives for cover

jaylovescats – Member

You do realise he’s 19, not some 50 year old in the closet Tory backbencher?

Seems to be a lot of covert homophobia in this thread. All the “Why does he have to say anything, can’t he keep it to himself”. Or another way of saying it, “It’s fine to be gay, but don’t wave it it my face.”

I might have guessed an accusation of homophobia would be along soon!

I don’t give a monkeys about peoples sexual preference. I just think when someone says they are not gay and are looking for the right girl, when in fact they have been in a gay relationship for 6 months, I call that lying. I understand why he’s lying (to make money), I don’t feel any ill will toward him (the contrary as an olympian), I just think the outpouring of him being “brave” is a little unjustified.

What I find interesting in the uk is the stigma given to a gay person.

Why single out the UK? In the grand scheme of things we’re pretty progressive compared to many. How do you reckon he’d have fared in Russia? Or the good ol’ US of A for that matter?

Fear of the unknown

And, judging by some people I knew at school who are out now despite having been homophobic bullies at school, self-loathing.

http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/commentators/owen-jones-when-coming-out-ends-equality-will-be-total-7917824.html

Well done Tom, have a a happy relationship with your new boyfreind/partner.

Let us hope you are the first top rank sportsman to come out this year, and be a role model for kids at school and college that daily suffer bullying and fear for their sexuality being found out or for just haveing the courage to be out.

Things have come on in leaps and bounds for the gay community over the last few years,but there is still discrimination,fear and hatred from a small minded minority, we all have the power to tackle gay bullying, by just saying something, being supportive of freinds ,family,and evenn strangers, by having frank and open conversations and most importantly just listening to the other side.

gwj72 – Member
I understand why he’s lying

Oh good

gwj72 – Member
(to make money)

Oh no wait, actually you don’t.

I don’t give a monkeys about peoples sexual preference. I just think when someone says they are not gay and are looking for the right girl, when in fact they have been in a gay relationship for 6 months, I call that lying

When I was 13 and lying in bed literally concentrating on Liam Butler, I was lying ( I used to think that maybe I had no tits because there wasn’t a boy I fancied, and when I did they would grow, hence trying really really hard to like Liam) when I told Michaela that I didnt fancy girls I was lying then as well.

People do and think stupid things especially when your desperate to be normal, I don’t judge or blame Tom