Cougar – Moderator
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?

This is what I mean. In some countries being gay is “cured” by death.
The uk however is one of fairer nations. Narrow mindedness is still strong mind with many closet Homophobes.

emzs, you do some heavy-lifting on these threads. It’s excellent stuff, thank you.

Jeez, headline bloody news on the Bbc 😕

Emsz – you’re confusing your real personal feelings with the publications issued by Professional Sports Group Ltd on behalf of Tom Daley.

If it makes you happy great. But you’re being a bit naive if you don’t think this move wasn’t carefully calculated and managed by PSG. As it was saying he wasn’t gay 3 months ago. It’s what suits them, when it suits them, not to further LGBT rights to make more money off his image while they can.

It’s not personal, it’s not homophobic, it’s how the media and cult of celebrity work. Just that.

“It’s fine to be gay, but don’t wave it it my face.”

No wonder it’s all over the news. Was it pixelated?

A brave and important step forward, can’t believe he’s being accused of being underhand about the whole thing.

Sorry gwj72, Emsz is right. If it was all money he’d be going on one of those nice chat shows for loads of money and saying it there, and upping the price beforehand.

Unless of course the chap in the video was a robot or something?

Regardless, if it helps young LGBT people who are getting crap at school then it can only be for good.

They announced the line up for Splash 2014 yesterday with a mute plop highlighted by the fact the media hardly commented. Today Tom announces he’s gay. I may be cynical but you must admit the timing is very convenient.

Reference the earlier posts about football; any of you ever been to any northern Championship grounds where Brighton were playing away?

But you’re being a bit naive if you don’t think this move wasn’t carefully calculated and managed by PSG. As it was saying he wasn’t gay 3 months ago. It’s what suits them, when it suits them, not to further LGBT rights to make more money off his image while they can

He announced it by himself, for he is a big boy now he is 19, and is quite capable of rational thought and emotion.

He is also a marketable brand like most sports people and how his mangement decide to market him is there buisness, he personally decided to out himself, and like is said above it hopefully may help other confused kids out there decide to seek advice or help and realise their inherent sexuality.

Oh and lets not forget Grahame Obreee who also came out was married and had children. Perhaps his management saw a marketing ploy and told him what to say.

Unless of course the chap in the video was a robot or something?

obviously a Gaybot then.

They announced the line up for Splash 2014 yesterday with a mute plop highlighted by the fact the media hardly commented. Today Tom announces he’s gay. I may be cynical but you must admit the timing is very convenient.

Shock horror, gay man due to host top rating tv show.

Grahame Norton, Alan Carr, Paul O grady, and others must be so happy to have another recruit join them on the sofas.

Good for the feller.
I hope it was because he wanted to, rather than to preempt some scummy revelations in a bloody tabloid.

winston_dog – Member
I take it that you rarely, if ever, attend a match so how would you know?

Two or three games a season at least usually for the past 30 years, Premier L, European games or Internationals. I’m well enough placed to comment that in my view the cross section and behaviour of football crowds is thankfully very different from our broader society. Discrimination generally in football crowds, be it racist, sexist or homophobic is materially worse than society. I go to a lot of sports events and I’ve never been to any other than football where fans from the same team fight each other, Chelsea has this honour.

gwj72 – please listen to what Emsz is saying. Without meaning to sound patronising (I’m sure I will though, so sorry), unless you’ve been through something like this it’s difficult to know how difficult it is for some people. Emsz has put it so much better than I can.

I probably knew I was gay in my early 20’s, denied to myself until my mid twenties and didn’t come out until I was 30. It’s easy to be cynical about what you think his motives may be, but it must be even more difficult for someone in the spotlight.

Anyway, it’s great that the vast majority on here are supportive.

The thing that is disappointing in him coming out is that from now on every story about him in the media will change from

Olympic medal winning diver tom daley

to

gay diver Tom Daley

hopefully one day he’ll go back to being Olympic or just plain Tom and no one will feel the need to mention his sexuality.

Heard about this on the 6Music news this morning, and my immediate thought was ‘this is news?’.
Far more important things in the news, move along, nothing to see here.

Good on him. I hope it was 100% his decision rather than knowing a paper was going to run a story. One question emz, who is Liam Butler?

Lets get past your personal experiences and your perception of my ignorance, because neither are actually relevant.

He could have been saying his favourite colour was blue up until last week but now decided it’s red. The point is the same, he does and says what he is contractually allowed to. That’s his job – being Tom Daley ™ – the brand.

If you get something positive from it then its all good. Personally I just see media pro’s working the media on behalf of their client. There will be a personal story in there somewhere but I doubt we get to see any of it.

My personal experience is that I had told people (who I love) that I wasn’t gay, when I knew I was. You may think it’s all about the brand/money and you may be right, I was just trying to give you some prospective from my experience.

Two questions emz, who is Liam Butler? and is he responsible for my moobs?

that he was categorically NOT gay

He isn’t, he’s bi.

Anyway this is news. There are not many openly gay/bi sportsmen as far as I know, and that is an issue. It’s been discussed a fair bit in current affairs programmes. So when someone high profile makes a decision to come out it’s news. If there were loads of gay role models in sport and everything else, then it woudn’t be.

I think it’s being covered partly because of this and partly to promote the positive effect it will probably have amongst young people – as emsz points out.

I think it’s being covered mainly to sell newspapers and other media to be honest.

I expect the BBC and some of the better papers will cover it in a fair manner, I expect most of fleet street will be looking for any salacious tittle tattle they can find, which they will headline with borderline homophobic and childish puns.

Had not really thought about TD’s sexuality before and when I heard earlier just thought ‘so what’ and went for a ride. As usual missed any rumours and of no consequence as far as I am concerned.

Hicksy – Member
My personal experience is that I had told people (who I love) that I wasn’t gay, when I knew I was. You may think it’s all about the brand/money and you may be right, I was just trying to give you some prospective from my experience.

I get that I do. But it’s not the same if you are media celeb signed up to a management company. I’m not dissing your feelings, I just don’t believe a word of a news story once I know that person has hired a management firm, has 3 PR advisers and has recently lied through his teeth (for whatever reason)!

Did he lie through his teeth about being straight?

qwj72, i get what you’re saying. it’s a media company, right.

Just drop the whole “he was lying bit” it doesn’t matter, OK? we’ve all done it, lied to ourselves and others about being gay, it’s hard to come out, and when you’re straight, it’s sort of hard to understand why it would be, but sometimes it’s harder than it should be (even to people who you know love you to bits)

Liam was lovely, nice eyes, smelled of CK one… 😳 and he fancied me, sorry Liam.

I think maybe he didn’t realise he was bisexual. It’s not unknown.

Every year, I teach about 100 students who are around Tom’s age. Depending upon the statistics you choose to believe, around 10 of them will be gay and 3 or 4 of them will attempt to kill themselves.

Even if it’s just in a small way, Tom Daly coming out will probably make at least one of them feel better about themselves.

Why hasn’t Rossi come out?

Is that a serious question ?

If it is, I would be interested as to why you felt the need to ask it?

Purely based on the fact that this page has reached its fourth page means we have some way to go until this ‘coming out’ malarky won’t be necessary anymore, and that it is still treated as quite big ‘news’.

Just drop the whole “he was lying bit” it doesn’t matter, OK? we’ve all done it, lied to ourselves and others about being gay, it’s hard to come out, and when you’re straight, it’s sort of hard to understand why it would be, but sometimes it’s harder than it should be (even to people who you know love you to bits)

+10000
I ‘lied’ for years (including to myself and the girls I was seeing) about still being straight, right up until I was 18 and finally the penny dropped when I met a guy that I really liked. It confused the living **** out of me initially, and isn’t as easy as it may seem to the outside world looking in.

EDIT: PS, congrats to qwj72 – finally met someone even more cynical then me 😉

I was 18 and finally the penny dropped when I met a guy that I really liked. It confused the living **** out of me initially, and isn’t as easy as it may seem to the outside world looking in.

And that’s without the press interest, training for an Olympics, and losing a parent, all of which Daly has had over the last few years. It’s no wonder he took a while.

Well, a little more comes out today

39 year old bloke, 19 year old lad

Now, times have changed a lot, but does that nowadays still come across as a little ‘seedy’? 😕

I see every bodies favorite Piers Morgan tweeted how fantastic it was he was “out”

a little ‘seedy’?

It does a bit. But it’s a tricky one.

If it was a 39 yr old man with a 19 yr old “girl”, we would seem a bit “dirty old man” like. Doesn’t necessarily mean it is though!

Besides, if when I was 39 and had of got a chance with a 19 yr old who had been voted one of the sexiest women in the UK, I don’t think I would of knocked her back! 🙂

iolo – Member

I see every bodies favorite Piers Morgan tweeted how fantastic it was he was “out”

Piers Morgan has come out?!?! 😯 😯 😯

39 year old bloke, 19 year old lad

But its probably his first man on man relationship, he had to start somewhere, or did he just dive in.

Harry styles (boyband) seems to like the older woman as welll.

Is it anyone except them and close freinds buisness, perhaps whenm he goes on http://www.divingtrackworld.co.uk forum and asks for advice, perhaps then we can post our opinions for him.

They like orgies …

perhaps then we can post our opinions for him.

Perhaps when he stops making personal announcements on the Worlds 3rd busiest website then people will stop discussing his personal life?

They like orgies …

Who doesn’t?

Why hasn’t Rossi come out?

It would come as a shock to his girlfriend and ex-girlfriends. The long live pussy slogan on his leathers would seem a bit odd too.

A journalist asked the motogp riders if any of them were gay at a press conference.

Stefan Bradl summed it up nicely: “Maybe if it makes us faster we will think about it…”