Seanflynn at Daily Kos has pointed out that NBC suppressed the usual biographical detail they so love when a gold medalist (men's 10m dive) turned out to be gay. The Australian media are not so skittish.Seanflynn reports:
For those of you who watched the Olympics last night, you saw one of the great upsets - Australian Matthew Mitcham winning the gold medal in the men's 10 metre platform. He won on his last dive, defeating the favored Chinese contestant, and preventing the host nation from sweeping all 8 metals in diving.
...
Matthew Mitcham is one the first out gay athletes, and probably the highest-profile one, ever to win a gold medal.
Already a major figure in Australia - Olympic swimmers in that country rank with NBA players in the US - his personal story was huge news there this spring (fall in Australia) when he came out.
Read the whole article here and/or click here for the video.
Congratulations Matthew! Much joy to you and Lachlan.
--the BB
5 comments:
I think he is great - along with his wonderful out, loud and proud self, acknowledging his mom and his partner, I found his humility and joy a real gift.
Bravo!
So that champion estadoünidense guy who won all those medals for swimming isn't gay? All those years in Berkeley gave me a relatively decent gaydar for a straight guy (well, to be honest, after a few years in Berkeley I just assumed everyone I met was gay unless they said otherwise), and he looked Unusually Cheerful to me.
Good for the Australian guy!
Well, as we all know, padre, there's gay and there's out and proud.
And how about that slightly older Aussie hunk the Thorpedo? Woof!
Mens swimming/diving competition. Equal Fantasy Opportunities for gay men and straight women... All those beautiful bodies. sigh
That said - good for Matthew Mitcham. What a sweet guy. One of the videos was already gone, but the interview with him, his mum & his partner was still posted.
But, remind me - was Greg Louganis out when he competed, or did he come out later?
Later.
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