Sports
Tom Daley acknowledges relationship with a man
British Olympic diver made disclosure in YouTube video
Tom Daley (Photo by Jim Thurston; courtesy Wikimedia Commons)
British Olympic diver Tom Daley on Monday acknowledged in a video he posted to YouTube that he is in a relationship with a man.
“Come spring this year my life changed massively when I met someone and it made me feel so happy, so safe and everything just feels great,” he said. “That someone is a guy.”
Daley, who won a bronze medal during the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, said it was “always in the back of my head that something like that could happen.” He did not use the words “bisexual” or “gay” in the nearly five and a half minute video.
“It wasn’t until spring this year that something just clicked, felt right,” he said. “Of course I still fancy girls, but right now I’m dating a guy and I couldn’t be happier. I just feel safe. It just really does feel right.”
E! News and other media outlets on Tuesday cited sources who said Daley is dating Dustin Lance Black, the Oscar-winning screenwriter for “Milk.”
The BBC reported Edward Lord, chair of the Amateur Swimming Association in the U.K., said Daley’s decision “to come out is very brave.”
Former Washington Wizards center Jason Collins, who came out as gay earlier this year, is among those who congratulated Daley.
“Congrats to @TomDaley1994 for sharing his private life with the world,” Collins tweeted earlier on Monday. “Brave decision. Much support and love from all of us.”
Daley said he had previously discussed his relationship with his mother and a handful of others. He added some family members whom he told before posting his video had “mixed opinions.”
Others questioned Daley’s decision to publicly discuss his boyfriend.
“This is just attention seeking,” wrote one person on Daley’s YouTube page. “I mean your sexuality is your choice and everything but to reveal it like this is just begging it.”
Cyd Zeigler, Jr., co-founder of Outsports.com, an LGBT sports website, on Monday wrote that some observers will conclude “this is just another step toward Daley being gay.”
“Maybe it is. But who cares,” wrote Zeigler. “He still ‘fancies girls’ and is now dating a guy. Wherever his journey takes him, we wish him nothing but the best and all the happiness in the world.”
Iran and Egypt on Friday faced off during the World Cup’s “Pride Match” in Seattle.
Iran is among the handful of countries in which consensual same-sex sexual relations remain punishable by death. Discrimination and persecution based on sexual orientation and gender identity is commonplace in Egypt.
Friday’s match coincided with Pride weekend in Seattle. The Egyptian Football Association and the Football Federation Islamic Republic of Iran both objected to playing in the “Pride Match.”
Egypt and Iran tied 1-1.
FIFA, for its part, allowed Pride flags inside the stadium during the match.
“The FIFA World Cup 2026 is an inclusive event that welcomes people from all backgrounds,” a FIFA spokesperson told the Washington Blade in a statement. “Fans of all sexual orientations and gender identities are welcome at matches and events. General statements of human rights, including rainbow flags and other flags representing sexual orientation and gender identity, are permitted under the FIFA World Cup 2026™ Stadium Code of Conduct and may be displayed inside stadiums provided they are used in a manner consistent with the code.”
Human Rights Watch welcomed FIFA’s decision to allow Pride flags inside the stadium. Outright International, a global LGBTQ and intersex rights group, distributed Pride flags in Seattle on Friday, which was Pride Match Day.
“Visibility matters,” said Outright International Executive Director Maria Sjödin. “Pride is now being celebrated in more than 100 countries, including this weekend in Seattle. For many LGBTIQ people, seeing a Pride flag in public is a reminder that they are not alone, and that their rights and dignity are recognized.”
FIFA President Gianni Infantino earlier this year told Die Weltwoche, a Swiss magazine, that “there will be no ‘Pride Match’ at the (FIFA) World Cup.”
“There will be a FIFA World Cup match in Seattle, and on the same day, events organized by external organizations will be taking place in the city,” said Infantino. “But that has nothing to do with the match itself.”
Peter Tatchell, a long-time LGBTQ activist from the U.K. who is director of the Peter Tatchell Foundation, was among those who traveled to Seattle for Friday’s match. Tatchell accused FIFA of not vetting World Cup teams — specifically Iran, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Ghana, Senegal, Qatar, Tunisia, Morocco, Iraq, Uzbekistan, and Algeria — over whether they would allow gay players.
“FIFA is protecting LGBT+ visibility in the stands while failing to protect LGBT+ players on the pitch,” said Tatchell.
The Baltimore Orioles will take on the Washington Nationals on Friday, June 26 at 7 p.m. for Pride Night at Oriole Park.
The first 15,000 fans will receive an exclusive Pride Night Orioles jersey. The Washington Blade is a media sponsor of this event.
To purchase tickets, visit Orioles.com/Tickets.
Sports
Minor league team in York, Pa., forfeits Pride Night game after some players refuse to wear special jersey
City is roughly 20 miles north of Md. border
An independent minor league baseball team says it is forfeiting a game because some of its players refused to wear a special Pride Night jersey.
The Atlantic League Pro Baseball’s York Revolution were planning to hold their 11th annual Pride Night event Thursday for a game against the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs.
But the Revolution announced the day of the game that it wouldn’t be played. York is about 20 miles north of the Maryland line. The Blue Crabs play in Waldorf.
The rest of this article can be found on the Baltimore Banner’s website.
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