Tom Daley urges people in sport to come out to help LGBTQ youth struggling with their sexuality
The Olympic diver is openly gay and married to Dustin Lance Black
By Steve Brown
Words: Steve Brown
Tom Daley has urged people in sport to come out to help LGBTQ youth struggling with their sexuality.
Currently there are no openly gay Premier League footballers who have publicly come out while still playing the sport but in the rugby world, there have been a number of players who have spoken about their sexuality.
And while speaking to Yahoo UK, Olympic diver Daley – who married Dustin Lance Black and has son Robbie – called for more sportspeople to come out to help people struggling with their sexuality.
He said: “I’m sure that in the world of sport there are people that are closeted and feel they can’t come out and feel trapped and I feel really bad for them because it’s such a weight on your shoulders to be living like that.
“Everyone is ready at different times and there is no right or wrong way to do it, it’s just a matter of being able to do it when you’re ready.
“But knowing that people in sport, especially a high profile sport, if you were to come out and share your personal story it would help so many young children that look up to you – whether it be a football player or a rugby player – and think, ‘Oh wow! Who I am isn’t going to stop me being able to achieve my dreams in sport’
“If anything, being slightly different and being that person can help you be stronger and deal with a lot of different pressures when it comes to competition.”