British diver Tom Daley and his diving partner Dan Goodfellow took gold in the 10 meter synchronized event at the Commonwealth Games on Thursday.
Daley took the opportunity to speak out against the anti-gay laws that still exist in 37 Commonwealth countries.
Daley made the remarks in an interview with Sportsbeat (above) and also an interview in The Guardian.
Said Daley to the Guardian: “There are 37 countries where it’s illegal to be who I am out of all the Commonwealth so hopefully we can reduce that number between now and then. Coming to the Gold Coast and being able to live as an openly gay man is really important in being able to feel comfortable with who you are when standing on that diving board. For 37 countries that are here participating that’s very much not the case.”
Daley also talked about going to Russia in May to compete in the World Diving Series: “Going to Russia can be scary because you’ve got to compete in front of lots of people and lots of people know that I’ve got a husband. I think you’ve got to face those things and try and make change.”
