LGBTQ representation at Games can change lives, says Daley

11:16 am on 27 July 2021

Ever-increasing LGBTQ representation at the Olympics has the potential to change lives, newly minted gold medallist Tom Daley said on Monday, after saying he grew up feeling like "an outsider."

Britain's Thomas Daley, left, and  Matty Lee pose with their medals after winning the men's synchronised 10m platform diving final event during the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at the Tokyo Aquatics Centre in Tokyo on 26 July, 2021.

Tom Daley, left, and Matty Lee with their gold medals for men's synchronised 10m platform diving. Photo: AFP

Britain's four-times Olympian Tom Daley finally won the long-yearned-for gold when, together with new diving partner Matty Lee, he pulled off a stunning victory in the men's 10 metre synchronised platform, ending China's stranglehold on the event.

When as a 14-year-old the Briton made his Olympic debut in 2008, fewer than 20 of his fellow competitors openly identified as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or queer. At the 2020 Olympics, that number has grown to more than 160.

After picking up his first-ever Olympic gold, with a stunning upset over China in the men's 10 metre synchronised platform dive with Lee, the 27-year-old said he and other LGBTQ athletes could improve the lives of kids who feel "frightened and scared and alone."

Britain's Thomas Daley and Matty Lee compete in the men's synchronised 10m platform diving final event during the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at the Tokyo Aquatics Centre in Tokyo on 26 July,  2021.

Photo: AFP

"When I was a little boy and felt like an outsider and felt different and felt like I was never going to be anything because who I was wasn't what society wanted me to be, and to be able to see out LGBT people performing at the Olympic Games is - I hope (it) can give young kids hope," he told reporters.

Daley, who picked up bronze medals at the London and Rio Games, married Academy Award-winning screenwriter and director Dustin Lance Black in 2017 and welcomed a child in 2018, which he called "the massive turning point" of his career as an athlete.

"I realized that whether I do really well or whether I do terribly in the pool, that I can go home to a husband and son that loves me," said Daley.

- Reuters