Tom Daley Wins Gold at Commonwealth Games, Speaks Out About Anti-Gay Laws

 Tom Daley and Daniel Goodfellow took the Commonwealth title with 405.81 points.
Photograph: Mike Frey/BPI/REX/Shutterstock

The Guardian reports:

Tom Daley won gold in the 10m synchronised event with Dan Goodfellow and then used the platform to strongly condemn anti-gay laws in 37 Commonwealth countries.

The English pair just managed to hold on for victory over their compatriots Matthew Dixon and Noah Williams after a wayward final dive. It is a fourth Commonwealth title for Daley who won his first in Delhi in 2010 when he was just 15.

Now 23, much has changed in Daley’s personal life, including his marriage to screenwriter Dustin Lance-Black. The couple announced in February they are expecting a baby but Daley said he still finds it difficult to compete in countries where homosexuality is illegal.

He spoke of his hope that by the time of the next Commonwealth Games in Birmingham in 2022 the attitude towards gay relationships in some of the competing nations would have improved.

“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,” he said. “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.”

See full story here.