Ian Thorpe, the Australian Olympic swimming champion, reveals he is gay in a TV interview with Michael Parkinson, to air Sunday, according to the Sunday Telegraph. Thorpe has been asked if he is gay on many occasions in the last 10 years, saying each time that he is not and that all of his sexual experiences have been with women.
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"I think his sexuality is no one's business but his own," Parkinson said. "But I think it's one of the best interviews I have ever done in terms of (Thorpe) talking about depression and things like that," he said.
It seemed odd earlier this week when news broke that Thorpe would be asked the question again about his sexual orientation. The one answer that seemed to make sense was that Thorpe had wanted to answer the question differently from the ways he had answered it before.
Gay Australian Olympic diving champion Matthew Mitcham told the Daily Telegraph last night:
"I really hope this process gives him some peace and that the media and the public give him the same respect and the same overwhelming support I received in 2008. The Australian public and media have a really wonderful opportunity to set an example for kids who are in Ian's position."
This has no doubt been a tough journey for Thorpe, who has been the center of speculation for years. Assuming the reports are correct and Thorpe does reveal he is gay, I hope the revelation brings him peace. While some may point fingers because of how he has answered the question in the past, coming out is his own personal journey and if he wasn't ready until now, he wasn't ready until now.
