Tom Daley didn’t waste any time speaking out on behalf of LGBTQ people across the Commonwealth of Nations after winning a gold medal at the Commonwealth Games today.
Daley won gold with diving partner Dan Goodfellow in the synchronized 10-meter platform event. Daley previously won a gold and a silver in the event with two different diving partners. He has won the solo 10-meter platform event each of the last two Commonwealth Games.
“I feel extremely lucky to compete openly as who I am, not worry about ramifications,” Daley told the BBC. “But for lots of people living in those countries it is not the case. We have to talk about these things and shine a light on them in order to get change.
”By Birmingham and the next Commonwealth Games [in 2022], I really hope we see a decrease in that number of countries that criminalize LGBT issues.”
The Commonwealth is comprised of 53 nations currently or formerly under the rule of England. Some of the countries include Brunei, which executes people for being gay, and places like Uganda, India and St. Lucia that imprison gay people. According to Wikipedia, homosexuality in Malaysia carries a sentence of 20 years and flogging. At least 21 countries require punishments of imprisonment or death.
Daley came out publicly as bisexual in 2013, then later as gay.
