Is this really news???

[Tabby1963]

Just watching the 6oclock news and, 20 minutes in there is a report about a well known Olympic diver having a boyfriend. FFS, is that news? No, it blooming ain't!

Tom Daley is young, an icon, and it is to be admired he had the courage to come out an be a positive role model to youths.

Totally agree with Wellthen's post. I have a gay teenage son and every day he gets abuse in some form. People think it is quite okay to say things like "I don't mind gay people as long as they don't shout about it, I don't think it should be spoken about in school, why do "they" want to get married" etc etc etc. It really is not as socially acceptable as people think, even in this day and age.

That's really sad to hear caesre your poor son.

No. I really and truly think it should NOT be on the 6 o clock news. It sends entirely the wrong message - that homosexuality is something that needs to be announced. Gay people (including sportsmen and women) should be free to just be, no announcements, no nothing. I am really agitated by this.

DH watched this and exclaimed with rolling eyes, 'shock, horror, 19yr old has sex!' I looked at him and he shrugged and said, 'what else is there to say?'
I hope our boys grow up seeing such things as a non-issue too!

I don't think it should be "news", it is a shame that it is. I hope that I am still alive when young men and women coming out isn't newsworthy.

I think the support Tom has had on Twitter and Fb has been immense, and that is a good thing.

Ceasre, that is a shame about your son's experiences, it shouldn't be like that. One of DS1's friends came out about 18months ago. It didn't make any difference in their friendship group or at college, tbh DS1 would've knocked anyone out if they had been horrible to him. I hope things change for him re the abuse.

I am also very sorry to hear about your son Cesare. I think, tbh, a lot of it (homophobia) has to do with how well educated people are (or otherwise) and where they live.

Often when celebs make announcements like this, it's because the tabloids are about to 'out' them. Clare Balding was outed by the papers, this way at least they can control when/how their family find out.

Yes, mintyy, I agree with that sentiment. I think that was DHs view. I do hope he hasn't felt pressured or forced into this by tabloid threats. Teenagers, gay or straight have a tough enough time settling into their sexuality without the threat of some nasty person you don't know giving their (uninformed) take on it.

Oh, that is a good point about the tabloids. I hope they weren't about to do the dirty on him.

Cease, I, too, am sorry to hear about your son's experiences. I hope it helps him to know that it really isn't like that everywhere. Hopefully he will soon launch himself into a more tolerant section of society. I'm sure with your support, he'll do it with confidence.

You have to see it in the wider context don't you? Personally I don't care in the slightest whether someone is heterosexual, homosexual or anywhere in between. It makes me very happy that I can say to my DD (4) that she can get married to whoever she likes so long as they're not in her family!

However as PPs have said this attitude is very far from universal and particularly so in professional sport. AFAIK it is still true that no professional footballer still playing has come out? To me that speaks volumes about how far there is to go. I think that Tom Daley has done a mature and responsible thing today.

My 12 year old was shouting at the telly... "So what?"

I'm quite happy with that.

The sport world is horribly homophobic.
It took great courage for Tom Daly to come out.
I have nothing but the greatest respect and admiration for him.

It's only news in the sense I'm surprised he wasn't out already.

Assume some red top was on the verge of publishing a 'compromising' photo of him.

And what was all the " of course I still like girls" bollox? What's "of course" about it? Just smacked of him trying not to alienate his female fan base.

Thanks all. I look forward to the day when this is not newsworthy. Also told DS Tom would make a fab son in law

My 8 year old DS hit the nail on the head when he said 'So why is that news, it's no big deal. It's his choice who he goes out with' and promptly asked if he could have his tea please.

Whilst there are still a section of our community who have an issue with it - I think they are now in the minority.

In this day and age people shouldn't need to 'announce' they are gay any more than someone would if they were straight. It's no big deal.

I've been out this evening and couldn't believe the number of people who said "Have you heard about Tom Daley?" I really couldn't.

good luck to him and wish him well. I imagine he had a heads up from the tabloids as going to be outed.

it shouldn't be news but if it helps other young gay men and women to live in peace as they wish then great.

Scott Mills made me laugh today ; he said, 'breaking news, Tom Daley's just announced he'll be making a second series of Splash!' .

I believe one pro-footballer came out. He went on to commit suicide. He was treated dreadfully.
When visiting fans have to be sanctioned for homophobic abuse at Brighton Albion (just because it's Brighton), I think it's clear we have a long way to go still.

I am not one to follow sleb news but actually I think this is important.

I wonder how many people posting 'it's no big deal' are gay themselves?

Because the two gay people I'm closest to - my mum and a good friend - have both experienced either abuse or feel there are situations where they can't come out. Sorry, but I think this reaction is a little like white people saying 'Racism is soooo over, why do we need black history month or ethnic monitoring?'

Sorry, but to me it reads a little like a version of 'I don't mind gay people as long as they keep it to themselves'. Gay people can't get married in this country. Until very recently it was legal to discriminate against them and to treat them differently in adoption cases. Anyone saying 'it's no big deal' is - very sadly - naive IMO.

Also I thought what he said and how he said it was just lovely - bless!

To all those saying "so what?" I applaud you. You are the forerunners of how things SHOULD be. Sadly, many, many people in this world have a long way to come before they get to that stage. Homophobia is real, it exists and it is incredibly damaging. For someone like Tom to come out, not as gay but as bisexual, is so very important. He's a young man with (hopefully) a long career in front of him. To put yourself out there like he has must be terrifying. I'm glad he's had a mostly positive response.

Only yesterday, as this was all happening, I found out that a girl in my DD's class is being bullied because her mum is gay. The kids are 7. I find it so sad that this kind of thing still goes on. But it does, and until the rest of the population catches up with the "so-what"ers, we still need people like to to come out and help normalise it.

Interesting that Scott mills spoke about it so casually he was very in the closet for a long long time. I think we'll only know the world has changed when we only find out ALL celebs sexuality in the look who they were spotted with section of gossip mags and it ends at that but yesterday's reactions to this news shows we've made massive progress in recent history.