WHY TOM DALEY'S VIDEO HONESTY IS GOOD NEWS FOR SPORT, AND CONFUSED 19-YEAR-OLDS

Tom Daley’s brave, frank and very modern revelation about the complicated and unforeseen changes in his private life could have wider, positive implications not just for sport, but for 19-year-olds everywhere.
Those rolling their eyes and suggesting Daley’s sexual orientation is no surprise to them, should ask themselves how they’d have felt making such a public statement, not just telling their family, but sitting down on the sofa afterwards to tell the wider world in all its hard-nosed judgement.In breaking the news using video and social media Daley connected directly with his fans admitting, tacitly, and explicitly, that he didn’t trust the mainstream media not to twist his words and turn the story into more than it is.


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CLARE BALDING DEFENDS HERSELF FROM TWITTER TROLLS...

BBC Sport presenter Clare Balding has become the victim of Twitter trolls who have attacked her decision to front the organisation’s coverage of the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics.

The presenter, who is openly gay, was criticised for her decision not to boycott the Games over Russia’s laws against the ‘promotion’ of same-sex relationships.

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TOM DALEY: SOMETHING I WANT TO SAY...

GARETH THOMAS: MY FAMILY VALUES

I was able to come out as gay publicly because my family had accepted me. They thought nothing of it, and without them I wouldn't have been able to do it. If I didn't have them in my life I would have felt like I had no one. They just said, "You need to do what's best for you." That just gave me the strength I needed. After that I didn't care a jot about what the rest of the world thought. If I had my family I could always overcome something, I'd always have a home to go to and I'd always have a cuddle waiting for me when I needed it.

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RUGBY STAR, GARETH THOMAS, COMES OUT

Yesterday the 6ft 3in, 16-stone rugby star said he hoped he could make a difference to others struggling with their sexuality. "I just want to thank everyone for the amazing response I have received, on behalf of me, my family and friends," Thomas said. "I hope that by saying this I can make a big difference to others in my situation."

But he said he did not want to be known as a "gay rugby player" and hoped people would treat his sexuality as "irrelevant" to his career. "What I choose to do when I close the door at home has nothing to do with what I have achieved in rugby," he said. "I'd love for it, in 10 years' time, not to even be an issue in sport, and for people to say: 'So what?'"

[...]

However, homosexuality is still considered taboo in many sports. Tatchell drew a comparison between rugby and football. "It is interesting that a couple of rugby and ex-rugby players have come out in recent years but still not a single professional football player," Tatchell said. "However, given there are 500 professional football players, statistically about 50 of them are probably gay or bisexual yet none have felt able to be open about their sexuality. Quite a few fear negative reactions from team-mates and fans and others are anxious they might lose sponsorship. Others feel their clubs would not be supportive."

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AVICII - ADDICTED TO YOU

The new music video by Avicii, a sweedish DJ, remixer, and record producer, is influenced by the story of Bonnie and Clyde but in his version, they're both female. 

PUTIN CAUTIONS GAY VISITORS TO SOCHI

Russian President Vladimir Putin has said homosexuals will be welcome in Sochi for the Olympics but warned them against spreading "gay propaganda".

"We don't have a ban on non-traditional sexual relations," he said. "We have a ban on promoting homosexuality and paedophilia among minors."

He was speaking in Sochi to volunteers due to help at next month's games.

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NO GAY PEOPLE IN CITY, SAYS MAYOR

The mayor of Sochi, host of the Winter Olympics, has said there are no gay people in the city.

Anatoly Pakhomov said homosexuals were welcome at the Games - as long as they "respect Russian law" and "don't impose their habits on others".

Opposition leader Boris Nemtsov said there were several gay bars in Sochi.

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RUSSIAN LAW BANNING 'GAY PROPAGANDA'

Russia's lower house of parliament, the Duma, has passed a law imposing heavy fines for providing information about homosexuality to people under 18.

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UGANDAN PRIME MINISTER'S DAUGHTER IS GAY

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WHERE IS IT ILLEGAL TO BE GAY?

Millions of people continue to live in places that outlaw same-sex relationships and prosecute people for being gay. In five countries and in parts of two others, homosexuality is still punishable with the death penalty, while a further 70 imprison citizens because of their sexual orientation.

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'GAY SEX GIVES YOU WORMS AND ALL GAY PEOPLE ARE PROSTITUTES'

The President of Uganda on signing into law a bill harshening penalties for those arrested for being gay, made ludicrous claims that gay people give each other worms through sex, and that people are only gay because they have sex for money.

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SEVERAL COUNTRIES CUT AID TO UGANDA OVER ANTI-GAY LAW

One day after Uganda’s President signed into law a bill making homosexuality punishable with life imprisonment, several countries have already said they will cut aid to the country.Norway, Denmark and the Netherlands have become the first three countries to cut their aid to Uganda following the decision to sign the bill by Museveni.

The Netherlands has stopped around £6 million in aid money which was intended for Uganda’s legal system, as the country did not want to contribute to the persecution of gay people.

Norway and Denmark have also said they will redirect aid directly to human rights groups, rather than the government.

This is the same policy which the British Department for International Development, which provides aid directly to organisations such as the UN, World Bank and Amnesty

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UGANDA’S ANTI-HOMOSEXUALITY ACT

• Life imprisonment for gay sex, including oral sex.
• Life imprisonment for "aggravated homosexuality", including sex with a minor or while HIV-positive
• Life imprisonment for living in a same-sex marriage
• Seven years for "attempting to commit homosexuality"
• Between five and seven years in jail or a $40,700 (£24,500) fine or both for the promotion of homosexuality
• Businesses or non-governmental organisations found guilty of the promotion of homosexuality would have their certificates of registration cancelled and directors could face seven years in jail

In a statement, Mr Museveni (Uganda Prime Minister) had said: "I... encourage the US government to help us by working with our scientists to study whether, indeed, there are people who are born homosexual. "When that is proved, we can review this legislation."

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STEREOTYPES + COUNTERTYPES

Stereotypes:

• Lesbian : butch
• Gay man: camp/feminine
• Comedic
• ‘Abnormal’ / Disturbed
• Artistic / Thespian / Expressive
• Weak and timid
• Short hair
• Promicious / AIDS : Grindr

Countertypes: 

• “Lipstick Lesbian”
• Gay althletes: Claire Baldin, Tom Daley, rugby player