Matthew Mitcham, Olympic Diver

 b. March 2, 1988

"Being ‘out' for me means being just as I am with nothing to be ashamed about and no reasons to hide."

Australian diver Matthew Mitcham is one of the few openly gay Olympic athletes. At the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, Mitcham won a gold medal after executing the highest-scoring dive in Olympic history.

Mitcham grew up in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. He competed as a trampoline gymnast before being discovered by a diving coach. By the time he was 14, he was a national junior champion in diving. A few years later, he won medals in the World Junior Diving Championships.

In 2006, after battling anxiety and depression, Mitcham decided to retire from diving. The following year, he returned to diving and began training for the Olympics.

In Beijing, Mitcham won an Olympic gold medal in the 10-meter platform dive. It was the first time in over 80 years that an Australian male diver struck Olympic gold. After his triumph, he leaped into the stands to hug and kiss his partner, Lachlan Fletcher.

Mitcham was the first out Australian to compete in the Olympics. There were only 11 openly gay athletes out of a total of over 11,000 competitors in Beijing.

Mitcham was chosen 2008 Sports Performer of the Year by the Australian public. The same year, Australia GQ named him Sportsman of the Year. After accepting the GQ award, Mitcham joked, "Oh, my God, I’m a homo and I just won the sports award!"

Mitcham competed in the 2010 Gay Games in Cologne. He is studying at Sydney University and training for the 2012 Summer Olympics in London.

"I look at the last 20 years as a long, winding path of lessons and some hardship," Mitcham said in 2008. “I hope I do have more lessons to learn. I look forward to that."

Bibliography

• Bradshaw, Don. "Aussie Olympic Gold Medalist Matthew Mitcham to Attend 2010 Gay Games in Cologne." Philadelphia Examiner. 1 June 2010.
• Buzinski, Jim. "Olympic Diver is Openly Gay.” Outsports.com. 1 June 2010.
• Fonseca, Nicolas. "Matt’s Next Act.” The Advocate. 1 June 2010.
• Halloran, Jessica. "Out, Proud and Ready to Go for Gold.” Sydney Morning Herald. 1 June 2010.
• Jensen, Michael. "Catching up with Matthew Mitcham.” AfterElton.com. 1 June 2010.
• "Matthew Mitcham.” Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. 1 June 2010.
• Williams, Rebecca. "Sensational Dive Earns Matthew Mitcham Gold Medal in Beijing.” FoxSports. 1 June 2010.

Videos of Matthew Mitcham

• FINA Diving Grand Prix 2008 Shenzhen
• Interview with Matthew Mitcham after the Gold Medal
• Promo for the Gay Games
• Matthew Mitcham on “The Morning Show”

Websites

• Matthew Mitcham Official Website
• Federation of Gay Games
• Official Website of the Olympic Movement

Matthew Mitcham’s Social Network

• Matthew Mitcham’s Facebook Fan Page

Related articles

• Matthew Mitcham: Gay Footballers Should Come Out of the Closet (towleroad.com)
• Mitcham ready to 'complete collection' (news.theage.com.au)
• Matthew Mitcham and the Great Gay NBC Olympics Non-Conspiracy [The Gays] (gawker.com)
• Gay community supports Australian swimmer (topinews.com)

Greg Louganis, Olympic gold medalist

b. January 29, 1960

“When you're a kid growing up, and you think you're gay, you're often teased. But sports can be great for building self-esteem.”

The winner of five Olympic medals, Greg Louganis is the world’s most successful diver and among the most high-profile openly gay athletes.

Raised in San Diego, Louganis scored a perfect 10 in the Junior Olympics in 1971. In 1976, he won an Olympic silver in Montreal.

Louganis graduated from the University of California, Irvine in 1983. At the World Championships the following year, Louganis became the first diver to score a perfect 10 at an international meet.

At the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, Louganis won two gold medals—one each in the springboard and platform events—and was the first to exceed 700 points in the two competitions. For these achievements he received the Sullivan Award, which honors America’s best amateur athlete.

During the springboard qualifying rounds at the 1988 Seoul Olympics, Louganis misjudged a jump and struck his head on the diving board. Despite suffering a concussion, he continued diving and won two gold medals. He became the first male diver to win double golds in consecutive Olympics.

In 1993, Louganis starred as a chorus boy who dies of AIDS in the Off Broadway play “Jeffrey.” He came out and disclosed his HIV-positive status at the 1994 Gay Games in New York.

Louganis’s best-selling autobiography, “Breaking the Surface” (1995), recounts his experiences as an openly gay athlete. 

Related articles

• Greg Louganis hails emergence of British diving's Jack Laugher and Tom Daley (Telegraph)
• Greg Louganis to Lead Swim for Equality (Passport Magazine)
• 2 March: Matthew Mitcham, Olympic Diver (Its a Queer World)
• Let's get Greg Louganis on “Dancing With the Stars” (Greg in Hollywood)