In accepting an award this week,
British Olympic diver Tom Daley said that he would make it his
mission to ban countries that penalize gay sex from the next
Olympics.
Daley, who is married to screenwriter
Dustin Lance Black, won his first gold medal at the 2020 Tokyo Summer
Games.
In accepting the Attitude Sport Award,
Daley, 27, singled out the 10 countries where gay sex is criminalized
that participate in the Olympics.
“These past Olympic Games there were
more out LGBT athletes than at any of the previous Olympics combined,
which is a great step forward,” Daley
said. “Yet there are still 10 countries that punish being gay
with death, that were still allowed to compete at the Olympic Games.”
“It’s all well and good speaking
about those things but I think it’s really important to try and
create change rather than just highlighting and shining a light on
those things.”
“I want to make it my mission before
the Paris Olympics in 2024 to make it so that the countries that
criminalize and make it punishable by death for LGBT people are not
allowed to compete at the Olympic Games.”
“For those 10 countries where you
can't be yourself, they should not be allowed to be at the Olympic
Games or definitely not be allowed to host the Olympic Games,” he
added.
Daley added that Qatar, where gay sex
is criminalized, should not be allowed to host the World Cup.