India's First Openly Gay Athlete, UK Olympian Stand Against Homophobia At Commonwealth Games

Olympic gold medalist diver Tom Daley spoke out against homophobia in the Commonwealth on Thursday.

What Happened: Daley posted a picture with notable LGBT personalities from across the Commonwealth, which included Dutee Chand, a professional sprinter from India who is also the first openly gay athlete on the Indian team. 

 

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Tom Daley (@tomdaley)

Chand is competing in this year’s games and could be seen holding a Pride flag along with others in the group.

“​​In over half of the Commonwealth countries, homosexuality is still a crime and in 3 of those countries the maximum penalty is the death sentence,” said Daley.

“These laws are a legacy of colonialism. This opening ceremony for us is about showing LGBTQ+ visibility to the billion people watching."

Why It Matters: The XXII Commonwealth Games opened in Birmingham, UK on Thursday. They will feature 280 events in 20 sports. 

The games were opened by Prince Charles and Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall. The latter read a message on behalf of his mother Queen Elizabeth II. 

Daley was one of the last bearers at the Queen’s Baton Relay on Thursday. Chand carried the Baton in Bhubaneswar, India.

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Photo by Odisha Games 2017 via wikimedia