Tag Archives: Twitter

December 4, 2013

Tom Daley Comes Out

By Joe

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I doubt there are many people who have not heard the news that the hottest little diver in Britain made a big announcement Monday. British Olympic diver Tom Daley revealed he’s been in a relationship with another man in an emotional YouTube video. This video just warmed my heart. I’ve always had a special place in my heart for the incredibly cute and talented Tom Daley, this video just endeared me to him more.

Daley, 19, says in the video, “Come spring this year, my life changed massively when I met someone and it made me feel so happy, so safe and everything just feels great. And that someone is a guy.”

He then adds, “It was always in the back of my head that something like that could happen, but it wasn’t until spring this year that something just clicked … My whole world just changed, right there and then.”

Still, Daley stops short of using either the term “gay” or “bisexual.” “Of course I still fancy girls,” he says. “But I mean, right now I’m dating a guy and I couldn’t be happier. It makes me feel safe and just really does feel right.”

The diver, who tweeted the video to his more than 2.4 million Twitter followers, concludes, “I’m still Tom. I still want to win an Olympic gold medal at Rio 2016 for Great Britain. I’m still as motivated as ever to do that.”

Daley’s sexuality had been the subject of ample media speculation for some time. The diver, who won a bronze medal at the 2012 London Summer Olympics and was recently named the sexiest man in the world by Attitude magazine, laughed off the gay rumors in an interview with The Mirror earlier this year.

“I think it’s funny when people say I’m gay… I laugh it off… I’m not,” he was quoted as saying. “But even if I was, I wouldn’t be ashamed. It wouldn’t bother me in the slightest what people thought.” Still, Daley said he was “cool” with his sizable gay fanbase: “It’s great to have gay fans even though my friends gently take the mick.”

It appears that Tom is a new breed of man. He’s not one who seems to like to be labeled. Isn’t that something that would be wonderful if we didn’t have to announce our labels and that we could just be who we are. Alas, the world seems to need us to label ourselves so we do, but I congratulate Tom in not bowing to the pressure of a label.

When famed Olympic British diver Tom Daley revealed to the world Monday morning that he is in a relationship with a man, some of the responses from the Twitter universe were, unfortunately, less than positive. However, Daley also received an outpouring of support from the public — including a handful of celebrities who were quick to vocalize their pride regarding the athlete’s decision.

Now, it looks as if Daley can also expect his family to get behind his decision to publicly come out. Though the diver’s grandparents admitted they were a bit “confused” and surprised at first, the pair told the Daily Mail that they vowed to support their Olympic athlete grandson.

“We asked him if he was absolutely sure. He’s our first grandson from our son who died,” Daley’s grandparents told reporters. “We have always been supportive of him and we always will. We’re not old-fashioned, in fact we’re quite liberal. But I do think he’s too young to be making this sort of decision… But we hugged him, we thanked him for coming to see us, and we’ll be seeing him over Christmas. We’ll always be here for Tom.”

Sounds like Tom has quite a supportive family and I couldn’t be happier for him!

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6 Comments   |  tags: , , , , , , , | posted in Coming Out

October 30, 2013

Nothing…

By Joe

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They used to say that the show “Seinfeld” was a show about nothing, and I think this post is too. I racked my brain to come up with a topic. I tried and tried and tried, and nothing came to me. So I decided to just write a post of randomness and nothingness. I know there is something that I could write about, but it just don’t know what it is. Sometimes you just have writers block. Often the best thing for that is a stream of consciousness, where you just write whatever comes in your head.

The other night I was thinking about how for gay men like me, who are 35 years old or older, seem so old to so many. And I will be 36 a month from today. I got to thinking about this as I was reading tweets of people I follow on Twitter. I had set up a Twitter account (@closetprofessor) a few months ago. In the past week or so, I’ve gotten some direct messages (DMs) from several younger guys. All of them were between 20 and 23. Each of them were nice and very flirty, then the question comes, “How old are you?” I answer honestly. I really detest lying, and I hate that I often have to do so to keep in the closet. I just don’t see the use in lying to someone who is a Twitter follower. So I tell them I’m 35. I had one tell me that age didn’t matter, and for the most part I believe him, and we continue to chat off and on. Another one said, “I like older guys, but 35 is at the top of my range.”

For me this is one of the problems with many guys in the gay community. Now, I wasn’t expecting or really even hoping for a romantic relationship with any of these guys. However, it never hurts to flirt a little. A lot of young gay guys are wrapped up in pop culture and it’s hard to relate, but find a gay guy who likes to talk football or even have an intellectual conversation with is not something you find everyday. Then you find someone like hat, and I honestly don’t care about their age. Age is just a number to me. It doesn’t matter how young or old you are, especially when I enjoy talking to you.

If you get passed an age difference, then you have to contend with those guys who want the perfect looking and acting gay guy. There’s a whole subset of southern gay guys who are looking for the “bromo” type. Urban Dictionary defines a bromo as:

Dudes that happen to be gay, but aren’t flamboyant at all. Prefer to go drink beer at a buddy’s place, rather than go to the gay bar and pay for overpriced cocktails and listen to bouncy, campy club songs. A bromo is not conceited in his looks, but is still put together decently, groomed but not over plucked.

Basically, the bromo type is the bow tie wearing southern gay frat dude, at least that’s what you get if you look at “bromos” on Twitter. Bromos might not be conceited about their looks, but they have “their” standards.

So, you get past the age and looks, then it goes to race. As a southerner, interracial dating is something I’ve always been told was taboo. Honestly though, does it matter the color of a person’s skin? Not to me it doesn’t. The diversity of the gay community is represented in the rainbow flag. We are a diverse group, and we should embrace that diversity. We often claim that if two people love each other, then the sex of the people should not matter. How can we justify that logic when we say that a persons age, looks, or race makes the difference?

The main thing for me is not the age, race, or looks, but what kind of person he is. Is he kind, thoughtful, and loving? Can he carry on a conversation? Is he intimidated by intelligence (I prefer they not be)? Does he enjoy the same things I enjoy? Does he like to cuddle? Is he a good kisser? There are so many things to consider that age, race, and looks take a backseat.

All of this however is a hypothetical stream of consciousness. I’ve never found a boyfriend, nor is there anyone in my sights. It’s quite possible, that I will never find someone. Then again, I might meet someone tomorrow. We never know.

I thought about deleting the first paragraph about nothingness, but then again you may read this and still think it is about nothing. If that be the case, so be it. I just sat down and started writing and this is the post that came out. And sense I have no answers to my thoughts o. These issues, then maybe it is a post about nothing.

3 Comments   |  tags: , , , , | posted in Miscellaneous

October 18, 2013

Possible TMI…

By Joe

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Home Alone + Bottle of Wine + Porn = A Fun Night

I had the house to myself tonight, since my roommate was away, so I took full advantage to get a bottle of wine (I rarely drink alone, but just wanted some wine), hang out in my underwear (ok, I was actually naked for most of the time), and watch a little bit of porn. We all masturbate, it’s part of life, and I needed a little stress release and decompression. I had a good, make that a great, night, but it also means that I wasn’t in the frame of mind to write a substantial post. As I am writing this I am a bit tipsy. Usually, I try not to write a post when I am drunk (not that I drink all that often), but what the hell! I enjoyed myself and wanted to share. TMI? Probably…

1 Comment   |  tags: , , , , , , | posted in Miscellaneous

October 17, 2013

In their own words: Why students, educators support LGBT youth and #SpiritDay

By Joe

Spirit Day, this October 17th, is about uniting in solidarity with LGBT youth everywhere by standing against bullying. A few of the students and educators participating this year are making their voices heard, explaining why it’s important to support the youngest members of the LGBT community through grassroots initiatives.

GLSEN has found that of the many students who reported not having supportive staff members at their school, more than three-fourths of them feel unsafe in their school. GLSEN further reported that in the past year, 81.9% of LGBT students were verbally harassed because of their sexual orientation and 63.9% were verbally harassed because of their gender expression. GLAAD recently brought you the stories of the tragic results of bullying for teen girls in Florida and Nevada.

High schools, colleges, and graduate schools throughout the country have signed on as Spirit Day partners. A few of them have spoken with GLAAD about their interests in going purple and raising awareness about anti-LGBT bullying.

DOLMSU_0.pngJennifer Carruth, a student at Mississippi State University, is a member of her school’s Safe Zone Advisory Board and president of the LGBTQ and Ally Service Sorority Delta Omega Lambda. Speaking to the importance of ending anti-LGBT bullying, she told GLAAD, “There are so many tragic endings that can be prevented if allies would raise their voices and protest bullying, educate others on LGBTQ issues, and advocate for LGBTQ youth… No one should have to live a life of fear and isolation because they are afraid to be who they are. Everyone deserves the right to shine, enjoy life, and be their true self.”

Spirit Day is an opportunity for a diverse range of communities to come together in their support for LGBT youth. Stonehill College, a Massachusetts school rooted in Catholicism, is one such example.

stonehill%20edited_0.pngMary Charlotte Buck, Student Government Associations’ Executive Board Vice President and an ally to the LGBT community, played an integral role in partnering Stonehill with GLAAD for Spirit Day. Mary Charlotte, who has an extensive background in working with teenagers, sees an important link between her school’s traditions and allying with the LGBT community. She said, “I think respecting, honoring, and loving the inherent dignity of all people is one of the most important aspects of our Catholic Identity, and I’m psyched we’ve chosen to recognize such a great day and cause! I’m proud to say we’ll be joining the schools supporting this day.” Faith based organizations from a variety of religions and denominations are going purple this year.

i%20am%20an%20educator%20edited.pngFaculty and students at Connecticut College, which recently ranked as one of the top 25 LGBT-friendly schools in the country, are going purple this year, too. Carol Akai is an Assistant Professor with the school’s Human Development department who specializes in children’s developmental psychology. She provided GLAAD with her professional opinion on supporting LGBT youth.

“One of the most compelling aspects of human development is our enormous capacity for change,” said Professor Akai. “As a society, we are at the beginning of what I hope is a paradigm shift toward the insistence of just treatment for individuals with LGBTQ identities under every circumstance.”

Spirit Day is about creating a safe and supportive environment in which all kids, teens, and young adults are given the opportunity to flourish. Educating people on the daily struggles of our community’s vulnerable members is the key to ultimately strengthening our at-risk members as well as the cause at large.

Spirit Day initially launched four years ago when Brittany McMillan, then a high school student in Canada, took to Tumblr to promote remembrance of the young lives lost as a result of bullying. Now, Spirit Day has grown into an international movement and is a testament to young people’s transformative powers as agents of change.

Professor Akai added, “As today’s college students become scholars, I hope they will combine their academic knowledge with their generational influence to affect widespread change that replaces intolerance and ignorance with kindness and complex understanding.”

There’s still time for you and your school to get into the spirit by:

  • Turning your Facebook, Twitter and other profile photos purple atwww.glaad.org/spiritday and spreading the word by using hashtag #SpiritDay
  • Wearing purple on October 17th and encouraging classmates or coworkers to do the same
  • Uploading photos of you wearing purple to Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Tumblr using hashtag #SpiritDay and Spirit Day graphics
  • Downloading the Spirit Day App
  • Educating your friends and family about bullying and the LGBT community
  • Getting your school, GSA, organization, etc. to become a Spirit Day partner

Time is running out to go purple on Spirit Day as a participant and partner, and to join the Facebook event! Sign up today and spread the word.

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