Though diver Tom Daley won\u2019t be competing, the BBC has announced he will helm a one-hour film in which he shines a light on homophobia in the Commonwealth, which counts 56 member states. Currently, it\u2019s illegal to be gay in more than half.<\/p>\n
In the documentary, the athlete will be travelling to some of the countries where homosexuality is a crime, and even punishable by death. Daley will speak to sportspeople facing persecution and advocates fighting for change, including Michael Gunning (the only openly gay athlete on Jamaica\u2019s team), Dutee Chand (India\u2019s first openly gay athlete), and swimmers Theresa Goh (Singapore) and Amini Fonua (Tonga).<\/p>\n
![\"""\"](\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/3\/2022\/07\/Tom-Daley-2760ab8.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C413"\" "\\"\"\"\\"\/")
<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>Speaking of the upcoming film, Daley said: \u201cI\u2019ve experienced homophobia all my life, competing in countries where it\u2019s illegal to be me and where I don\u2019t feel safe to leave the venue I\u2019m competing in. If I feel like that as a privileged man, I can\u2019t imagine what day-to-day life is like for LGBT+ people around the Commonwealth. So along with some of these inspirational people, we\u2019re working on a campaign that we wanted to be more than just something you see in a documentary that you watch for an hour and then move on. We wanted it to be something that actually makes a difference.\u201d<\/p>\n
He added: \u201cLGBT+ athletes must be safe and feel comfortable being their authentic selves without fear of persecution or death. The CGF has been willing to talk and willing to hear what we have to say, and it\u2019s good to see they\u2019ve started taking a stance towards more inclusion.<\/p>\n
\u201cAlong with incredible LGBT+ people around the Commonwealth, we will make a difference. The Commonwealth Games Federation can be a shining example to other sporting organisations that sports really can be for everyone and with the pull power sports has, we can hopefully influence change to horrendous human rights laws that exist in so many countries around the world.\u201d<\/p>
Michael Jochnowitz, BBC Commissioning Editor, said: \u201cIt\u2019s horrifying that whilst athletes proudly represent their country on the global stage they face persecution \u2013 or worse \u2013 back home, simply for being gay. Some of these fearless athletes tell us their stories thanks to Tom and his courageous efforts to tackle the issue head-on, and whose manifesto for change leads to an extraordinary and historic world first.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daley announced last month that he would not be competing at this year\u2019s Commonwealth Games after deciding to \u201chave some time to rest and be with [his] family\u201d.<\/p>\n
Tom Daley: Illegal to Be Me will air on BBC One and BBC iPlayer on Tuesday 9th August at 9pm. For more news and recommendations, visit our Documentaries<\/a> hub or plan your viewing with our TV Guide<\/a>.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n The latest issue of Radio Times magazine is on sale now \u2013\u00a0subscribe now<\/a>\u00a0and get the next 12 issues for only \u00a31. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to the\u00a0Radio Times podcast<\/a>\u00a0with Jane Garvey.<\/strong><\/p><\/body><\/html>\n By Lidia Molina-Whyte Published: Wednesday, 27 July 2022 at 12:00 am The 2022 Commonwealth Games are set to take place in Birmingham this week, but one familiar face will be missing from Team GB\u2019s line-up. Though diver Tom Daley won\u2019t be competing, the BBC has announced he will helm a one-hour film in which he […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":19323,"template":"","categories":[1,5],"acf":[],"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2022\/07\/tom-daley-announces-lgbtq-rights-documentary-illegal-to-be-me.jpg",620,413,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2022\/07\/tom-daley-announces-lgbtq-rights-documentary-illegal-to-be-me-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2022\/07\/tom-daley-announces-lgbtq-rights-documentary-illegal-to-be-me-300x200.jpg",300,200,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2022\/07\/tom-daley-announces-lgbtq-rights-documentary-illegal-to-be-me.jpg",620,413,false],"large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2022\/07\/tom-daley-announces-lgbtq-rights-documentary-illegal-to-be-me.jpg",620,413,false],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2022\/07\/tom-daley-announces-lgbtq-rights-documentary-illegal-to-be-me.jpg",620,413,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2022\/07\/tom-daley-announces-lgbtq-rights-documentary-illegal-to-be-me.jpg",620,413,false]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"importmanagerhub@sprylab.com","author_link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/author\/importmanagerhubsprylab-com\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"By Lidia Molina-Whyte Published: Wednesday, 27 July 2022 at 12:00 am The 2022 Commonwealth Games are set to take place in Birmingham this week, but one familiar face will be missing from Team GB\u2019s line-up. Though diver Tom Daley won\u2019t be competing, the BBC has announced he will helm a one-hour film in which he…","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed\/19322"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/rss_feed"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/19323"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=19322"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=19322"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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