Fuck Yeah Matthew Mitcham!

Just days after swimming legend Ian Thorpe won the love and support of the nation by coming out as gay, another Australian Olympian is publicly flying the flag for gay and lesbian acceptance, with champion diver Matthew Mitcham announced as official ambassador for the 2014 Feast Festival.

The openly gay athlete, who smashed records at the 2008 Beijing Olympics as the first Australian male diver to win gold since 1924 and the only diver in Olympic history to score a perfect 10 from every judge, will be the official face of the the LGBITQ arts festival on in Adelaide from November 15 to 30.

Twists and Turns is getting turned into a cabaret show! It's currently scheduled to be premiere in February next year, and will tour around Perth, Sydney, and Melbourne. 

That's so awesome!

I hope you're all having a lovely summer. I'm sorry for the lack of updates lately; things have been kinda quiet on the Matt front so there's not a lot to post.  One of the things Matt has been tweeting about recently is the Sochi Olympics and how out athletes should handle the situation in Russia. If you're not aware of what's going on, here's a good article: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/07/30/russia-anti-gay-olympic-games-sochi_n_3676311.html?ir=Gay+Voices There's been talk of a boycott from the US and other countries, but many gay athletes (such as Blake Skjellerup) have said that's not the right move. Personally, I don't think a boycott really helps anyone; gay athletes would miss out on a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and it won't stop Russia from discriminating. I think the best possible outcome would be for an out Olympian to win and for media around the world to cover it. Given that there haven't been a ton of out Olympians in the past, I think it's also important for straight allies to speak out and show their support. 

I guess my dream would be that something like this happens again. Even though the Olympics are supposed to be about uniting beyond politics, a moment like this demands action.