Welcome Out, Tom Daley and Maria Bello

Jim Burroway

December 2nd, 2013

British Olympian Tom Daley sent his gay fans all atwitter this morning when he posted a video on YouTube to “put an end to all the rumors and speculation.” Daley then announced that he is seeing someone — a guy:

I’ve been dating girls and I’ve never really had a serious relationship to talk about and now I feel ready to talk about my relationships. 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, well, that someone is a guy. It did take my by surprise a little bit. I mean, it’s always been in the back of my head that something like that could happen. But it wasn’t until spring this year that things just clicked. It felt right.

Daley adds, “Of course, I still fancy girls, but right now I’m dating a guy and I couldn’t be happier.”

Maria Bello, actress in Prisoners, A History of Violence and Coyote Ugly, announced her relationship with her partner, Claire, in a New York Times op-ed yesterday. In the article titled “Coming Out as a Modern Family,” Bello describes explaining to her twelve-year-old son her relationship with Claire, who she met in Haiti while doing earthquake relief work. That process of having to explain it all to him and to the rest of her family helped to clarify her feelings for her partner:

My feelings for Clare aren’t the same as the butterflies-in-the-stomach, angst-ridden love I have felt before; they are much deeper than that. As we grew closer, my desire for her grew stronger until, after a few months, I decided to share the truth of our relationship with my large, Italian-Polish, “traditional” Philadelphia family.

My father’s response came between puffs of his cigar while we sat on the roof of a casino in Atlantic City. “She’s a good girl, good for you,” he said. My mother and family echoed his sentiments. Maybe they weren’t so traditional after all.

My feelings about attachment and partnership have always been that they are fluid and evolving. Jack’s father, Dan, will always be my partner because we share Jack. Dan is the best father and the most wonderful man I’ve known. Just because our relationship is nonsexual doesn’t make him any less of a partner. We share the same core values, including putting our son first. My more recent ex, Bryn, remains my partner because we share our activism. And Clare will always be my partner because she is also my best friend.

Sir Andrew

December 2nd, 2013

Tom Daley is BI?? Really?? I picked him off the homo tree the first time I saw him, back when he was just a gayling. “I still fancy girls,” eh? There’s a snarky comment that fits here, but why waste the energy. He plays for the home team and I, for one, am thrilled to welcome him into our community.

Priya Lynn

December 2nd, 2013

Andrew, he’s allowed to be bi, you don’t have to hate him for it.

tristram

December 2nd, 2013

Good for Tom Daley (and great for the lgbt world). This kid – and he’s still a kid – has lived half his life in an unblinking spotlight. He has faced criticism, personal adversity and enormous pressure. And he has comported himself very well and has been supportive of his gay fans. Easy for us to say ‘so what’s new?’ or ‘what took so long?’ – but this was an act of real courage.

My new rule for the critics and snarkers (who are showing up on a lot of sites, hopefully not here) – climb the 10m tower in your speedo (or bikini), walk out to the end of the board and do a handstand. If your bottoms stay dry, come back online and snark to your heart’s delight.

Regan DuCasse

December 2nd, 2013

I really like Maria Bello. Met her a long time ago, working on the show “ER”.
She is a hoot and so talented. I’d hoped that I could be the sketch artist on Prime Suspect, but it didn’t last long enough.

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