Tom Daley praises Jake Daniels for coming out and thanks Harry Kane for support to make it ‘safer for other athletes’
TOM DALEY has praised Blackpool footballer Jake Daniels for coming out – and thanked Harry Kane for the key public support.
Daniels, 17, last week became the only professional footballer in the UK currently playing who is openly gay.
Olympic diving champion Daley, 28, came out in a YouTube video in December 2013 and is married to Hollywood scriptwriter Dustin Lance Black.
Daley, who won 10m synchro gold at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, says midfielder Daniels’ “brave” decision will encourage other footballers to follow his lead.
And he feels the backing of England and Tottenham striker Kane – who is straight – will make football a safer place for the LGBTQ community
Daley told The Daily Beast: “It’s just incredible.
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“I think about what it means for any queer young kids growing up thinking now: ‘Maybe I do now have a space in football, maybe I will get in, maybe I will be welcomed.’
“It’s not just that the queer community has been so celebratory of it, but the fact of seeing people like Harry Kane speaking out about how amazing it is.
“Straight footballers at the top of the game are commending him, and I think for visibility in the sport it’s just incredible.
“The culture of football doesn’t seem like such a safe space to come out.
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“The fact that Jake came out is a really powerful message to send.
“It’s so incredibly brave it might encourage people to be brave and more people to come out, able to be themselves.
“It will also make it safer for other athletes to do so as well.
“There is such power in visibility, and in telling or sharing your personal story.
“With me, I had people respond that they liked me before I came out, and what had really changed when I came out? Not much.”
Daley also called on sporting bodies like the Premier League and FA to create an “open culture” within the sport to ensure there are more gay players.
The Plymouth-born diver added: “Last year we saw at the European Championships how racist fans can be, and what they shout.
“It’s as if, in that spectator ground, they’re empowered to say what they want.
“It’s because they feel in a safe place around like-minded people.
“It takes a shift in culture from the top down where the heads of organisations and governing bodies are creating that accepting and open culture because if it doesn’t start there, it’s never going to change.”