This morning, I awoke to a weekly news e-mail from SameSame.com that linked to the website's article about NBC's coverage of Australian diving gold medalist, Matt Mitcham, during the Beijing Olympics. Apparently, many are miffed that Mitcham's sexuality was never mentioned during any of coverage. In response, NBC sportscaster celebrity, Bob Costas, declined to say anything substantive about the complaints during an interview with AfterElton.com, fearing he would slander his fellow sportscasters. I actually like Bob Costas, and his comments are worth reading in the full interview, but his approach to this issue was cowardly, in my opinion. Talk smack about his fellow sportscasters? Please.
Here's the comment I dashed off in response to the SameSame article online:
Indeed, it is news like this that makes me embarrassed to be from the
U.S. No matter how far we seem to edge forward in the gay-rights arena,
it only takes something as stupid as this to quickly whip us back,
causing us to lose ground. Americans are a mixed up bunch; there's no
question. For a place that, from early days, has had a unique Bill of
Rights stitched into the fabric of its governance (something Australia
still does not have), the protections offered by such seem only to fly
in the face of human rights. American society is drunk on a scary and
frustrating cocktail of misguided morality, obsession with
sensationalism, NIMBYism, protectionism and arrogance. The whole
country needs rehab.
The fact is, Mitcham's entire personal triumph is fantastic. It is more about the battle of the human spirit for perseverance, integrity and the pursuit of a goal, as much as it is about who that person chooses to share a romantic life with. Mitcham's personal story is well-known by now: his struggle with the intense pressure of being a champion athlete, his bout with severe depression, and, with his partner Lachlan by his side, his fight to overcome the struggle and successfully return to the world of diving competition. All this at twenty years of age.
Look at Anna Meares. Here in Australia, there was in-depth coverage of her comeback from a broken neck to win a silver medal in cycling. During the post-race interview on television, she sat side-by-side with her husband. In a personal and moving way, they both talked about the struggle that occurred...together and individually. It offered a very earthy and human perspective that lay in direct contrast to the glitzy pomp and circumstance of medal competition. Was the same coverage given to Matthew Mitcham? I never saw it here, if it happened. And surely it did not in America. God forbid we should show two loving humans of the same sex, celebrating such an overwhelming accomplishment. And isn't that what the spirit of the Olympics is all about? Personal triumph? Matt offered Lachlan his Olympic bouquet, for God's sake. It doesn't get much more touching than that.
Now Mitcham himself has admitted that he does not wish to be labeled as a "gay diver", and that's fair enough. I am a firm believer that one's sexuality should never affect the way s/he is viewed in a career context. This isn't about being a gay diver, however. Not in my opinion. It's about the way in which, once again, the media and sports institutions go to great and unfortunate lengths to protect a false sense of homogeneity within a very popular industry. And in the end, also once again, it's about equal treatment.
