'I'm Gay' Ian Thorpe tells Parkinson

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Green eyed Mick
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'I'm Gay' Ian Thorpe tells Parkinson

Post by Green eyed Mick »

http://au.eurosport.com/swimming/i-m-ga ... tory.shtml

Good for you Ian :clap:

Hopefully this helps him to overcome some of the troubles he has had in recent times.
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Re: 'I'm Gay' Ian Thorpe tells Parkinson

Post by -PJ- »

not quite breaking news though.

there's been speculation about Thorpey for years.

all the best to ya Ian, you're a legend.
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Re: 'I'm Gay' Ian Thorpe tells Parkinson

Post by Raidersrawesome »

Yeah , always thought he was

No big deal though
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Re: 'I'm Gay' Ian Thorpe tells Parkinson

Post by T_R »

I'm amazed it's still a big deal.

A gay friend of mine was just blowing up at this being described as 'brave' - completely disgusted at him for denying it for so long.
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Son, we live in a world that has forums, and those forums have to be guarded by Mods. Who's gonna do it? You? You, Nickman? I have a greater responsibility than you can possibly fathom. You weep for Lucy, and you curse GE. You have that luxury. You have the luxury of not knowing what I know -- that GE’s moderation, while tragic, probably saved lives; and my existence, while grotesque and incomprehensible to you, keeps threads on track and under the appropriately sized, highlighted green headings.
You want moderation because deep down in places you don't talk about at parties, you want me on that forum -- you need me on that forum. We use words like "stay on topic," "use the appropriate forum," "please delete." We use these words as the backbone of a life spent defending something. You use them as a punch line. I have neither the time nor the inclination to explain myself to a man who rises and sleeps under the blanket of the very moderation that I provide and then questions the manner in which I provide it. I would rather that you just said "thank you" and went on your way. Otherwise, I suggest you get a green handle and edit a post. Either way, I don't give a DAMN what you think about moderation.
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Re: 'I'm Gay' Ian Thorpe tells Parkinson

Post by Professor »

Hmmm, bit odd that he openly stated in his book that he was not gay.
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Re: 'I'm Gay' Ian Thorpe tells Parkinson

Post by Schifty »

Good on him.

Not surprising he kept it to himself so long when you look at our society and media..

I mean just a few days ago we had an AFL commentator call a player a "big poofter" when describing his on field performance live on air..
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Re: 'I'm Gay' Ian Thorpe tells Parkinson

Post by ForeverMcCrone »

Raidersrawesome wrote:Yeah , always thought he was

No big deal though
/thread
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Re: 'I'm Gay' Ian Thorpe tells Parkinson

Post by Begbie »

What! :? Thorpey is gay? I don't believe it. I have his book and he explicitly sys e isn't! What utter crap.
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Re: 'I'm Gay' Ian Thorpe tells Parkinson

Post by greeneyed »

Ever thought he was conflicted about it, but now accepts it? He may have felt under pressure from family and society to not accept it... like that's never happened before. None of our business in any event. Always been a champion, still is.
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Re: 'I'm Gay' Ian Thorpe tells Parkinson

Post by Stuat »

The reaction/attention this is getting in the media (even though most of it is positive) is likely the reason he kept it secret for so long. If it really wasn't a big deal, it wouldn't be all over the news right now. In the end, it's his business, not anyone else's, who cares if he decided not to come out earlier. For athletes at least, "coming out" still brings with it a load of attention and I can see why someone might want to avoid that.

Good on him though. The more athletes that come out the more "normal" it will be and the less attention future athletes will get.
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Re: 'I'm Gay' Ian Thorpe tells Parkinson

Post by Begbie »

I couldn't give a rats **** if he was straight, gay, bi curious or into grandmas. Good luck to him. Just hope he gets lucky real soon because it seems to me he takes himself wAaaaaaaaay to seriously. He needs a good you know what to unleash that tension.
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Re: 'I'm Gay' Ian Thorpe tells Parkinson

Post by Professor »

Needs another book entitled "this is me, but seriously, this time it is me".
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Re: 'I'm Gay' Ian Thorpe tells Parkinson

Post by Begbie »

Raider 85 wrote:Needs another book entitled "this is me, but seriously, this time it is me".
I've already burnt Rolf Harris' book this week, looks like thorpey's is the next one going into the incinerator.
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Re: 'I'm Gay' Ian Thorpe tells Parkinson

Post by Manbush »

What I'm amazed with is that anyone ever doubted it.

Stuat part of the reason for the big deal could be due to how long and strongly he denied it
I bow down to thee oh great Nickman, the wisest of the wise, your political adroitness is unsurpassed, your sagacity is unmatched, your wisdom shines through on this forum amongst us mere mortals as bright as your scalp under the light of a full moon, never shall I doubt your analytical prowess again. You are my hero, my lord, my savior, may you accept my offerings so you continue to bless us with your genius.
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Re: 'I'm Gay' Ian Thorpe tells Parkinson

Post by T_R »

I honestly could not care less.
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Son, we live in a world that has forums, and those forums have to be guarded by Mods. Who's gonna do it? You? You, Nickman? I have a greater responsibility than you can possibly fathom. You weep for Lucy, and you curse GE. You have that luxury. You have the luxury of not knowing what I know -- that GE’s moderation, while tragic, probably saved lives; and my existence, while grotesque and incomprehensible to you, keeps threads on track and under the appropriately sized, highlighted green headings.
You want moderation because deep down in places you don't talk about at parties, you want me on that forum -- you need me on that forum. We use words like "stay on topic," "use the appropriate forum," "please delete." We use these words as the backbone of a life spent defending something. You use them as a punch line. I have neither the time nor the inclination to explain myself to a man who rises and sleeps under the blanket of the very moderation that I provide and then questions the manner in which I provide it. I would rather that you just said "thank you" and went on your way. Otherwise, I suggest you get a green handle and edit a post. Either way, I don't give a DAMN what you think about moderation.
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Re: 'I'm Gay' Ian Thorpe tells Parkinson

Post by Stuat »

Manbush wrote:What I'm amazed with is that anyone ever doubted it.

Stuat part of the reason for the big deal could be due to how long and strongly he denied it
I don't really think Thorpes sexuality as a 14,15, 20, 25 yo was any of our business. He denied it because he kept being asked and obviously wasn't comfortable coming out at the time. I really don't think someone's sexuality is "public" if they don't want it to be. Who gives a **** what he does in private. The frenzy stems from some weird obsession from the media/etc over the last few decades to know where Thorpe is putting his *****. That seems like the weird bit to me, I couldn't care less.
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Re: 'I'm Gay' Ian Thorpe tells Parkinson

Post by Manbush »

Agree mate, but if someone's spent years denying something you can't be surprised its made a big deal out of when he finally admits to it.
I bow down to thee oh great Nickman, the wisest of the wise, your political adroitness is unsurpassed, your sagacity is unmatched, your wisdom shines through on this forum amongst us mere mortals as bright as your scalp under the light of a full moon, never shall I doubt your analytical prowess again. You are my hero, my lord, my savior, may you accept my offerings so you continue to bless us with your genius.
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Re: 'I'm Gay' Ian Thorpe tells Parkinson

Post by Green eyed Mick »

I am pretty conflicted TBH.

I am pretty disappointed he hid in the closet for so long because he had the opportunity to inspire so many young LGBT kids all over the world.

At the same time I can fully appreciate why he kept it a secret. There is no way IMO that he becomes the multi-million dollar face of Adidas and achieves all he achieved away from the pool as an openly gay man in the early 2000's.
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Re: 'I'm Gay' Ian Thorpe tells Parkinson

Post by BrisbaneRaider »

I honestly thought he came out a couple of years ago. Guess not.
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Re: 'I'm Gay' Ian Thorpe tells Parkinson

Post by Big Jack »

I see nothing to celebrate in this. This is a kid who has basically been bullied since he was a teenager by the media (and large sections of the community) to publicly reveal his sexuality - as if it was anyone else's business.
Even now I don't get the feeling he is coming out because he is at a stage in life where he feels comfortable and confident about sharing the information but, rather, because he has been beaten down about it for the past 15 years. and just wants it all to end
Ian Thorpe appears to have much bigger demons to tackle than his sexuality, though the constant speculation would not have helped him. Good luck to him - I hope he can finally get some peace.
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Re: 'I'm Gay' Ian Thorpe tells Parkinson

Post by T_R »

Green eyed Mick wrote: I am pretty disappointed he hid in the closet for so long because he had the opportunity to inspire so many young LGBT kids all over the world.
I guess it would be very challenging for a young guy to come out in an environment where hypocritical lefties use gay slurs to score cheap points on internet forums...
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Son, we live in a world that has forums, and those forums have to be guarded by Mods. Who's gonna do it? You? You, Nickman? I have a greater responsibility than you can possibly fathom. You weep for Lucy, and you curse GE. You have that luxury. You have the luxury of not knowing what I know -- that GE’s moderation, while tragic, probably saved lives; and my existence, while grotesque and incomprehensible to you, keeps threads on track and under the appropriately sized, highlighted green headings.
You want moderation because deep down in places you don't talk about at parties, you want me on that forum -- you need me on that forum. We use words like "stay on topic," "use the appropriate forum," "please delete." We use these words as the backbone of a life spent defending something. You use them as a punch line. I have neither the time nor the inclination to explain myself to a man who rises and sleeps under the blanket of the very moderation that I provide and then questions the manner in which I provide it. I would rather that you just said "thank you" and went on your way. Otherwise, I suggest you get a green handle and edit a post. Either way, I don't give a DAMN what you think about moderation.
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Re: 'I'm Gay' Ian Thorpe tells Parkinson

Post by Botman »

Good on him for finally coming clean, but honestly, didn't we all know this years and years ago?
Dont see why it's big news

Edit: by that i mean i dont understand why athletes being gay is big news. I get the media blow these things up. I just hope in 25 years time when my son is near abouts my age that an athlete/former athlete saying their gay doesnt create this kind of Bull
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Re: 'I'm Gay' Ian Thorpe tells Parkinson

Post by dubby »

T_R wrote:I honestly could not care less.
Me either.
The spiral of silence refers to the idea that when people fail to speak, the price of speaking rises. As the price to speak rises, still fewer speak out, which further causes the price to rise, so that fewer people yet will speak out, until a whole culture or nation is silenced. This is what happened in Germany.

If you do not speak, you are not being neutral, but are contributing to the success of the thing you refuse to name and condemn.
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Re: 'I'm Gay' Ian Thorpe tells Parkinson

Post by -TW- »

dubby wrote:
T_R wrote:I honestly could not care less.
Me either.
Neither
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Re: 'I'm Gay' Ian Thorpe tells Parkinson

Post by BJ »

Maybe if shane warne came out and said he was gay, I would be briefly interested and surprised in a Sportsmans sexuality, but it would be nice to live in a society where this wasn't big news.
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Re: 'I'm Gay' Ian Thorpe tells Parkinson

Post by Michael »

As has been noted, Brian Taylor's disgusting babble on the AFL coverage last night just highlighted why he would have denied it for so long.
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Re: 'I'm Gay' Ian Thorpe tells Parkinson

Post by Begbie »

Mick!we missed you bruzz, where have you been, it's been a long time. Talk to me mate.
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Re: 'I'm Gay' Ian Thorpe tells Parkinson

Post by -TW- »

Michael wrote:As has been noted, Brian Taylor's disgusting babble on the AFL coverage last night just highlighted why he would have denied it for so long.
I would of hoped that was the end for BT, apparently not
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Re: 'I'm Gay' Ian Thorpe tells Parkinson

Post by david231280 »

I don't care.

When i read it last night, all I could say was "About time he finally admitted something we all knew about 15 years ago"
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Re: 'I'm Gay' Ian Thorpe tells Parkinson

Post by Dr Zaius »

T_R wrote:I'm amazed it's still a big deal.

A gay friend of mine was just blowing up at this being described as 'brave' - completely disgusted at him for denying it for so long.
I think your friend has a **** attitude.
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Re: 'I'm Gay' Ian Thorpe tells Parkinson

Post by T_R »

He'd be the first to agree that he's given to the odd Queenish hissy fit, and would be very pleased that you'd noticed.

I genuinely don't care either way (and frankly wonder about people obsessed with what other people are doing in their bedrooms), but I can see his point.
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Son, we live in a world that has forums, and those forums have to be guarded by Mods. Who's gonna do it? You? You, Nickman? I have a greater responsibility than you can possibly fathom. You weep for Lucy, and you curse GE. You have that luxury. You have the luxury of not knowing what I know -- that GE’s moderation, while tragic, probably saved lives; and my existence, while grotesque and incomprehensible to you, keeps threads on track and under the appropriately sized, highlighted green headings.
You want moderation because deep down in places you don't talk about at parties, you want me on that forum -- you need me on that forum. We use words like "stay on topic," "use the appropriate forum," "please delete." We use these words as the backbone of a life spent defending something. You use them as a punch line. I have neither the time nor the inclination to explain myself to a man who rises and sleeps under the blanket of the very moderation that I provide and then questions the manner in which I provide it. I would rather that you just said "thank you" and went on your way. Otherwise, I suggest you get a green handle and edit a post. Either way, I don't give a DAMN what you think about moderation.
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Re: 'I'm Gay' Ian Thorpe tells Parkinson

Post by Dr Zaius »

Maybe he was unsure or confused. Maybe he was worried how his friends and family would react. Maybe he couldn't face the media pressure. Who is anybody to judge whether Ian Thorpe should or shouldn't come out.
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Re: 'I'm Gay' Ian Thorpe tells Parkinson

Post by greeneyed »

Dr Zaius wrote:
T_R wrote:I'm amazed it's still a big deal.

A gay friend of mine was just blowing up at this being described as 'brave' - completely disgusted at him for denying it for so long.
I think your friend has a **** attitude.
I agree with Dr Zaius.
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Re: 'I'm Gay' Ian Thorpe tells Parkinson

Post by dubby »

All you can be is yourself. If people don't like that, then it's their own problem.
The spiral of silence refers to the idea that when people fail to speak, the price of speaking rises. As the price to speak rises, still fewer speak out, which further causes the price to rise, so that fewer people yet will speak out, until a whole culture or nation is silenced. This is what happened in Germany.

If you do not speak, you are not being neutral, but are contributing to the success of the thing you refuse to name and condemn.
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Re: 'I'm Gay' Ian Thorpe tells Parkinson

Post by Stuat »

Dr Zaius wrote:Maybe he was unsure or confused. Maybe he was worried how his friends and family would react. Maybe he couldn't face the media pressure. Who is anybody to judge whether Ian Thorpe should or shouldn't come out.
This
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