At the opening ceremony of the Commonwealth Games 2022 in Birmingham, Tom Daley and 6 extraordinary LGBTQ athletes and advocates from around the Commonwealth carried the Queen’s baton into the stadium.
In over half of the Commonwealth countries, homosexuality is still a crime and in 3 of those countries the maximum penalty is the death sentence. These laws are a legacy of colonialism.
The opening ceremony wanted to show LGBTQ visibility to the billion people watching and meet the incredible six people that walked into the stadium with Tom:
- Bisi Alimi (@bisialimi) from Nigeria. The first gay man to come out on Nigerian national television who is now Executive Director of the Bisi Alimi Foundation, an organisation working to accelerate social acceptance of LGBTQ people in Nigeria.
- Glenroy Murray (@glen.divo) from Jamaica – Executive Director of J-FLAG, an LGBT rights organisation that continues to push for LGBTQ inclusion in all areas of life in Jamaica.
- Dutee Chand (@duteechand) from India. Dutee is a professional sprinter and the first openly gay athlete on India’s national team. She is competing in this year’s Commonwealth Games.
- Moud Goba (@microrainbow) from Zimbabwe. National Manager at Micro Rainbow. Micro Rainbow supports LGBTQ asylum seekers and refugees fleeing persecution, providing safe accommodation and integration support in the UK.
- Jason Jones (@trinijayjay) from Trinidad and Tobago. LGBTQ advocate who fought a successful legal battle to decriminalise adult consensual same-sex intimacy in Trinidad and Tobago in 2018.
- Prossy Kakooza (@missprossyk) from Uganda. LGBTQ activist and human rights defender. Works with Lesbian Immigration Support Group supporting women seeking asylum on the basis of their sexuality in and around Greater Manchester.
As usual, thank you Tom, you did it again!!!
Tom Daley, in the middle, with the other 6 LGBTQ athletes
No comments:
Post a Comment