Tom Daley's historic entrance to the Commonwealth Games opening ceremony is being used to drive the conversation around improving equality for the LGBT+ community in the participating countries.
The Olympic medal-winning diver carried the Queen's Baton into Birmingham's Alexander Stadium alongside six LGBT+ activists and athletes waving giant Progress Pride flags. And Pride House Birmingham are following Daley's lead to help inspire change among the 35 Commonwealth countries that still have anti-LGBT laws.
Based in the heart of Birmingham's Gay Village, Pride House offers a safe space for members of the LGBT+ community visiting the region for the Games, as well as hosting screenings of the events and educational talks from leading LGBT+ activists and athletes. The Birmingham Pride House is also the first to have a presence in the Athletes' Villages, something that co-organiser Jon Holmes believes will be crucial to starting conversations around improving the situation of the LGBT+ community across the Commonwealth.
"It's just such an important project. The Commonwealth Games is such a pivotal event to have these conversations at. We're trying to talk responsibility as a country for the fact that we imposed all these penal codes and anti-LGBT laws on these countries when we colonised them," he told Mirror Sport.
"It feels like there's a responsibility to us to be leading the conversation. We can't be expected to pressure governments to change their laws, but we want to work with activists on the ground and support them in their efforts because the change has to come from within.
"It's even more important because of the Covid restrictions that we're still under in the sense of having protocols and the athletes trying to keep themselves safe. We have to be realistic now and know that a lot of athletes who are LGBT+ won't get the opportunity to necessarily come here to the House.
"So to have the presence in the Athletes' Villages, to have the pop-up tents, the fun activities there, it's important to have that presence and for our volunteers to connect with the athletes, coaches and support staff, and let them know that we're here for them in whatever shape or form they need it."
Pride House and Stonewall ambassador Amazin LeThi agrees that the presence in the Athletes' Village will be crucial to changing attitudes. The Vietnamese bodybuilder slammed the "horrendous" anti-LGBT+ laws in place in more than half of the competing nations as she called for a change to take place.
"This Pride House is so historic because for the first time it's in the Athletes' Village as well, so it's just so visible in terms of engaging allies but also having these conversations around being your authentic self in sports and being able to champion diversity and inclusion," LeThi told Mirror Sport.
"I think about what Tom Daley did with that statement with the pride flags and having this discussion about the 35 countries [who have anti-LGBT+ laws]. Nine [in the world] have the death penalty, that's horrendous.
"It's hard for people in the UK, where you can openly hold hands, you have marriage equality, you have anti-discrimination laws, to think that in some of the countries competing you can be stoned to death or have life imprisonment or 100 lashes.
"And what Pride House means for the visibility of so many of the Commonwealth athletes who have come to compete in Birmingham, who are in the closet, who could never come out, but how much that Pride House means to them, to have a mirror image of their story reflected back at them."
Holmes was in attendance at Alexander Stadium for the opening ceremony last Thursday. And he hailed Daley for highlighting the work of the activists and athletes who carried the pride flags behind him.
"It was a really powerful moment. Jason Jones, one of the activists, was here at Pride House and we were talking about it earlier. There was a really nice moment where Tom was very conscious that the cameras were on him as he ran into the stadium," Holmes added.
"He deliberately turned back and ushered, gave a hand gesture to show that actually we're here for these activists, these people with the pride progress flags, let's look at them and the symbolism of celebrating our LGBT communities in this sporting arena, with over a billion people watching that opening ceremony.
"Jason said himself that he's received so many messages from people in Trinidad and the Caribbean from people who are incredibly moved to see that at such a showpiece occasion. The eyes of the world were on Birmingham and Tom and those activists made sure that we were included."
LeThi added her praise of Daley for his statement at the opening ceremony and hopes that it can be the firing gun on the conversations that need to take place. She also slammed the hypocrisy of expecting athletes to compete at the highest level, despite being forced to hide their true identity.
"It's about the legacy that we want to leave behind for not only Birmingham and the UK, but the legacy of the Commonwealth Games to have this conversation. We're starting it with this amazing statement at the opening ceremony," she said.
"And start being able to engage these countries around the importance of equality. Some of their citizens can't be themselves but are still competing for gold for your country. On one hand we're celebrating you, but on the other hand they also persecute you.
"Pride House becomes that reminder to the countries that these are your citizens as well, they're winning medals for you, they're championing your country, they also should be treated with respect without fear of violence or discrimination.
"When it's suddenly in front of you and it's someone from the community talking about what Pride House is, their story, their journey, but also as an athlete, it resonates, that person is just like you. We have to open up this dialogue to engage allyship in action."
