NBC Skirts Topic
of Matthew Mitcham’s Sexuality

Moments after his surprise gold medal finish at the Beijing Olympics, Australian diver Matthew Mitcham grabbed his mother and his partner and thanked them for being the two most important people in his life.

But NBC, broadcasting the Olympics in the United States, made no mention of Mitcham's partner, Lachlan, even though the network almost always pans to an Olympic athlete's family members and significant others after a win.

Outsports.com expressed concern that NBC ignored Mitcham's sexuality. The diver, who bounced back from a lackluster performance earlier in the week to win a gold medal for the 10-meter, is the only openly gay male athlete at this year's Olympics.

"If he had had cancer, or if his parents had been killed in a car crash when he was 2, or if he had just proposed to his girlfriend, they would have mentioned it," an article on the sports website read. "But they never showed him hugging his boyfriend, never mentioned it."

An article on Yahoo.com agreed with the observation, saying the fact that NBC ignored his sexuality is at odds with the way it has shone the spotlight on other athletes throughout this Olympic season.

Mitcham came out in an interview with The Sydney Morning Herald in May when he said he couldn't afford for his partner to attend the Games in Beijing. Following the interview, the Johnson & Johnson Athlete Family Support Program awarded Mitcham money to fund Lachlan's trip.

The following is video footage that was not aired on NBC of Mitcham thanking his mother and his partner. (The Advocate)

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