Ian Thorpe Hasn’t Come Out Yet, But Everyone’s Still Congratulating Him

Celebrities and media types from around Australia and the world have gathered to congratulate Ian Thorpe on coming out as gay, and the hashtag #onyathorpie is trending on Twitter. The outpouring of support for him is heartening – Thorpie seems like a lovely guy, and it’s nice to know that so many people are on his team – but it also seems a little odd, thanks to the not insignificant fact that he hasn’t actually come out yet.

Thorpe’s interview with British talk show legend Michael Parkinson will air on Network Ten tonight, and will probably be the most-watched show in the country thanks to the tsunami of pre-publicity. Questions of sexuality have followed Thorpe around for years, and yesterday night, News Limited broke the story that the swimmer would indeed be using his Parkinson interview as a platform to come out as a gay man.

The small fact that Ian Thorpe hasn’t yet had the chance to speak for himself is beside the point, it seems. The mere whiff of the possibility of a major Aussie sporting star coming out of the closet has sent Twitter into a bit of a frenzy, even if it’s all based on speculation and second-hand accounts. 

I repeat, outside of the News Limited insider who claims to have the inside track on the Parkinson interview, and I’m guessing Parkinson himself, nobody has yet had the opportunity to hear Ian Thorpe tell his own story in his own words, but that relatively insignificant detail hasn’t stopped anybody.

Sadly for Thorpie, his coming out story is not actually about him at all – instead, it’s turned into a referendum on the subject of how gay people are perceived in the media, and whether the concept of “coming out” should even matter. While Twitter disgorges its own opinions on the subject, Ian Thorpe sits quietly in a corner somewhere, a relatively minor player in all of this.

I can’t wait for when this “news” isn’t groundbreaking. Congrats @IanThorpe, you’re an inspiration & I hope you find peace. #onyathorpie

— Rachel Taylor (@rachanntaylor) July 13, 2014

Really happy for Ian Thorpe. But looking forward to day when no one has to “reveal” their sexuality, & gay athletes/stars aren’t “news”.

— Jayne Azzopardi (@JayneAzzo) July 12, 2014

@IanThorpe Enjoy the freedom and happiness coming your way. http://t.co/6T363cMxQI

— Christine Milne (@senatormilne) July 13, 2014

Even Fred Nile had some slightly backhanded congratulations to offer.

You are a champion, that is all that matters RT @newscomauHQ: ‘I’m gay’ Ian Thorpe opens up to Michael Parkinson http://t.co/RMzDsBDHgq

— Fred Nile (@frednile) July 12, 2014

Don’t get me wrong, if Ian Thorpe does actually use his Parkinson interview tonight as an opportunity to come out, then I’ll be thrilled for the guy. For all the passive aggressive bleating about how it “shouldn’t” matter for a celebrity reveal their sexuality, and protestations of “who cares?” it actually does matter, and is a pretty big deal. 

Anyone who’s ever heard the word “faggot” thrown around indiscriminately knows that there is still a pretty serious social stigma attached to being gay, even in places like Australia, where gay couples still do not enjoy full and equal status under law. While the visibility of gay people is increasing, there is still a noticeable dearth of them in the mainstream Australian media.

Every time a public figure comes out, it will matter less and less, until eventually it’s not even a part of the conversation, but like it or not, we haven’t arrived at that point just yet. To preempt the question of “who cares?”, well, if you’re asking that, it kind of seems like you do. 

But back to the issue at hand. Lest we forget, Ian Thorpe has not actually come out yet, so instead of speaking for him or on his behalf, I’ll be waiting to hear what the guy has to say for himself tonight.