All week long, Olympic swimmer Ian Thorpe has been answering questions about his sexuality from Australiaâs newspapers, who seemed to have just discovered now that the diver has lived with his Brazilian housemate, Daniel Mendes, for the last three years and was photographed with him while the two vacationed together in Brazil, as friends do from time to time. This is a big deal in Australia, because they already have a gay Olympian (in the form of gold medalist Matthew Mitcham) and with water sports (not that kind) being the Aussie equivalent of baseball, the idea that two guys who spend their days running around in Speedos could be gay, is just one too many shrimp on the barby.
âOver the last few days there have been a series of press articles published, speculating about my friendship with Daniel Mendes,â the five-time Olympic gold medallist [sic] said in a statement published today.
âIn the past, on several separate occasions, I have answered questions about my sexuality openly and honestly with the media ⌠my situation in this regard has not changed.â
Thorpe, 26, referred reporters to remarks in an interview he gave shortly after his retirement in 2007 â comments that offended the gay community because they likened homosexuality to an illicit activity.
Thorpe said then that âthe gay speculation, along with when I was accused of taking drugs in 2000, was an attempt to pull me down from the top.â
Other fun fact: After Thorpe offered as proof of his straightness the fact that he had a âlong-term, long-distance relationshipâ with fellow swimmer Amanda Beard a few years back, she shot back via her agent:
âBut Beard, 27, yesterday told her agent: âTake out the word relationship and put in the word friendship and thatâs exactly what it was.â
Mr. Morganstien insisted Beard was never been romantically involved with Thorpe.â
âTo her it was absolutely a long-term, long distance friendship and thatâs all it ever was,â Mr Morganstein said.
You know, with a last name like âbeardâ, youâd think sheâd be a little more accommodating.
How about we take this to the next level?
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ask ena
Clearly, he has no fashion sense what-so-ever…he’s straight.
rickroberts
@ask ena: Well, that little tight shirt probably looked hot before he got fat. Fatties should not wear clothes like that.
glennmcgahee
Its no wonder the guy has to deny these rumors. In the latest issue of the Advocate which I don’t read, there is an article about Mathew Mitchum. Australia’s latest Gold Medal Winner does not have the usual sponsorships and endorsement deals that gold winners can expect. Why? I guess its because he has declared that he is openly gay. So I can’t blame Thorpe when his livelyhood is at stake.
Hunter
I’d still hit it.
anyankafan
okay we’ve all heard it from friends before, the ‘i’ve tapped so and so celebrity’ but given this source of mine isn’t the kind of vapid attention seeker who would make up said lies, i’m giving him the benefit of the doubt.
Apparently before thorpedo hit it big with his swimming he used to train on the beach somewhere here in queensland and use to enjoy…:P doin something that starts with a b and ends in ottoming.
as i said, perhaps its just made up, but i’ve heard enough of these stories to cast some serious doubt
tavdy79
@ask ena: He’s wearing clothes you want to rip off him. Ok, you want to rip them off him for the wrong reasons, but at least he’s heading in the right direction, eh?
(Actually, I’d like to rip them off him for the right reasons as well – I think he’s way hotter with the extra weight)
L'homme Acephale
@1: I don’ t know about you, but I’ve seen more gay men dressed in atrocious yet supposedly fashionable clothing than straight men. The idea that gay men are more fashionable seems to me to be a total myth.
@2: The guy’s put on a few pounds, but he’s not fat. I for one am sick and tired of all the ridiculousness of gay men’s obsession with overly toned fake bodies. I’m sure when he competed, he looked better than any of the readers of this blog.
Personally, I think Queerty needs to stop posting this stuff. When gay men engage in chatter like this, we further the reigning ideology that homosexuality is something exotic or shameful or tittilating or whatever. Who the hell cares.
Sandra O'Connor
I heard he has a 14-inch dick.
lessthan
Thank you Sandra, for raising the level of this conversation. It was so tawdry before. đ
Darth Paul
@L’homme Acephale: I mostly agree, but if he IS gay, he’s doing the shameful, stupid thing by denying it. This is 2009, not 1979.
@Hunter: Take a number, bruh.
Uppity
One of two things is probably happening here:
They’re both gay, but for family and sponsorship reasons, want to keep it under wraps.
Ian is gay but Daniel is not, and Ian has the whole misty-eyed unrequited love thing going on.
Ted C.
Queerty didn’t even mention that he used to have his own line of men’s jewellery some years back. If I recall correctly, that’s when the speculation about his sexuality really hit it big.
GVinLA
I just realized I’m a chubby chaser.
Jheryn
@L’homme Acephale: I agree with both your responses. Good to see someone with sense posting on here. Not that others posting here do not have sense, well except for…
@rickroberts: He is hardly a “fattie”. Again as stated above and as I stated about you yesterday, it is people like you that give gay men a bad name.
Cam
Ok, lets look at this logically, Ian thorpe was/is one of the most famous people in Australia. He is rich, he is always in the newspapers…and oh gee, in years and years has never had a public girlfriend, fiancee etc… PLEASE tell me what straight guy, who is famous and rich is going to be celibate over the course of 10 years?
Ian, you’re career is pretty much over, nobody cares anymore so can you stop lying and looking like a fool finally?
andy
are there pictures of his boyfriend anywhere?
rickroberts
@andy: http://tinyurl.com/dbtwzt
hardmannyc
Who cares if the tub of lard is gay or not?
Andrew
Uppity, interesting call. I hadn’t considered that Daniel might be straight and simply the Object of Ian’s Affection.
My theory is he’s out, but playing games with the straight community for attention / sponsorship / amusing the gays who are laughing along with the gag. Like Ange wearing her dress backwards.
My g/f’s is that he simply doesn’t KNOW he’s gay. Maybe – he has [insert various activities] with Daniel, emails Amanda Beard and thinks he’s bi or even straight / curious.
screwthat
Thorpe said then that “the gay speculation, along with when I was accused of taking drugs in 2000, was an attempt to pull me down from the top.”
Come on, that quote says it all – there were attempts to pull Ian from Mendes, the top :0)
(Makes that 14-inch rumor kind of sad at the same time, doesn’t it?)
alan brickman
why is it such a crime for guys to be freinds??? Gays always said to republicans in the 80’s to stay out of their bedrooms and i thnik this should stand for all males…
ron
Thorpe has to milk all potential sponsorship cash before coming out. Sad, but true. Mark Tewkesbury, another gold medal swimmer, came out too soon, and no one’s heard of him since.
carter
huh….what?…yeah he’s cute
scott
i think he looks pretty good in that photo. IMHO
Badamj
I don’t know if Ian is gay. All I know is that he stands to make more money formally ‘heterosexual’ especially in Japan where he is very popular. I heard he was into MMF threesomes but rumours are rumours. I like him hes not your average jock; hes smart and has manners. Hes Australian ‘royalty’ now . I must to difficult to be famous and gay . I respect those that are both.
JBrd
Her name is Andrea Beard? That’s just too perfect.
Steven
Mathew Mitchum is niiiice. This is a sad and pointless comment, but it is true, so I’m posting anyway. đ
deucelow
He’s as bent as a three dollar note. Nobody cares, it’s just annoying to hear the continual denials. It’s analogous to me going around telling people the sky is really purple. Nobody is going to bother to argue; but nobody is going to agree with me either, and I’m only fooling myself if I pretend they are.
Alan down in Florida
Let me see if I understand this – Daniel comes from a very wealthy Brazilian family yet chooses to live halfway across the world. My guess is that he can afford housing of his own but he chooses to live with the Thorpedo, who, with all of his endorsements, can also afford housing of his own.
Either this is a gay couple of their picture should be put into the dictionary when it adds “bromance” to the lexicon. I’m betting on the former.
Also, if Sandra O’Connor is correct about 14 inches, then there is no mistaking why Ian got the nickname Thorpedo. And to think I thought it was short for Thorpe in a Speedo.
Edd
hmmmmm, this is creating quite the conversation.
Firstly, he doesn’t have a ‘weight problem’, clearly he is retired and there is no reason him to be extra toned/ slim for competitive sporting.
secondly, I agree with some of the past posts, it’s quite ridiculous that he is denying his sexuality, clearly he is gay. If he was straight (and 26) he would have some interest in dating or at least fucking (excuse the language) women, physically there is no problem in that department.
The reason i think he’s gay, is because his new ‘boyfriend’ clearly knows there is speculation about his sexuality (i.e. there is a possibility that he is gay), and he has been living with him for three years. To me, there might be a reason for him wanting to live with a man that might be gay for three years (if you know what i mean).
All the best for him though, He’s a nice guy, I think his problem is that he is conservative in nature… and does not like to associate with anything that deviates from the norm (e.g. being gay), hopefully he will overcome this fear of social judgment / social hierarchy (which is clearly evident in his speech- “Thorpe said then that “the gay speculation, along with when I was accused of taking drugs in 2000, was an attempt to pull me down from the top.”). His beliefs are a bit demeaning – being gay will pull you away from success. The longer he suppresses the way he feels the more it will hurt.
I could be entirely wrong though, but to me he only looks stupid/ intolerant when he denies the obvious.
Genevieve Ali
Ian Thorpe lived in my neighbouhood, he went to school with my Son, his Mother was a teacher at the primary school all my children went to & his Father played Soccer with my ex-husband. I knew the family back then, but lost contact with them after separating from my husband & entering a gay relationship. That was 11 years ago, before that, I had no gay tendencies or desires.
Maybe Ian is gay, maybe he isnt, maybe he’s not sure, maybe he’s in denial, & maybe he’s pissed off that he has been asked the same IRRELEVANT fucking question several times.! He deserves some common decency & respect & the right to privacy which is everyone’s right, he’s a Champion Australian Swimmer, who dedicated himself & trained for more hours in a day than most people work, he had an entire nation in the palm of his hand, we were so proud that Thorpedo belonged to us.! He’s Australian, he’s a Champion Swimmer, he’s a gold medallist, he’s a well spoken, educated young man & a Grand Ambassador for this Country. How many of us were invited to the future King of England’s wedding.? If he is gay, he is STILL all these things, if he isn’t gay, he is STILL all these things. Why do some of the people in the country that he represented with honour,integrity & guts, which brought such National pride to all of us, think his answer to the ongoing question/interegation/speculation as to whether he is gay or not is important or true.?
As for Ian’s comments about the gay speculation & drug taking sounding ‘demeaning’, let’s not kid ourselves about the famous sportspeople who fell from grace, lost major sponsorships & went from being a hero to ‘one of those’ & then exiled because of their speculated sexuality, whether admitted or not. Ian Thorpe could never look stupid,even if he denies being ‘obviously’ gay, even if he is gay, it’s a smart business decision & this country’s homophobia problem practically demands a denial, the intolerance & stupidity of the Australian & Overseas press that continue to harrass him about something which has F.ALL to do with the outstanding contribution he has made to the sporting world.