英国橄榄球明星托马斯鼓足勇气出柜

choz

不再骗妻子，橄榄球明星托马斯：该向世界说出真相了，我是同性恋者

                               
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　　在现今的国际橄榄球界一位知名度很高的英国球星加雷斯-托马斯于12月19日对外公开了自己是同性恋者，这一消息很快成为各大媒体的新闻话题，ＣＮＮ对此报道的头一句话说：“前国际橄榄球明星公开自己是同性恋者，震惊体坛”。不过，各媒体所言的“震惊”并非是对于托马斯的性倾向本身，而是对他曾掩饰自己性倾向的痛苦经历和此时对外公开自己的坦诚。

　　12月19日，英国《每日邮报》刊登了对托马斯（Gareth Thomas）的独家专访报道，35岁的托马斯将自己是同性恋者的事实、经历和感受全盘托出。托马斯目前效力于英国威尔士的一支职业橄榄球队，到2007 年最后一次参加世界杯赛时，他已是国际橄榄球界的巨星级人物，也曾作为队长率队拿下重要国际比赛的冠军、创下不少球赛记录。但在个人生活中，托马斯却曾经历掩饰、泪水甚至绝望。

　　2002年，托马斯与他青梅竹马的女友结婚，但这段异性婚姻在2006年时已名存实亡，目前正处于离婚的法律程序中。谈到自己为掩饰同性恋倾向而与女友结婚，托马斯对《每日邮报》说：“为此我经历了所有的情感折磨，泪水、气恼和绝望”，“我不能肯定是否该让人们知道自己，说实话，对于人们可能的反应、以及我的事可能给家庭带来的影响，我感到焦虑”。

　　托马斯讲述说，他在16岁或17岁时就知道自己是同性恋者，但后来为了自己的橄榄球事业而对外隐藏了真实性倾向，直到成为英国队和爱尔兰雄狮队的队长，直到成为国际顶级球星之一。托马斯曾一直担心他是同性恋者的事实在橄榄球界得不到他人的接受。

　　托马斯这样描述自己的经历和感受：“我成了一名自我掩饰的专家，可以彻头彻尾的把自己假装成是异性恋者”。为了不让真实的自己被人发现，托马斯曾对他人显出充满激情的谈论他的婚姻家庭，也曾故意让自己显得“好斗”，然后在所有这一切的背后，托马斯仍是他自己，他说：“当你回到自己的世界里，你开始感到孤独”。为此，托马斯曾想过自杀。

　　托马斯在2006年时向妻子说明了自己是同性恋者，也在当年向球队教练坦诚了这一情况，教练支持托马斯的决定，也将此事告知了其他几位队友。托马斯回忆说：“他们走过来拍着我的后背，说他们不介意”，两位关系最好的队友甚至听到他的事后连眼皮都没眨一下，反问他为什么不早说。托马斯说，作为国际橄榄球运动中第一位将公开自己是同性恋者的球手，他感到很艰难，虽然实际上同性恋倾向的橄榄球运动员应该不止他一个人。

　　与妻子离婚也决定对外公开自己的托马斯谈到了他今后的生活：“我不希望被人们称为‘同性恋橄榄球运动员’，我首先是一名橄榄球球手，我也是一个男人，只是我碰巧也是同性恋者，这些都是互相无关的”。托马斯说，他为自己是谁、也为自己在橄榄球运动中的成功感到骄傲，他在取得成功的同时也是同性恋者，他希望向所有同性恋者发出积极的信息，让更多人知道自己也一样可以成功。（文稿版权所有，转载请注明出处“爱白网”）

                               
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　　加雷斯-托马斯在本周六的一次欧洲俱乐部比赛中。

　　12月19日的英国《每日邮报》刊登了对托马斯的独家采访报道，其中以大号文字引述托马斯的话说：“我的婚姻结束了，它曾差点让我自杀。现在该向世界说出真相了：我是同性恋者”：

                               
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[ 本帖最后由 choz 于 25-1-2010 01:06 编辑 ]

choz

Gareth Thomas came out late last year

Jemma Thomas, the ex-wife of gay star Gareth Thomas, has said she does not regret their marriage.

Mr Thomas came out publicly in December, having revealed his sexual orientation to his wife three years before.

He is one of the best known British sportsmen to come out as gay.

In an interview with Victoria Derbyshire on BBC Radio 5 Live, Mrs Thomas said she believed her husband was probably gay before he broke the news to her.

She said her response to his statement "I think I'm gay" was, "I think you are".

Mrs Thomas, who now lives in Spain, continued: "It was very strange, my reply, because I'd never mistrusted him with a woman yet I never knew anything had been going on with a man either.

"I had my suspicions and there were lots of rumours when he was much younger but there was never anything substantial for me to go on so I kind of just blocked it out and put it to the back of my mind."

She said she found the news that he was gay easier to deal with than if he had been having an affair with another woman.

"We had built up a relationship for many years prior to us getting married. We were the best of friends and we did have a great life together," she said.

"There's a part of me that thinks he should have been more honest with me sooner but then again I wouldn't want to change the time we had together."

The couple suffered a number of traumatic episodes while together. Mrs Thomas had three miscarriages, while her husband had a mini-stroke after a television appearance.

Their divorce will be finalised shortly.

Mrs Thomas said: "For me it will be a closure but I don't really feel different as we have been apart now for quite some time.

"I came [to Spain]& to start again and I am away from a lot of that memory so it does help me move on."

Since coming out, Mr Thomas has said he is looking for love. He was also named as the patron of LGBT History Month and said he wanted to take a hands-on role with the initiative.

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