Months after his health battle, Thorpe came out as gay to his family and friends. He decided to go public because he felt he had “taken a step out of the closet” and didn’t want to go back in. This announcement was made in an interview with British television presenter Michael Parkinson in July 2014, receiving overwhelming support from loved ones and some backlash from strangers, including some within the queer community.
“It’s quite weird because I don’t know anyone else’s individual circumstances. I grew up in a conservative Christian family, which makes it more difficult. There were multiple factors that added to my decision. That is why people shouldn’t be pressured into coming out.”
Thorpe’s struggle with his sexuality began early. At 16, a reporter directly asked him, “Are you gay?” Thorpe later discovered the reporter was threatened with his job if he didn’t ask. After the Sydney Olympics, speculation about his sexuality continued, so he decided not to share anything.
“I was like, ‘No, no, f*** it. I’m not going to give this up to someone who has made my life a living hell. Who has poked and prodded me into this. I’m not rewarding this behaviour.’ And so, the more I was pushed on it, the further I withdrew from it. Learning to come to terms with my sexuality became even more difficult than it would have been otherwise.”
