Kowalski comes out
Olympic gold medallist, swimmer Daniel Kowalski came out as gay yesterday in a tell-all column for The Sunday Age newspaper.
Kowalski, 34, said he was inspired to come out by the recent actions of AFL players and coaches coming together to campaign against homophobia.
However, Kowalski’s admission seemed a far cry from newly-outed singer Ricky Martin’s recent announcement that he was a “fortunate gay man”.
“Mostly it was the loneliness that was the hardest part of being gay — and still is,” Kowalski wrote. “The number of times I have sat on the couch or lain in bed bawling my eyes out, scared and fearful of the future, are too many to mention.”
However, he did end on a more positive note: “Despite the dark, fearful and lonely times, being able to write this fills me with a sense of freedom, pride and relief. There truly is a genuine sense that everything will be OK.”
Kowalski won medals at both the 1996 and 2000 summer Olympics, and in recent years has worked as a swimming coach. In May last year, Sydney Star’s Melbourne counterpart, Southern Star, reported that he had held training sessions with Melbourne’s gay and lesbian swimming squad, the Glamourhead Sharks.
to everyone who doesn’t believe Daniel is a most wonderful role model I would like to remind us that it was Daniel that stood up for the homosexuals in sport against Akermanis when all and sundry in the press and the AFL were dancing around the issue of calling him a homophobe a bigot a dinosaur and everything else that pauline hansen was when she made that disgusting maiden speech to parliament….what a wonerful warm heartfelt painful beautiful response Daniels’ maiden speech was…god bless you our heroic swmmer with a gay twinkle in your eye
james gay dentist from perth
i am so sorry i didn’t come out while i was at uni
but i am doing my best ever since
Again to Gary Burns..
“I get really fed up with annonymous ranters on here waffling dribble.
They never put their name to their opinion.
“Covert opinion” has no credibility.
You are one of those persons Mr SJ.”
Gary, my christian name is as posted capital S, capital J, SJ so there goes another of your ill thought out and completely WRONG comments. I strongly support Not Amuseds’ comments. My late grandmother lived in the same retirement village in Mosman as one of Glovers victims, it could well have been her. To connect Glovers name to the subject matter of this thread is tasteless in the extreme and speaks volumes to me about the character of the person who chose to do so.
I have the utmost respect for any person who has battled with (for whatever reason) their sexuality and then makes the decision at some point to come out to friends and/or family. I consider this to be inspiring in particular if that person is someone who is well known to the public at large. Is that not a quality that depicts a role model?..
I am quite sick of these self appointed spokespersons and guardians of the Gay Community trying to force their ideals and morals on others. I agree with not amused…how dare anyone compare John Wayne Glover with anyone, particularly Daniel K. At no time have I seen him “”expect us all to drop to our knees and shout out ‘Hallelujah’.There is no obligation on anyone to live their lives as “out people” the same as no one has the right to critise people when they decide to “come out”. This sort of damning attitude is perhaps one of the reasons why people are reluctant to “come out”, the sort of attitude one would perhaps expect from homophobic bigots, not members of our community.
Mr. Gary Burns, John Wayne Glover killed elderly ladies just so he could have pocket money to blow at the RSL club. To compare Daniel Kowalski, who has done nothing more than be private about his sexuality until now, to a vicious murderer, is completely unfair.
I knew one of John Wayne Glover’s victims, Margaret Pahud, who was a sweet little old lady who used to bring me coloured pencils on my birthday when I was a young child.
She was murdered in a lane way next to my school while I was in class, and a girl I knew found the body. He had arranged the body to appear as if she had been sexually assaulted in an attempt to confuse police.
Please apologise and refrain in future from using other people’s tragedies to point score in online forums.
John your comment is spot on.
SJ I am just another dance bunny with an opinion.
No different to you mate.
I get really fed up with annonymous ranters on here waffling dribble.
They never put their name to their opinion.
“Covert opinion” has no credibility.
You are one of those persons Mr SJ.
Positive role models for gay men evolve from somewhere they don’t just go poof like Daniel K & expect us all to drop to our knees and shout out “Hallelujah”.
I like people who are honest Mr SJ.
That is why I like Matthew Mitcham.
He risked his whole career because he was proud to live his life as a gay man.
To Gary Burns..
Firstly, it is Mr. Secondly, i am hugely offended and insulted by the tone and inference of your reply to my post. Granny Killers?, wrong dance floor? Who on earth do you think you are? My opinion, to which i am entitled, of a positive gay role model is of anyone who lives or has lived their life under public scrutinity to any degree and at some point makes the hugely personal decision to come out to the world at large. Thirdly, with regards to Matthew Mitcham, if the article was about him i would have mentioned him by name.
SJ, how is he any more of a role model than you or i? he’s no longer in the spotlight! he came out years AFTER his public career dwindled into retirement. We should be applauding Matthew Mitcham who came out BEFORE he won any gold medals! now there is a true champion who was prepared to risk losing sponsorship deals so he could be himself. he didn’t wait until after he’d made his money to “become a gay role model”. I congratulate Daniel on coming out, but no more than any other person who comes out later in life. And by the way, those young GLBT people don’t need to google anything. They’ve got plenty of gay role models out there doing their thing in the public spotlight without waiting till after their sponsorship deals have finished! REMOVED for LEGAL REASONS can come out all he likes now, but i won’t be applauding him because he’ll only do it when there is nothing for him to lose! Ordinary GLBT people have to deal with risking their jobs, houses and safety to be out, we don’t have no sponsorship deal to endorse whatever brand of wheat bix is paying them the most money!
If I was NAME REMOVED FOR LEGAL REASONS I’d stay in the closet as well – who’d want to come out with a name like NAME REMOVED FOR LEGAL REASONS – you’d be the laughing stock of the strip ;)
But seriously, good on Daniel – the more that those in the public eye feel able to “come out”, the easier it makes it for others. Hopefully there’ll be a day in Australia where a person’s sexuality is a non-issue (like it is in much of the rest of the world) – but I suspect that day is a long way off.
I agree with Editor’s note…our world is not just young people..older people need role models as well…Daniel said in the article that after reading about the AFL and their attitude, he felt it was time to come out and he is after all 34 and still a possible role model to young people and gay people in general. As I said in a previous post, Matt Mitcham is a great guy and role model as is Daniel and Ian Roberts.
If pioneering gays & lesbians were covert in their fight for full legislative equality we as a community would have achieved nothing.
I actually believe that if you believe in something you must stand up proudly and fight for it.
You can’t fight for something if people don’t know what it is you”re fighting for because as the one doing the fighting you are covert about it.
In other words no one knows who you are.
I can understand Daniel K’s coming out process had to happen by him when he felt it safe enough to come out but why should we now hail him as some kind of gay celebrity ?
Should he now lead next years gay mardi -gras parade simply because he has at last shown a-bit of courage and admitted he is gay ?
Should he now get a SAMESAME most influential gay & lesbian award for becoming another gay in the village ?
He is no more a gay role model then I am.
And I have been given the award of being an unrepresentative voice for our community along with a request the main stream media not cover me.
Gay role models are those who live their life with openness and not from a dark crack somewhere because they’re scared of the consequences of revealing firstly to themselves and to others who they really are.
This is not me being disrespectful towards Daniel K it is me expressing what I actually believe.
The difference is I actually have the courage to express these views because I am a gay who lives his life as a gay.
How awesome. Throwing open those closet doors is a BIG upheaval, particulary for someone in the spotlight. Well done Daniel.
I hope your life will be full of joy and happiness now that you are truely who you are.
I think it is disgusting that people like Ricky Martin and NAMED REMOVED FOR LEGAL REASONS stay in the closet for financial reasons. Not blaming Ricky and REMOVED for making the most of their assets while they can, BUT the disgusting part is society, advertising, and the media that would discriminate if they did come out.
The gay and lesbian community has come a very long way since I was 18 in 1978, but we still have a ways to go.
SJ if you think Daniel K is a positive role model for gay men or gay sportsmen what do you think of Matthew Mitcham ?
If you believe this crap you might as well believe and promote “John Wayne Granny Killer Glover” as a positive role model for the elderly.
Wake up to yourself Ms or Miss or Mr SJ because you are dancing on the wrong dance floor.
Editor’s Note: I think it is important to remember that everybody’s coming out experience and timing is unique and we should not expect others to come out under another individual’s terms. The process is a highly personal one and each person has a variety of factors to take into consideration. We need to show respect for one another – not force our own set of beliefs upon them.
Good onya John.. that is a really insightful and encouraging comment.. Two things mate; 100% of the GLBT community is not made up of “young” people and, if those who represent the “young” GLBT community were looking for a positive role model they could easily “google”(thats what young folk do) Daniel Kowalski. Cheers Daniel, good luck and congratulations!
Why is it those who hide their homosexuality for years then decide to announce to the world they are poofs become “gay role models” for our community ?
People who live a covert existence have not helped the gay cause at all.
Daniel K is not a gay role model folks.
Matthew Mitcham is because he sends a message to young gay teenagers that living your life openly gay is okay.
Daniel who? most young GLBT people wouldn’t know who he was unfortunately.
Congratulations Daniel and thank you for your contribution to helping gay guys and girls who are suffering at the moment as to whether they should take the plunge and come out. It’s sucessful role models like yourself, Ian Roberts and Matthew Mitcham who make that journey so much easier….I wonder who will be the next to come out??