Diver Matthew Mitcham may not have been the first openly gay Australian to make a splash at the Olympics (that honor would go to fellow diver Matthew Helm), but that didn’t stop him from making quite an impression at the 2008 Olympic games in Beijing.

Not only did he capture a gold medal in the 10 m platform dive, but he captured the media spotlight with his talent, charm and proud membership of the LGBT community. (OK, his good looks didn’t hurt.)

Mitcham initially came out in an interview with the Sydney Morning Herald. He described the experience to Australia’s gay magazine SX: “It’s not really a big deal. It’s not like I’m a different person. It’s not like I was straight before. So nothing really has changed….I came out years ago. All that happened recently was that I was doing an interview with the Herald and there was a pretty innocuous question, ‘Who do I live with?’ and I just said ‘my partner Lachlan’. And the journalist was really excited – she thought it was absolutely wonderful!” 

His performance at the games launched his career, earning him awards, endorsement deals and even his own postage stamp. He remained an outspoken advocate for out athletes, including comments on gay soccer stars and Russia’s treatment of members of the LGBT community ahead of the Sochi games. Mitcham isn’t afraid to embrace the opportunity to be a role model for other out athletes.

“I certainly don’t see it as a burden. I never did, especially with how much attention the LGBT [lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender] cause has been getting lately with marriage equality … and with how few openly gay sports stars there are around at the moment. I don’t mind attention being put on it,” he told the Sydney Morning Herald. “Ideally I would like one day for sexuality to be as unimportant and uninteresting as hair colour, or eye colour or even just gender in general. One day it will get to that. But until it is easy for sports people to come out without fear of persecution or fear of lost sponsorship income and stuff like that, or fear of being comfortable in the team environment, I don’t mind attention being brought to my sexuality in the hope that it might make other people feel more comfortable … in being comfortable enough about who they are in their sporting environment.”

See more of our favorite clips of Matthew, AFTER THE JUMP …

Mitcham’s big moment came in 2008. After going into the final round of dives in second place against China’s Zhou Luxin, Mitcham’s third dive earned four perfect 10s from the judges and a score of 112.10, the highest score for a single dive in Olympic history. His gold medal victory was Australia’s first in diving since 1924. He described the experience of being one of few out athletes at the games in a press conference: “I was actually very surprised I was the only ‘out’ male at the Olympic Games. It’s a little bit sad I think, because statistically there should be a lot more but, you know what, it’s each to one’s own. I’m not going to pressure anybody else to come out of the closet because it’s their own choice. But I’m proud to be there, proud to be that one, that lots of other people can look up to.” (See the dive here.) 

 
Following his medal-winning performance in Beijing, Mitcham returned to even more accolades. He was named Australia’s 2008 Sports Performer of the Year. He described the feeling of winning ”I think the last thing I said onstage there was, ‘Oh my God, I’m a homo and I just won the sports award.’ People just pissed themselves and thought it was hilarious.” In 2008, he also won the Don Award (given to someone whose athletic achievement inspired the people of Australia) at the Sport Australia Hall of Fame. 

 
In 2012, Mitcham released a memoir at the age of 25. The “warts-and-all” story includes Mitcham’s struggles with depression and battle with crystal meth addiction. “… taking it was something I did … to take my mind off things that were upsetting me – to make me feel better about myself.”

 
Part of Mitcham’s appeal is his adorably charming personality. You can see his winning smile as he pals around with vlogger Davey Wavey, above. Additionally, Matthew’s got his own YouTube channel where he regales viewers with performances of his ukulele, like this cover of the B-52s’ “Rome.”

 
Adding another hyphen to Mitcham’s résumé, the diver-slash-author-slash-vlogger is also a cabaret performer. Last year, he combined his ukulele stylings with his life story into a stage show, sharing the same name as his memoir, Twists and Turns.

Are you a fan of Matthew Mitcham?

And in other news from former GOP House leaders who’ve had run-ins with the law, Tom DeLay stopped by a Houston radio show last week to say Americans must “rise up” against the Supreme Court if it rules in favor of marriage equality in June. 

Said the former Republican Party House Majority Leader:

“The Supreme Court is about to put out a ruling on marriage and they have no jurisdiction to do so, they shouldn’t have even heard this case, they have no right to redefine marriage and hopefully the American people will rise up and really undermine the legitimacy of the Supreme Court,”

Listen to the scumbag speak, AFTER THE JUMP…

A Northern Ireland pastor has said that god is using ISIS and homosexuality to punish Europe, reports the Londonderry Sentinel.

Presbyterian pastor Reverend Ian Brown made the comments in a sermon in which he referenced Ashers Bakery which earlier this month was found guilty of discrimination after refusing an order for a cake with the slogan “support gay marriage”

Brown said God punished Europe with the Nazis because of its greed, covetousness and wickedness prior to World War II and that this is happening again:

“That’s why the dark specter of ISIS is closing in on us today from the east and homosexuality closing in from the west, including ourselves as part of the west.

“God is saying something through this. He is shaking the nations. This is his method through history. And he is shaking his Church. He shakes us up to send us back to himself.

“In the west, do you know what army is on the march? It’s the sodomites. I’m not saying that they all view themselves as blitzkrieg foot soldiers but I’ll tell you what, the liberal elite are only too happy to use them, fund their causes, push their rights, promote their aims and today in our Western world they are sweeping through the states of America compelling the states to capitulate and legislate in favour of same-sex marriage.

“And one state is falling like the next like a row of dominoes going down and they’re being supported right up to the highest powers by Barack Obama, he’s complicit, like many others are in all of this.”

Meanwhile, Reverend Jonathan Campbell of Newbuildings Methodist Churchhas said that there is a “sinister agenda at work” in the push for same-sex marriage in Northern Ireland and the popular vote in favor of marriage equality in the Republic of Ireland last weekend.

“It’ll be just a case of getting one foot in through the door and rest assured that they’ll go all out to bring it in up here. So we need to pray about that because the darkness is [in the Republic of Ireland] too.

“And the darkness is everywhere, it just seems that the enemy has come in like a flood as the prophet Isaiah spoke about – ‘the enemy has come in like a flood’ – but thank God the spirit of the Lord will lift up a standard against him.” 

President Obama has released a Presidential Proclamation for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Pride Month, which reads as follows:

From the moment our Nation first came together to declare the fundamental truth that all men are created equal, courageous and dedicated patriots have fought to refine our founding promise and broaden democracy’s reach.  Over the course of more than two centuries of striving and sacrifice, our country has expanded civil rights and enshrined equal protections into our Constitution.  Through struggle and setback, we see a common trajectory toward a more free and just society.  But we are also reminded that we are not truly equal until every person is afforded the same rights and opportunities — that when one of us experiences discrimination, it affects all of us — and that our journey is not complete until our lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) brothers and sisters are treated like anyone else under the law.

Across our Nation, tremendous progress has been won by determined individuals who stood up, spoke out, and shared their stories.  Earlier this year, because of my landmark Executive Order on LGBT workplace discrimination, protections for Federal contractors went into effect, guarding against discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.  The Federal Government is now leading by example, ensuring that our employees and contractors are judged by the quality of their work, not by who they love.  And I will keep calling on the Congress to pass legislation so that all Americans are covered by these protections, no matter where they work.

In communities throughout the country, barriers that limit the potential of LGBT Americans have been torn down, but too many individuals continue to encounter discrimination and unfair treatment.  My Administration supports efforts to ban the use of conversion therapy for minors because the overwhelming scientific evidence demonstrates that it can cause substantial harm.  We understand the unique challenges faced by sexual and gender minorities — especially transgender and gender non-conforming individuals — and are taking steps to address them.  And we recognize that families come in many shapes and sizes.  Whether biological, foster, or adoptive, family acceptance is an important protective factor against suicide and harm for LGBTQ youth, and mental health experts have created resources to support family communication and involvement.

For countless young people, it is not enough to simply say it gets better; we must take action too.  We continue to address bullying and harassment in our classrooms, ensuring every student has a nurturing environment in which to learn and grow. Across the Federal Government, we are working every day to unlock the opportunities all LGBT individuals deserve and the resources and care they need.  Too many LGBTQ youth face homelessness and too many older individuals struggle to find welcoming and affordable housing; that is why my Administration is striving to ensure they have equal access to safe and supportive housing throughout life.  We are updating our National HIV/AIDS Strategy to better address the disproportionate burden HIV has on communities of gay and bisexual men and transgender women.  We continue to extend family and spousal benefits to legally married same-sex couples.  And because we know LGBT rights are human rights, we are championing protections and support for LGBT persons around the world.

All people deserve to live with dignity and respect, free from fear and violence, and protected against discrimination, regardless of their gender identity or sexual orientation. During Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Pride Month, we celebrate the proud legacy LGBT individuals have woven into the fabric of our Nation, we honor those who have fought to perfect our Union, and we continue our work to build a society where every child grows up knowing that their country supports them, is proud of them, and has a place for them exactly as they are.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim June 2015 as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Pride Month.  I call upon the people of the United States to eliminate prejudice everywhere it exists, and to celebrate the great diversity of the American people.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this twenty-ninth day of May, in the year of our Lord two thousand fifteen, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-ninth.

Curiously, the proclamation makes no mention of the Supreme Court’s upcoming ruling on same-sex marriage, which is expected sometime late June. 

The developing news that indicted former House Speaker Dennis Hastert was paying to cover up alleged “sexual misconduct” with a former male student was a major focus on Rachel Maddow’s Friday show.

Maddow, joined by former federal prosecutor Jeffrey Cramer discussed the legal elements of the case and if sexual abuse charges against Hastert and/or extortion charges against the former student should be expected. 

Watch, AFTER THE JUMP…