Although
Australian Olympic gold medalist Matthew Mitcham has yet to
sign any major endorsement deals, the openly gay diver
will soon be coming to mailboxes Down Under. The
Advocate cover boy and Olympic success story is
about to have a postage stamp in his likeness.
According to
Stamps.com, the Australia Post will produce a sheet of
stamps to celebrate the accomplishments of all
Australia's gold medalists from the 2008
Beijing Games (www.stamps.com.au/olympics/instant-stamps/sku/1584414).
Mitcham became a standout at the recent Games when he became
the only non-Chinese athlete to win a gold medal in
the diving events.
Mitcham was also
the only openly gay male athlete competing at the Games,
the cause of some controversy for NBC News over the past few
weeks when it was called out on its lack of coverage
for the young star and his partner, Lachlan, who was
also present in Beijing.
The network later
issued a statement of apology when gay bloggers and
journalists complained of NBC's oversight.
Mitcham came out
in an interview with the Sydney Morning Herald
in advance of the Olympics, when a reporter asked whom
the diver lived with, later telling The
Advocate he hadn't planned to come out --
"it was just a question," which he
answered by saying he lived with his partner of two years.
Mitcham will join
other Australian gold medalists from this year's
Games in the stamp series, including medalists in pole
vaulting, rowing, and swimming. (Mark Umbach, The
Advocate)
