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NBC doesn’t acknowledge Dustin Lance Black’s presence during Tom Daley’s Olympic triumph
This is very frustrating.
British diver Tom Daley and Oscar winning screenwriter Dustin Lance Black being one of the most high-profile gay couples in the world was lost on NBC this week.
The US network broadcasting the Rio Olympics did not even acknowledge Black’s presence in the stands – sitting with Daley’s mother Debbie – as his fiance dramatically took the bronze medal in the men’s 10 meter syncro event with partner Dan Goodfellow.
Daley, 22, and Black, 42, have been a couple since 2013 and announced their engagement last year.
The omission was glaring since Daley is one of Great Britain’s most famous athletes and is competing in his third Olympics.
Black meanwhile, won the Academy Award for the film Milk and has been a highly-visible presence in the fight for marriage equality in the US. He wrote the film J. Edgar directed by Clint Eastwood and is currently finishing the ABC miniseries When We Rise as a writer and director.
Both are very high-profile on social media.
NBC has taken some flack on social media for not acknowledging Black and a network spokesperson told The Advocate: ‘With more than 11,000 athletes at the Games, it isn’t always possible to identify every competitor’s significant other, regardless of their sexual orientation.’
Not helping matters this week for the network was beach volleyball announcer Chris Marlow identifying Brazilian player Larissa França’s wife as her ‘husband.’
Black did not want to be drawn into the controversy telling The Advocate: ‘I haven’t watched any of NBC’s coverage, so it’s tough to make an informed comment. I’m here to support Tom and his family here in Rio. Period.’
Comments
(All comments are reviewed before being published, and I review submissions several times per day.)
Matt says:
Even considering that NBC’s coverage of the Olympics largely has been amateur night at the Bijou, the overlooking Dustin Lance Black in the stands while Tom Daley was competing was truly head shaking. After all, they are a major league celebrity power couple even beyond the fact that they are gay. But then, NBC also managed to miss audience shots of Michael Phelps’ fiancee and infant son, Boomer, in the audience while the greatest Olympian champion in history won two more gold medals Tuesday night. Just from a human interest point, think one of the NBC commentators would have noted it was a moment that Boomer Phelps will carry with him throughout the rest of his life.
FAEN says:
Dear NBC
Your Olympic coverage has been piss poor at best but this irrational fear of gay couples is ridiculous. It’s 2016, the Olympics are being held in a country where marriage equality is legal yet NBC’s attitude is still stuck in the dark ages. Again, it’s 2016-START ACTING LIKE IT!
grobi says:
Triumph ?? He got a bronze medal.
robert says:
AND WHAT MEDAL DID YOU GET GROBI..,BY THE WAY,,THEY DID SHOW PHELP’S FIANCE AND SON IN THE AUDIENCE!! BUT AGREED NBC’S COVERAGE HAS BEEN REALLY AWEFUL..AMATEURS ALL THE WAY
FAEN says:
@Grobi-and how many Olympic medals do you own?