Cycling star Skinner’s pride in gay father
OLYMPIC cycling hero Callum Skinner has spoken out in support of his gay father.
The 24-year-old revealed he had a heart-to-heart chat with his dad before setting off for the Games in Rio, where he collected two medals on the track.
Sprint sensation Skinner revealed: “Dad asked me if I was OK with him speaking to the media because we weren’t being open about his sexuality.
“I was just shocked by the question.
“It made me quite upset because it made me realise that he was indirectly having to hide who he was and that was really sad. It’s been enough time for keeping it hush now.”
Skinner, of Glasgow, won gold alongside Jason Kenny and Philip Hindes in the team sprint.
There was further velodrome glory when he took silver in the individual sprint after coming up against Kenny in an all-British final.
Skinner admitted there was a time when he felt awkward having his father Scott cheering him on from the sidelines.
He said: “I feel bad saying it now, but I was always a little anxious about having a gay father watching.
“In the early years I definitely excluded Dad. I want to tell the story because I’m confident in my career and I’m at a point where if someone did say something negative, it’s no problem to me because I’m at the top of the pile.”
Skinner, whose parents split when he was young, couldn’t remember a time when he didn’t know his father was gay.
He added: “People often think that when your dad comes out, your house turns into a bad cabaret and glitter comes down from the ceiling.
“I mean, he did have a disco ball in the hall, but he was always just my dad.”
Skinner, whose brother Ray is also gay, decided that being open about his family would help to promote equality and acceptance.
He told The Gay Times: “The more people talk about it, rather than keeping it quiet like we did, the more the discussion moves forward.
“Especially coming straight from the Olympics where we’ve been competing against some countries where gay rights are atrocious, like Trinidad and Tobago.”
Earlier this week, Skinner became the first Scottish athlete to have his medical records leaked by hackers.
The document suggested he was granted a therapeutic use exemption for the banned substance prednisolone.
There was no suggestion he had done anything wrong.