Steven Davi beme the first openly gay profsnal cricketer - and has never been happier | Daily Mail Onle

Contents:

• HEATH DAVIS BE FIRST MALE NEW ZEALAND CRICKETER TO E OUT AS GAY
• FORMER NEW ZEALAND PACER HEATH DAVIS PUBLICLY COM OUT AS GAY
• GAY CRICKETERS WON’T E OUT UNTIL ‘STIGMA’ IS KNOCKED FOR SIX, BOSS WARNED
• SPORTHEATH DAVIS BE FIRST CURRENT OR FORMER NEW ZEALAND MEN'S CRICKETER TO E OUT AS GAY
• STEVEN DAVI REVEALS HE IS GAY
• STEVEN DAVI BEME THE FIRST OPENLY GAY PROFSNAL CRICKETER - AND HAS NEVER BEEN HAPPIER
• E GAY

HEATH DAVIS BE FIRST MALE NEW ZEALAND CRICKETER TO E OUT AS GAY

Former New Zealand Tt player Heath Davis has bee the untry’s first male ternatnal cricketer to publicly speak about beg, 50, played five Tts and 11 one-day ternatnals for the Black Caps between 1994 and 1997 and was known as an timidatg, if nsistent, pace s after his Tt but, Davis publicly revealed his sexualy for the first time, an episo of the documentary seri Scratched: Aotearoa’s Lost Sportg first ternatnal male cricketer to e out publicly was the former England wicketkeeper Steven Davi was durg Davis’s first tour to England 1994 when he started to really disver himself, he told The Spoff, though he had told his mother at an early age he was gay.

”He gused some of his teammat knew he was gay before he told a uple of them 1997 but he was never qutned about . “I certaly wasn’t livg a gay life, wasn’t part of the scene, didn’t have a partner. There was nothg to tie to, if you know what I mean, ” Davis entered his first gay relatnship when he was 27 years old, while playg for Wellgton, but he was reluctant to appear public as a uple.

FORMER NEW ZEALAND PACER HEATH DAVIS PUBLICLY COM OUT AS GAY

When an offer of a ntract me om Auckland, Davis saw an opportuny to move away om the cy he did not felt fortable beg out the uple ma the move to Auckland, Davis told his new team’s manager he was gay, which was passed on to his team members and “didn’t seem to be that big an issue” is now on a new journey – one that exists tensn wh his sexualy. Photograph: supplied by Heath DavisAn ternatnal study on homophobia sport, released May, revealed that New Zealand gay and bisexual men were the most likely to keep their sexualy secret both youth and adult sports, wh many sayg they feared bullyg om teammat and discrimatn om ach and than half of all participants believed team sport is more homophobic than the rt of New Zealand society, while gay men were much more likely to believe this (69%) than anyone Wellgton Firebirds player, Stephen Mather, said Davis told him about his sexualy 1997, when there were no other outwardly gay men playg first class cricket at that time.

”Homophobic attus sport still very much exist, said Malee Chapman, The Spoff’s edor and producer of the documentary seri. Gee Cecil Iv (1 October 1867 Germany – 4 June 1950) was an English poet, wrer, penal reformer and early homosexual law reform mpaigner. And this XI all have one thg mon – they are gay.

Set up 1996 wh the aim of providg an “opportuny for people to watch and play cricket irrpective of genr or sexual orientatn, ” a world where beg gay wasn’t always accepted, Grac have bee a haven for people to e to terms wh their sexualy while also allowg them to play cricket.

GAY CRICKETERS WON’T E OUT UNTIL ‘STIGMA’ IS KNOCKED FOR SIX, BOSS WARNED

They’ve often e om societi where is illegal to be gay and the opportuny to meet like-md dividuals is somethg that Sam Nimaiyar, who was born India, has valued immensely. But for Chris Sherwood – the club’s prs and publicy officer – beg able to play cricket and not stand out for beg gay is one of Grac’ unique appeal.

“It’s nice not to be ‘the gay one, ’” Sherwood said. “I always feel like if I was a straight team, ’s like ‘oh Chris, he’s the gay one’ and then I have to e out.

SPORTHEATH DAVIS BE FIRST CURRENT OR FORMER NEW ZEALAND MEN'S CRICKETER TO E OUT AS GAY

“This is the reason ’s difficult for people to e out bee there’s all this banter about gay beg lser somehow and to sudnly go ‘that’s me, I’m gay, ’ ’s que a difficult thg to do.

Modi moved om India to the UK 2004 and although he had known he was gay for the prev 18 months, he’d never had any gay relatnships.

STEVEN DAVI REVEALS HE IS GAY

Upon movg to London, a batn of his membership at Grac, his new gay iends and his ex-boyiend – whom he still creds for much of the posive aspects of his life – Modi cid to e out to the most important person his life – his dad. In tradnal Indian culture, where arranged marriag are often the norm, to have an openly gay relative would harm a fay’s abily to attract potentially prospero spo. Although is timated that the law change affected 104 ln gay Indians, is still not monplace to be openly gay Indian society.

STEVEN DAVI BEME THE FIRST OPENLY GAY PROFSNAL CRICKETER - AND HAS NEVER BEEN HAPPIER

Whether is bee of tradnal attus or homophobic beliefs that still permeate through the untry as a rult of relig iologi, the numbers of openly gay people India is disproportnate to the populatn of India. It’s impossible to ppot a sgular actn that will fively change the perspective of the Indian populatn of the LGBT muny, but speakg to Modi and Nimaiyar, is clear that they believe that havg famo Indian ins – whether they are sports stars or celebri other walks of life – voice their support for the LGBT muny, is somethg that uld signifintly help gay people.

However, she advised him not to e out to his brother and father bee “they would rather you be a rapist or murrer than gay. And isn’t jt the ethnic ntgent of the club who have had to al wh homophobic abe durg their liv.

E GAY

There is nothg wrong wh beg gay. ” Not only was Root standg up on behalf of all gay cricket players, but subsequently srg a century after makg the ment, he did what the members at Grac’ have learnt to do – let the cricket do the talkg.