BBC Sport - Cricket - Steven Davi backed after nfirmg he is gay

Contents:

• GAY CRICKETER STEVE DAVI'S G OUT REFLECTS CHANGG ATTUS MORN PROFSNAL SPORT
• CRICKET BACKS STEVEN DAVI AFTER PLAYER ANNOUNC HE IS GAY
• STEVEN DAVI BREAKS BARRIERS CRICKET BY SAYG HE IS GAY
• STEVEN DAVI BEME THE FIRST OPENLY GAY PROFSNAL CRICKETER - AND HAS NEVER BEEN HAPPIER
• STEVEN DAVI BACKED AFTER NFIRMG HE IS GAY
• STEVEN DAVI REVEALS HE IS GAY
• DAVI REVEALS HE IS GAY
• 'BRAVE' CRICKETER DAVI REVEALS HE IS GAY
• I'M GAY, SAYS ENGLAND CRICKETER STEVE DAVI

GAY CRICKETER STEVE DAVI'S G OUT REFLECTS CHANGG ATTUS MORN PROFSNAL SPORT

When England wicketkeeper Steve Davi ed the ter to publicly announce he was a homosexual this week, he joed a growg list of openly gay athlet who have slowly changed attus profsnal is the 21st century, not only are announcements such as Davi's unlikely to brg any ill-feelg om the wir sportg muny, they are jt as monly embraced by both gay and non-gay cizens as a symbol of sexual equaly. However, 's been a slow journey for society to move to a pot where gay sportg ins like former Wal ternatnal Gareth Thomas are the spiratn for movi and Atralian swimmg in, Stephanie Rice, is forced to make a public apology for g the word "faggot" on Amerin footballer David Pokay is regard as one of the first profsnal athlet to nfirm his homosexualy, havg ma the announcement 1975 - three years after retirg om the NFL was reported that Kopay - who addrsed the issue his ntroversial 1977 tobgraphy, The David Kopay Story - was allegedly nied posns as a profsnal and llege football ach due to his sexual great Marta Navratilova is another player who is likely to have received greater endorsement as a lbian player the morn era of profsnal announcg she was gay 1981, a disappoted Navratilova spoke of an article that said she would "pick my doubl partner so I uld look at her bum" meang remarks such as the have ntued to dimish by the years, not least wh the Atralian sportg muny. Perhaps the watershed moment for gay equaly Atralian sport me 1995, when Ian Roberts beme the first profsnal gby league player to announce his homosexualy.

The former Kangaroos forward was still playg at the Kopay and Navratilova are nsired by many to have suffered profsnally for their public revelatns, Roberts has sce bee an Atralian sportg Roberts me out, was such huge news that NRL Footy Show panellists Pl Vt, Peter Sterlg and Steve Roach were moved to appear a poster mpaign agast worked - more recently, golfer Karrie Webb and former Olympic swimmer Daniel Kowalski are exampl of gay Atralian athlet who raised ltle attentn parison to their need to mpaign agast homophobia no longer exists. It really is no big goln girl Rice isn't the only Asie sportg star to receive a public pastg for gay sensivy recent tim; jt last year, AFL footballer Jason Akermanis suggted was gay players' bt terts to "stay the closet". "I believe would e disfort that environment should someone clare himself gay, " Akermanis wrote at the Aker was nounced by many gay rights activists, was the AFL and his then-club Wtern Bulldogs' quick efforts to remove themselv om the ments that h home the announcements such as Davi' rema an anomaly, the morn attus will creasgly see that the stori are treated as non-issu, while sensive ments such as those ma by Akermanis and Rice are now what dictat ont-page news.

CRICKET BACKS STEVEN DAVI AFTER PLAYER ANNOUNC HE IS GAY

Steven Davi has received ngratulatns om prent and former unty and ternatnal team-mat, ptas and even Stephen Fry for beg the first English cricketer to announce his homosexualy durg his reer. "That reactn was echoed on Twter by the Yorkshire pta Andrew Gale, who is away wh the England Lns Barbados – where homosexualy is illegal, although the island is regularly scribed as havg one of the largt gay populatns the Caribbean.

Steven Davi, the Surrey wicketkeeper who was England’s Ash-wng squad, has revealed that he is gay, beg the first profsnal cricketer to out himself while still playg. At the end of the 2009 season, sensg a need to challenge himself, Davi moved om Worctershire to Surrey where he was given the rponsibily of battg the top Febary 2011 Davi beme the first ternatnal cricketer to announce that he was gay, revealg the fact an terview wh The Daily Telegraph. Openly gay cricketers?

Apart om Alex Blackwell and Steven Davi, are there any other openly gay cricketers?

STEVEN DAVI BREAKS BARRIERS CRICKET BY SAYG HE IS GAY

Steven Davi is the first cricketer to e out as gay and says footballers fear that qutn Updated: 23:53 BST, 4 May 2013 Steven Davi do not nsir himself brave. But when the Surrey and England wicketkeeper beme the first profsnal cricketer to state publicly that he is gay he adms that he feared he would bee a figure of years later, the 26-year-old says he has never been happier.

He is ntent his cisn and ready to rurrect his ternatnal the week that basketball star Jason Colls beme the first man playg a major Amerin team sport to clare that he was gay, Davi spoke to The Mail on Sunday about his own experience of openg up about his sexualy, his iendship wh pop star Sir Elton John — and his hope that one day soon a current profsnal footballer will follow his lead.

’In Febary former Leeds Uned footballer Robbie Rogers did adm to beg gay, but only after announcg his retirement om the sport. ‘I’d tell any young guy who knows they are gay and is nsirg a reer profsnal sport that tim are changg and thgs are gettg a lot easier.

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

‘Elton would be on Skype to Johnny Depp and one time I walked to the sue and Elton was there havg ffee wh Coldplay, ’ said beme iends wh Sir Elton after the sger wrote to him followg his cisn to reveal that he was gay, the first top English cricketer to take the step.

Devastated: Davi (left) was cshed by the ath of Tom Maynard (centre) Pneer: NBA star Jason Colls me out, beg the first openly gay active player major sports 'They said seeg me do had given them strength to do and they were so much happier.

STEVEN DAVI BACKED AFTER NFIRMG HE IS GAY

’VIEWS FROM OTHER SPORTSFOOTBALLVeteran gay rights mpaigner Peter Tatchell says the Football Associatn mt give a stronger and more public lead the game’s efforts to bat 92 Premier League and Football League clubs signed a ernment charter agast homophobia last year, and the thori are phg the clubs to adopt more active Tatchell, who has lobbied the FA for actn agast for more than 20 years, says the are ‘low-key and almost visible mov and not real actn’ add: ‘The FA should be givg a stronger, more public lead. ‘The Football Associatn are dog good grassroots work, to te agast homophobia at unty and junr league level.

STEVEN DAVI REVEALS HE IS GAY

There have been no high-profile FA mpaigns to challenge anti-gay chants. Three years ago the FA approved the makg of an anti-homophobia vio but then refed to promote . ’So far 56 clubs have signed up to an FA scheme lnched Febary and aimed at gettg all clubs actively volved anti-homophobia iativ.

DAVI REVEALS HE IS GAY

The FA are also arrangg meetgs next month wh clubs whose fans were mentned a dossier piled by Brighton about homophobic abe at their gam. (pictured below: Robbie Fowler apologised for gay tnts he directed at Graeme Le Sx) WOMEN'S SPORTEngland pta Casey Stoney believ women’s football has a far more mature attu to homosexualy than the men’s game. Men’s football remas the last major team sport the UK wh no openly gay players, whereas the women’s game has a number of high-profile lbian of them, 30-year-old Stoney, 30, has won 109 ps for England and not enuntered any hostily, and she believ is time for men’s football clubs and fans alike to take rponsibilty for changg ‘prehistoric’ attus.

‘Havg spoken to a lot of male profsnal players, the one issue that keeps croppg up is the amount of grief an openly gay player might get om fans, ’ she says. I know recently there was the Football v Homophobia mpaign and was disappotg to hear that some clubs almost refed to take part that. ‘Homophobia was rife society not so long ago, but I believe the man and woman on the street have changed their thought procs — and is time football ught up, pecially the men’s game.

’(below left) Casey Stoney, who says men's clubs need to change prehistoric attus RUGBY UNIONOpenly gay referee Nigel Owens received wispread support om si and outsi gby unn and has no regrets about his cisn to e out six years feared abe om fans and had even attempted suici, but spe some fans ‘ocsnally over-steppg the mark’ he sists his experience has been almost totally posive. ‘I agonised over whether to e out bee back then there were no openly gay sportsmen or women profsnal gby or any other team sports, ’ he said.

'BRAVE' CRICKETER DAVI REVEALS HE IS GAY

’Owens has spoken to gay footballers who are nsirg gog public about their sexualy and believ is a only matter of time before someone tak the step. ’(below centre) Openly gay gby referee Nigel Owens. England wicketkeeper Steven Davi has received support om senr figur cricket after revealg he is gay.

" Surrey's Davi, 24, is the first active profsnal cricketer to nfirm he is gay. Davi says he would be happy to help any other sportsmen if they also took the cisn to reveal that they were gay.

I'M GAY, SAYS ENGLAND CRICKETER STEVE DAVI

Rugby star Thomas nfirmed he was gay December 2009. NewsEngland and Surrey wicketkeeper Steven Davi has received support om senr figur throughout the game after revealg he is gayESPNcric staff28-Feb-2011Steve Davi has played eight ODIs and five T20s for England • Getty ImagEngland and Surrey wicketkeeper Steven Davi has revealed he is gay, beg the first playg profsnal cricketer to so.