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

davies gay cricketer

Internatnal cricketer Steven Davi has received the support of his England lleagu and team boss after beg the sport's first active profsnal player to announce that he is gay.

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

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 hate. * davies gay cricketer *

Steven Davi is the first cricketer to e out as gay and says footballers fear that qutn Published: 23:31 BST, 4 May 2013 | 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.

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

Gay cricketers won’t e out until 'stigma' is knocked for six, Sam Schofield has warned the England and Wal Cricket Board. * davies gay cricketer *

’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 REVEALS HE IS GAY

England and Surrey wicketkeeper Steven Davi has received support om senr figur throughout the game after revealg he is gay * davies gay cricketer *

‘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. ’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.

CRICKET BACKS STEVEN DAVI AFTER PLAYER ANNOUNC HE IS GAY

Steve Davi was ngratulated by prent and former players after announcg he is gay * davies gay cricketer *

‘The Football Associatn are dog good grassroots work, to te agast homophobia at unty and junr league level. There have been no high-profile FA mpaigns to challenge anti-gay chants.

'BRAVE' CRICKETER DAVI REVEALS HE IS GAY

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. 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.

FORMER NEW ZEALAND PACER HEATH DAVIS PUBLICLY COM OUT AS GAY

(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.

*BEAR-MAGAZINE.COM* DAVIES GAY CRICKETER

England news: Steven Davi reveals he is gay | ESPNcric .

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