Nigel Owens, ternatnal gby's first openly gay referee, believ the sport has "a way to go" learng tolerance but profs only huge admiratn for the rpect the players have shown on the field.
Contents:
- NIGEL OWENS: 'I ULDN'T ACCEPT I WAS GAY'
- WHO IS GBY REF NIGEL OWENS? WELSHMAN BRAVELY ME OUT AS GAY, FOUGHT BULIMIA AND OVERME SUICI
- RUGBY’S TRAILBLAZG GAY REFEREE NIGEL OWENS REVEALS SUICI ATTEMPT AT AGE 11 DUE TO BULLYG — YEARS BEFORE TRYG TO KILL HIMSELF A BATTLE WH SEXUALY
NIGEL OWENS: 'I ULDN'T ACCEPT I WAS GAY'
English gby has been praised for clampg down on homophobia the sport, though a leadg gay referee warns there is still work to be done eraditg the problem. * owens rugby gay *
He hadn't met a gay man before and his feelgs were totally alien to him, so much so that he sperately tried to supprs them. ''I didn't want to be a gay person. ''Alongsi his battle wh prsn and anxiety, Owens veloped bulimia and beme hooked on steroids as he stggled to accept that he was gay.
WHO IS GBY REF NIGEL OWENS? WELSHMAN BRAVELY ME OUT AS GAY, FOUGHT BULIMIA AND OVERME SUICI
Outgog Internatnal Gay Rugby (IGR) chairman Ben Owen talks to World Rugby about the anisatn’s work, the challeng fac, and his own experienc wh the game. * owens rugby gay *
I didn't want to be a gay person Aged 24, Owens attempted to take his own life due to his self loathg over his sexual orientatn - a regret he says will plague him for the rt of his life. When gby referee Nigel Owens me out as gay 2007, he said was “a big taboo” to be LGBT+ his le of work.
Welsh gby player Gareth Thomas later me out as gay, and other players have opened up about their inti too. Did you enunter much homophobia after g out as gay?
RUGBY’S TRAILBLAZG GAY REFEREE NIGEL OWENS REVEALS SUICI ATTEMPT AT AGE 11 DUE TO BULLYG — YEARS BEFORE TRYG TO KILL HIMSELF A BATTLE WH SEXUALY
But on the odd ocsn – on the very, very odd ocsn that there were homophobic ments shouted at me om the spectators – was heard by other people and was reported to the relevant bodi and they managed to al wh the suatn. Rugby has allowed to be who we are, so nobody uld say that gby is a homophobic sport.
Owens, hooked on steroids and sufferg om bulimia, lackg self‑teem bee he thought he was fat, uld not handle what he saw as the shame of beg homosexual. He didn't want to be gay.
As for beg gay the supposedly macho world of gby – and ral wt Wal as well – has been revealgly easy. "It me to the stage where I was so sred of people fdg out, and I was probably more sred of beg gay when I didn't want to be gay.