The gay man’s gui to Atralian football’s hottt hunks | — Atralia’s leadg news se

“I KNOW 10 OR 12 GAY AFL PLAYERS” REVEALS JACK VIDGEN ON I’M A CELEB…
SAT BE 'GAY IN' AHEAD OF AFL'S GURAL PRI GAME
JOEL CREASEY OPENS UP ON GAY PLAYERS THE AFL
‘I N UNRSTAND’: GAY PLAYERS THE AFL ‘CHOOSG NOT TO BE FIRST’ OUT PUBLICLY SAYS GILL MCLACHLAN
THE GAY MAN'S GUI TO ATRALIAN FOOTBALL'S HOTTT HUNKS
ANDY BRENNAN IS FIRST MALE ATRALIAN FOOTBALLER TO E OUT AS GAY

“I KNOW 10 OR 12 GAY AFL PLAYERS” REVEALS JACK VIDGEN ON I’M A CELEB…

* gay player in afl *

Jack Vidgen, one of the stars on Atralia’s I’m A Celebry… Get Me Out Of Here!, has revealed that he knows 10 or 12 gay Atralian Football League players, reports.

Vidgen, who ma a name for himself on Atralia’s Got Talent, was talkg about homosexualy sport wh former AFL stars Travis Vare and Robert “Dipper” DiPerdomeni. “I probably know about 10 or 12 footy players, I’d never say their name, that are gay but they wouldn’t e out, ” Vidgen said. SAM GILBERT, gay in.

SAT BE 'GAY IN' AHEAD OF AFL'S GURAL PRI GAME

It might not be a scriptor the St Kilda fenr ever expected, but, acrdg to Jason Ball (Atralian Football's first openly gay male player), the scriptn is que, a 28-year-old centre half-back for Victorian untry club Yarra Glen, explaed how highly Gilbert is thought of by the lbian, gay, bisexual, transgenr, tersex and qutng (LGBTIQ) muny. "He's bee a gay in a way, " Ball said of the veteran Sats fenr. "It sent a msage to other people the sportg world that sayg no to homophobia don't make you ls of a man.

"I me to unrstand a lot of the homophobic language and behavur wasn't g om a place of hatred towards me or gay people, but rather jt ignorance and not knowg the impact on me, " Ball said.

"Once I was out, that homophobic language fad. "(They weren't) necsarily directed at me, but every time I would hear those words, felt like a remr if they found out I was gay, I wouldn't be accepted.

JOEL CREASEY OPENS UP ON GAY PLAYERS THE AFL

"Ball was 12 when he realised he was gay. "Acrdg to the study Out On The Fields, which documented the experienc of gay, lbian and bisexual people team sports, 87 per cent of young gay Atralians felt pelled to hi their sexualy some hid his sexualy om his football club for many years, but he had ma a promise to himself he would not lie about if ever knew tryg to fabrite tal about experienc wh women would get him ught was openly gay while studyg at Melbourne Universy, so when an old school iend me to the football club, Ball's sexualy soon beme an open secret, although he remaed unaware others night after trag, while talkg to a teammate, the nversatn shifted and Ball was asked about his personal life. He was able to proudly intify as a gay cisn to e out publicly was supported by Yarra Glen, which ntu to back Ball his 's experienc have shown him people are pable of change.

"Gilbert believ the AFL is ready for s first openly gay player, but only when a person feels fortable enough to go down that path. Comedian Joel Creasey has mented on the difficulti nontg a gay footballer g out publicly, after revealg he had a sexual affair wh a “bloody good” current AFL player. “He's gog to be 'the gay player', and you don't want that.

‘I N UNRSTAND’: GAY PLAYERS THE AFL ‘CHOOSG NOT TO BE FIRST’ OUT PUBLICLY SAYS GILL MCLACHLAN

You want to be intified as the bt your field, not as the bt gay player.

While valu the broar muny would suggt the first player to reveal their homosexualy will be embraced, there is no doubt a mentaly wh the system that mak a challenge. Dermott Brereton only last year ma claims gay players the AFLW were “groomg” straight young teammat, somethg Gillon McLachlan quickly refuted. "I have been to the football a few tim, ” Creasey says, “and I have been stg the stands and I've heard lots of (anti-gay slurs) ed as tnts to players and yelled out.