Andy Brennan is first male Atralian footballer to e out as gay | A-League Men | The Guardian

Contents:

• THE GAY MAN'S GUI TO ATRALIAN FOOTBALL'S HOTTT HUNKS
• WHY IS AFL THE ONLY PRO SPORT TO NEVER HAVE AN OPENLY GAY MALE PLAYER?
• ANDY BRENNAN IS FIRST MALE ATRALIAN FOOTBALLER TO E OUT AS GAY
• SAT BE 'GAY IN' AHEAD OF AFL'S GURAL PRI GAME
• THE AFL’S GROWG PROBLEM WH VISIBILY OF GAY PLAYERS

THE GAY MAN'S GUI TO ATRALIAN FOOTBALL'S HOTTT HUNKS

Send your suggtns via @newsHQ | @the_mattyoung7 David Pock (Super 15)The Wallabi skipper has been outspoken agast homophobia and is a strong advote of gay marriage. 30pmFew people realise the men’s AFL is the only major profsnal male sport the world to never have had an openly gay or bisexual player, even after is why the cisn by the NFL’s Carl Nassib to e out as gay this week while still playg Amerin football ph Atralian football further off the crowd field of cln. Nassib may be the first active NFL player to e out, but he’s actually the 16th gay NFL player sce 1975 – that’s close to the same number of players on an AFL Vegas Rairs fensive end Carl Nassib me out this APThe total visibily of gay or bisexual AFL players be even more ncerng when you nsir the multiple gay and bisexual players basketball, ice hockey, baseball, gby unn, gby league, cricket, soccer, and smaller sports like curlg, hurlg and lacrosse.

WHY IS AFL THE ONLY PRO SPORT TO NEVER HAVE AN OPENLY GAY MALE PLAYER?

I have studied homophobia sport for the past , cludg studi the AFL and 42 other sports at Monash Universy.

ANDY BRENNAN IS FIRST MALE ATRALIAN FOOTBALLER TO E OUT AS GAY

Why has one of the world’s olst sports never had an openly gay player? However, ’s important to first rrect the mis-perceptn that homophobia is ls of a problem bee is assumed most players are gay.

It also ters many girls, both straight and gay, om playg ntact sports like AFL or rearch has found between 15-20 per cent of female AFL players are not heterosexual.

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

Visibily is clearly important, particularly to children, but the visibily of male AFL players is a symptom of ser a problem that has long been ignored by the AFL and other erng is extensive evince om Atralia and overseas that gay and bisexual children, as well as heterosexual youth, are beg harmed by systemic homophobic behavurs muny and school sport settgs. Gay and bisexual boys play sport at half the rate of their peers. Dpe this evince, I often hear sport lears and ernment officials say “thgs are a lot better for gay people sport the days.

We expected that those who me out would report much ls homophobic behavur (bullyg, asslts, slurs, etc. That’s not what we boys and girls who me out to others sport were signifintly more likely to report homophobic victimisatn than those who remaed the closet.

THE AFL’S GROWG PROBLEM WH VISIBILY OF GAY PLAYERS

Most (82 per cent) gay and bisexual boys also said they tried to hi their sexualy om teammat.

LoadgBeyond Blue has found experienc of homophobic discrimatn sport is associated wh clil anxiety and prsn, risk factors for suici. Homophobic behavur youth sport is an issue of child protectn. This is why there are no openly gay or bisexual male AFL do we fix this problem?

Ian Roberts, Atralia’s first openly gay athlete, has been llg on sport and ernment lears to protect young people om homophobic abe sce 1997. They signed a mment to be “world lears” “creatg clive sportg cultur and elimatg homophobia our sports. This rearch found most activy to addrs this problem is beg driven by small chari, such as Pri Cup or Proud2Play, or muny sport clubs, while the mments ma by the lears of the AFL and the other sports have not been players om the Yarra Glen Football Club take part rearch nducted to better unrstand the drivers and harm ed by homophobic language sport.