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

Contents:

• SAT BE 'GAY IN' AHEAD OF AFL'S GURAL PRI GAME
• WHY IS AFL THE ONLY PRO SPORT TO NEVER HAVE AN OPENLY GAY MALE PLAYER?
• WHY IS AFL THE ONLY PRO SPORT TO NEVER HAVE AN OPENLY GAY MALE PLAYER?
• WHY IS AFL THE ONLY PRO SPORT TO NEVER HAVE AN OPENLY GAY MALE PLAYER?
• WHY IS AFL THE ONLY PRO SPORT TO NEVER HAVE AN OPENLY GAY MALE PLAYER?
• ‘NO WORDS’: GAY ATRALIAN FOOTBALLER JOSH CAVALLO LLS OUT HOMOPHOBIC CROWD ABE
• 'I'VE HAD TO MASK MY FEELGS': A-LEAGUE PLAYER OUT AS GAY EMOTNAL SOCIAL POSTS
• ‘I HAVE BEEN FIGHTG MY SEXUALY’: A-LEAGUE MEN PLAYER JOSH CAVALLO OUT AS GAY
• 'I DIDN'T KNOW ANY FOOTBALLERS WHO WERE GAY'
• ANDY BRENNAN IS FIRST MALE ATRALIAN FOOTBALLER TO E OUT AS GAY
• JOSH CAVALLO BE ONE OF THE FEW PROFSNAL MEN'S FOOTBALLERS TO E OUT AS GAY
• GAY AFL PLAYERS CHOOSG NOT TO E OUT TO AVOID PRSURE OF BEG FIRST: MCLACHLAN
• THE AFL’S GROWG PROBLEM WH VISIBILY OF GAY PLAYERS

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

SAM GILBERT, gay in. 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.

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

"(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.

"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.

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

"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. 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.

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

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

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.

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.

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

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.

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

‘NO WORDS’: GAY ATRALIAN FOOTBALLER JOSH CAVALLO LLS OUT HOMOPHOBIC CROWD ABE

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.

'I'VE HAD TO MASK MY FEELGS': A-LEAGUE PLAYER OUT AS GAY EMOTNAL SOCIAL POSTS

The club has been at the foreont of tacklg Monash UniversyOne of those papers, published the world’s top sport dtry journal, said erng bodi e rabow-themed social media posts and pri gam to create a false illn (ln) they are takg actn on homophobia, when realy, almost nothg is beg done beyond “lip service or happy talk.

”Our own rearch has found the AFL has done ls on the issue of homophobia than any other major sport Atralia, or globally.

Scientists have also found the Atralian Sports Commissn has turned a bld eye to homophobic abe sport. Olympic legend Ian Thorpe mpaigned Febary 2020 on the Relig Discrimatn Alex EllghsenThere is no mentn of LGBT people nor of any fundg to addrs homophobia sport. The omissn of LGBT people needs to be urgently fixed and an vtigatn is need to terme why homophobia sport is nsistently ernments and sport lears start prrisg protectg children om harmful homophobic behavurs sport, we’ll be talkg about the lack of openly gay male athlet the AFL and other sports for many years to Denison is a behavural science rearcher at Monash Universy’s School of Social Scienc who vtigat solutns to homophobia sport.

‘I HAVE BEEN FIGHTG MY SEXUALY’: A-LEAGUE MEN PLAYER JOSH CAVALLO OUT AS GAY

Josh Cavallo, who last year beme the only openly gay profsnal top flight men’s footballer the world, says he has “no words” to scribe his disappotment at beg targeted by homophobic abe durg an A-League Men game over the Alai Uned player me on as a send-half substute durg the Reds’ away game at Melbourne Victory on Saturday night and said afterwards that he had received abe om the crowd at AAMI 22-year-old received acclaim om across the globe October when he me out via Alai’s social media channels. “I’m not gog to pretend that I didn’t see or hear the homophobic abe at the game last night, ” Cavallo wrote on Instagram on Sunday. ”Cavallo also said he was targeted after the game on Instagram and ed his own post to ll out the social media platform for the way als wh homophobic abe.

”The Atralian Profsnal Leagu said was “shocked and sadned” to hear of the reports of the “homophobic bullyg”. Alai Uned midfielr Josh Cavallo hop more profsnal footballers will follow his lead and publicly announce that they’re gay.

Cavallo on Wednday beme a rary profsnal sport: an openly gay male athlete.

'I DIDN'T KNOW ANY FOOTBALLERS WHO WERE GAY'

“It’s astonishg to know that there are currently no gay profsnal footballers who are out and actively playg, not only Atralia, but around the world. “Ashamed I would never be able to do what I loved and be gay, ” he wrote. “Beg a closeted gay footballer, I’ve had to learn to mask my feelgs orr to f the mould of a profsnal footballer.

“Growg up beg gay and playg football were jt two worlds that hadn’t crossed paths before.

A-League Men midfielr Josh Cavallo says he knows there are other players “livg silence” after beg the only known current male top-flight profsnal footballer the world to e out as gay. Ashamed I would never be able to do what I loved and be gay. “Beg a gay closeted footballer, I’ve had to learn to mask my feelgs orr to f the mould of a profsnal footballer.

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

Growg up beg gay and playg football were jt two worlds that hadn’t crossed paths before. Labor senate lear and openly gay woman, Penny Wong, tweeted: “Any young person who is stgglg wh their inty, or feelg exclud or judged, n look today to Josh Cavallo. ”Globally there are only a handful of openly gay male footballers, none of whom are playg the top flight.

Amerin former Leeds player Robbie Rogers also announced he was gay on retirg 2013, before returng to the field wh LA Galaxy and wng the MLS Cup to bee the first openly gay male athlete to w a major profsnal team sports tle the Uned 2019, former Newstle Jets player Andy Brennan beme Atralia’s first profsnal male footballer to e out while still playg the game. “It is astonishg to know that there are currently no gay profsnal footballers who are out and actively playg, not only Atralia, but around the world. When teammat sledged opposn players, llg them ''homo'' or ''fag'', he'd pretend not to re.

JOSH CAVALLO BE ONE OF THE FEW PROFSNAL MEN'S FOOTBALLERS TO E OUT AS GAY

Insi the footy club where he'd played sce he was five, nobody knew he was gay. ''I didn't know any footballers who were gay, so I uld only assume the worst, and sred me.

GAY AFL PLAYERS CHOOSG NOT TO E OUT TO AVOID PRSURE OF BEG FIRST: MCLACHLAN

''Out and proud: Yarra Valley footballer Jason Ball, third om left, wants the AFL to air anti-homophobia vios at the grand fal this Ken IrwThe 24-year-old, who plays for Yarra Glen senrs the Yarra Valley Mounta District Football League, is a rare voice a football world that gay groups say is stgglg to e to terms wh homosexualy s such groups agree sexualy is a private matter, they say is signifint that no AFL players have revealed their homosexualy. The homophobic language stopped.

THE AFL’S GROWG PROBLEM WH VISIBILY OF GAY PLAYERS

There are mours that a TV work has offered a gay AFL player a six-figure sum to be the first footballer to e, backed by onle-petn movement, Ball will lnch a mpaign urgg the league to air anti-homophobia vios at the MCG durg this month's grand fal. Beyondblue chairman Jeff Kent, who last week lnched a mpaign highlightg the mental health impact of homophobia, backed Ball's petn.

''It after the AFL last month wrote a letter of support for ''No to Homophobia'' - a mpaign n by gay rights and social jtice groups - but were cricised for not dog fact St Kilda's Stephen Milne ped wh a $3000 fe and an tn urse rather than a spensn, after llg Collgwood fenr Harry O'Brien a ''f---g homo'', implied that sexual vilifitn was treated ls serly than other forms of discrimatn, Ball said. ''At high school I got picked on for beg gay and those words were ed to make me feel small and worthls.