Gareth Thomas: 'When I me out as gay, I wanted to show a sign of strength'

Contents:

• HOW WAL' LGBT+ GBY TEAMS ARE BREAKG DOWN THE STIGMA OF SEXUALY SPORT'AT THE END OF THE DAY, WE’RE STILL A TEAM, AND THE BON IS WE N BE WHO WE ARE'WALONLEBOOKMARKSHARECOMMENTSSPORTBYJOSEPH ALICOMMUNY REPORTER17:29, 9 DEC 2020BOOKMARKVIO LOADGVIO UNAVAILABLECLICK TO PLAYTAP TO PLAYTHE VIO WILL TO-PLAY SOON8CANCELPLAY NOWTHE WEEKLY EMAIL BRGS YOU ALL THE LATT NEWS OM THE LGBTQ+ MUNY PL EXCLIVE TERVIEWS DIRECT TO YOUR BOXMORE NEWSLETTERS SUBSCRIBEINVALID EMAILSOMETHG WENT WRONG, PLEASE TRY AGA LATER.MORE NEWSLETTERSWE E YOUR SIGN-UP TO PROVI NTENT WAYS YOU’VE NSENTED TO AND IMPROVE OUR UNRSTANDG OF YOU. THIS MAY CLU ADVERTS OM AND THIRD PARTI BASED ON OUR KNOWLEDGE OF YOU. MORE THANK YOU FOR SUBSCRIBG!WE HAVE MORE NEWSLETTERSSHOW ME SEE OURPRIVACY NOTICE SEE OURPRIVACY NOTICE&TIM;GROUP 28 THE WEEKLY EMAIL BRGS YOU ALL THE LATT NEWS OM THE LGBTQ+ MUNY PL EXCLIVE TERVIEWS DIRECT TO YOUR BOXINVALID EMAILSOMETHG WENT WRONG, PLEASE TRY AGA LATER.SIGN UPNO THANKS, CLOSEWE E YOUR SIGN-UP TO PROVI NTENT WAYS YOU’VE NSENTED TO AND IMPROVE OUR UNRSTANDG OF YOU. THIS MAY CLU ADVERTS OM AND THIRD PARTI BASED ON OUR KNOWLEDGE OF YOU. MORE &TIM;GROUP 28THANK YOU FOR SUBSCRIBG!
• GARETH THOMAS: ‘WHEN I ME OUT AS GAY, I WANTED TO SHOW A SIGN OF STRENGTH’
• WAL GBY LEGEND GARETH THOMAS OUT AS GAY
• WHO IS GARETH THOMAS? OPENLY GAY WAL GBY UNN LEGEND AND REALY STAR DIAGNOSED WH HIV
• DISMANTLG STEREOTYP: 10 INSPIRG GAY RUGBY PLAYERS AND PERSONALI
• WHO IS GARETH THOMAS? OPENLY GAY WAL GBY UNN LEGEND AND REALY STAR DIAGNOSED WH HIV
• WHO IS GBY REF NIGEL OWENS? WELSHMAN BRAVELY ME OUT AS GAY, FOUGHT BULIMIA AND OVERME SUICI
• WELSH GBY STAR REVEALS HE IS GAY
• DAN PALMER PRAISED AFTER BEG FIRST WALLABI PLAYER TO E OUT AS GAY
• RUGBY STAR GARETH THOMAS: I'M GAY
• GARETH THOMAS: ‘WHEN I ME OUT AS GAY, I WANTED TO SHOW A SIGN OF STRENGTH’
• WAL AND BRISTOL BEARS’ ELOR SNOWSILL ON LIFE AS A GAY WOMAN GBY
• HEARD OF THE STEELERS? NO, NOT THEM, THE GAY GBY TEAM OM LONDON

HOW WAL' LGBT+ GBY TEAMS ARE BREAKG DOWN THE STIGMA OF SEXUALY SPORT'AT THE END OF THE DAY, WE’RE STILL A TEAM, AND THE BON IS WE N BE WHO WE ARE'WALONLEBOOKMARKSHARECOMMENTSSPORTBYJOSEPH ALICOMMUNY REPORTER17:29, 9 DEC 2020BOOKMARKVIO LOADGVIO UNAVAILABLECLICK TO PLAYTAP TO PLAYTHE VIO WILL TO-PLAY SOON8CANCELPLAY NOWTHE WEEKLY EMAIL BRGS YOU ALL THE LATT NEWS OM THE LGBTQ+ MUNY PL EXCLIVE TERVIEWS DIRECT TO YOUR BOXMORE NEWSLETTERS SUBSCRIBEINVALID EMAILSOMETHG WENT WRONG, PLEASE TRY AGA LATER.MORE NEWSLETTERSWE E YOUR SIGN-UP TO PROVI NTENT WAYS YOU’VE NSENTED TO AND IMPROVE OUR UNRSTANDG OF YOU. THIS MAY CLU ADVERTS OM AND THIRD PARTI BASED ON OUR KNOWLEDGE OF YOU. MORE THANK YOU FOR SUBSCRIBG!WE HAVE MORE NEWSLETTERSSHOW ME SEE OURPRIVACY NOTICE SEE OURPRIVACY NOTICE&TIM;GROUP 28 THE WEEKLY EMAIL BRGS YOU ALL THE LATT NEWS OM THE LGBTQ+ MUNY PL EXCLIVE TERVIEWS DIRECT TO YOUR BOXINVALID EMAILSOMETHG WENT WRONG, PLEASE TRY AGA LATER.SIGN UPNO THANKS, CLOSEWE E YOUR SIGN-UP TO PROVI NTENT WAYS YOU’VE NSENTED TO AND IMPROVE OUR UNRSTANDG OF YOU. THIS MAY CLU ADVERTS OM AND THIRD PARTI BASED ON OUR KNOWLEDGE OF YOU. MORE &TIM;GROUP 28THANK YOU FOR SUBSCRIBG!

Players are urged to don rabow-loured lac to back the mpaign and among those supportg the e are Cardiff Lns and Swansea Vikgs For they are the gay clive gby clubs Wal that have been givg LGBT+ people the opportuny to play the natnal sport. Wh both teams a part of the Inclive Gay Rugby league (IGR), a world-wi league acmodatg gay clive gby, they give players the chance to make nnectns around the globe.

GARETH THOMAS: ‘WHEN I ME OUT AS GAY, I WANTED TO SHOW A SIGN OF STRENGTH’

Beg amongst others who are jt like you who happen to be gay and enjoy the sport of gby - 's jt brilliant. For Josh, the Lns have enabled him to nnect more wh the wir gay muny. "It mak me feel part of a muny and ’s a bridge to the wir gay muny, somethg which I’ve never experienced before.

Trag weekly Swansea Uplands, the club was found 2015 and beme the 11th gay and clive gby team to emerge the UK. Swansea Vikgs were found 2015, beg Wal' send gay clive gby club. Nothg the upbrgg of Gareth Thomas – once Wal’s most-pped gby unn player and still the most proment sportsman the UK to have e out publicly while still playg – uld have prepared him for the media scty he has faced the past , sce tellg the world he was gay December 2009 and then announcg that he is livg wh HIV a uple of months was forced to post a vio on Twter September revealg his HIV stat, after a tabloid journalist turned up on the doorstep of his unspectg parents to rm them of the news and ask for he ed the experience to make an acclaimed documentary, Gareth Thomas: HIV and Me.

“When I me out as gay, I always wanted to show a sign of strength, ” he says. ”Gareth Thomas: ‘You n get thgs off your cht five mut, and then ’s done’ (Photo: Chris Floyd/Men’s Health)He laments the fact that there are still so few openly gay sportsmen and talks passnately about the need for sport to create an environment where someone g out would know that their rights would be rpected. The former Wal and Brish Lns pta Gareth Thomas has surprised the world of gby by g out as gay.

WAL GBY LEGEND GARETH THOMAS OUT AS GAY

I feel I have achieved everythg I uld ever possibly have hoped to achieve out of gby and I did beg gay. I want to send a posive msage to other gay people that they n do , too.

He me out as gay 2009, makg him the first openly gay profsnal gby unn player - and will be a star on ITV's new show The Real Full Monty on Ice. 2 The former Welsh ternatnal me out as gay after his marriage broke up and said he hoped would enurage other young gay gby playersCred: Getty Imag. When did Gareth Thomas e out as gay?

WHO IS GARETH THOMAS? OPENLY GAY WAL GBY UNN LEGEND AND REALY STAR DIAGNOSED WH HIV

In December 2009, Thomas announced publicly that he is gay.

He said he did not want to be known as a "gay gby player" but simply as a "gby player". In light of recent ntroversy regardg homophobic slurs by Israel Fol, we thought we would she a light on 10 fluential gay gby personali.

The players have bee a bean of light bee they overme stereotyp and other challeng faced by homosexual athlet way too often. In this article, we’ll name ten of the most notable gay gby personali, analyze their acplishments, discs how they are shapg the game today, and asss their impact on the overall perceptn of homosexual profsnal athlet around the world. That beg said, due to s physily, gby is regard as a “manly” sport, which mak more difficult for gay players to publicly acknowledge their preference.

DISMANTLG STEREOTYP: 10 INSPIRG GAY RUGBY PLAYERS AND PERSONALI

At the same time, there are many misnceptns about this betiful sport, which has led to the margalizatn and targetg of gay players. Some high-profile stars like Israel Fol have recently ma headl due to potentially homophobic posts on social media. This is one of the ma reasons why reprentativ of World Rugby met wh the lears of Internatnal Gay Rugby (IGR) to help eradite homophobia and tolerance om the game.

WHO IS GARETH THOMAS? OPENLY GAY WAL GBY UNN LEGEND AND REALY STAR DIAGNOSED WH HIV

Notable homosexual gby players and personali. Here’s a list of ten notable gay gby players and how they are shapg the game today. The very first high-profile gby player to ever e out to the public as gay is former Atralian ternatnal Ian Roberts.

Even though Ian Roberts may have been the first high-profile player to openly adm beg gay, Keegan Hirst was the first to ever do while still active. Currently a Wakefield Try prop, Hirst has bee one of the most notable gay athlet, earng himself a startg role after signg a ntract wh the League si 2016.

WHO IS GBY REF NIGEL OWENS? WELSHMAN BRAVELY ME OUT AS GAY, FOUGHT BULIMIA AND OVERME SUICI

Sam Stanley beme the first openly gay Rugby Unn and Sevens player the UK.

Although he never played gby at a profsnal level, Mark Bgham has bee an inic figure for gay gby players and sportspeople around the world.

Known for his heroics durg the September 11 attacks, Bgham was a robt send-row man who played for the gay-clive San Francis Fog RFC. The Mark Kendall Bgham Memorial Tournament, simply known as the Bgham Cup, is a biennial gay gby unn tournament which was held for the first time 2002. Thomas publicly me out 2009 and has sce scribed his experience as a secretly gay player, revealg how the social prsure and stereotyp pose a signifint challenge for many athlet today.

WELSH GBY STAR REVEALS HE IS GAY

The Welshman is also a TV personaly and a voted activist for the LGBT e, wng “Gay Sports Personaly of the De” at the Stonewall awards ceremony London back 2015.

Let know the ments sectn "Though we’re predomately a gay club, we do wele straight alli that want to play wh . In 2007, the Mynyddcerrig-native shocked the sports world by g out as gay. 6 In 2007 Owens shocked the sports world by g out as gayCred: SWNS:South Wt News Service.

It's such a big taboo to be gay my le of work, I had to thk very hard about bee I didn't want to jeopardise my reer. A GAY REF IN A MACHO SPORT.

DAN PALMER PRAISED AFTER BEG FIRST WALLABI PLAYER TO E OUT AS GAY

"It's such a big taboo to be gay my le of work, I had to thk very hard about bee I didn't want to jeopardise my reer, " he nfsed. "When I beme a referee, beme clear that there was nobody the sport who was gay.

"Although that’s not to say that the sport is openly homophobic.

Owens knew he was gay his late teens.

RUGBY STAR GARETH THOMAS: I'M GAY

Wal gby unn ternatnal Gareth Thomas has announced that he is gay an terview Bra's Daily Mail Cardiff Blu full-back, 35, says he has been through "absolute spair" and did not want to be known simply as a "gay gby player" former Wal and Brish and Irish Lns pta is Wal' most-pped player and nth the all-time Tt try srg list.

"I don't want to be known as a gay gby player. I jt happen to be gay.

GARETH THOMAS: ‘WHEN I ME OUT AS GAY, I WANTED TO SHOW A SIGN OF STRENGTH’

The Gay Outdoor Club and Outdoor Lads both offer an excellent ways which to meet new people and see terrific landsp. The Gay Outdoor Club is a iendly anisatn wh three by groups verg North, South and Wt Wal. Watch gay and clive gby.

The Cardiff Lns were the first gay-clive gby club Wal and are now joed by the Swansea Vikgs.

Vis Cardiff’s olst gay bar. Palmer tailed the mental health issu and dg problems he experienced when g to terms wh his sexualy, although he said he never felt discrimated agast durg his playg the long-nng Israel Fol saga, which rulted the wger’s sackg by Rugby Atralia after he posted on social media that “hell awas” gay people, was a ntributg factor his cisn to wre the lumn.

WAL AND BRISTOL BEARS’ ELOR SNOWSILL ON LIFE AS A GAY WOMAN GBY

”Former Wal pta Thomas revealed he was gay 2009, while still actively playg.

Many others have done so the women’s game, to far ls Denison, a rearcher wh Monash Universy’s School of Social Scienc who has nducted studi examg homophobia and homophobic behavur gby, said the siari between the stori of Palmer and Thomas highlighted the lack of progrs on the issue sport environments. “There has been a dramatic improvement public attus towards gay people general society, but we haven’t seen the same chang sport where the nstant e of homophobic language creat a culture where gay people feel unwele, ” Denison said. “I’m hopeful that people wh the gby muny will regnise the siary between the stori and unrstand the urgent need to addrs the culture that mak gay people feel unwele and that they have to hi their sexualy to be accepted gby.

”Much progrs has been ma by gby unn recent years, cludg a formal agreement ma between Rugby Atralia and LGBTQ+ and clive teams to fight wh no openly gay active male players, Michael Smh of Internatnal Gay Rugby said there was far more work to be done to create sportg environments which men felt fortable to be themselv. “Dpe all the progrs we’ve ma around gay rights society, gay athlet still feel like they need to hi their sexualy.

HEARD OF THE STEELERS? NO, NOT THEM, THE GAY GBY TEAM OM LONDON

“Atralian gby, and the gby teams which Dan played for, have been credibly supportive of the need to addrs homophobia.

We need to addrs the disnnect between everyone’s sire to be clive and the actual experienc of gay players. “Most gay male athlet still feel they need to hi their sexualy.

STORY HIGHLIGHTSFormer ternatnal gby star Gareth Thomas of Wal reveals that he is gayThe 35-year-old is the sport's first high-profile name to acknowledge beg homosexualHe married his childhood sweetheart 2002 but they are separated and gettg divorcedThomas retired om ternatnals 2007 as Wal' most-pped player (CNN) -- A former ternatnal gby star has shocked the sports world by revealg that he is gay. He is the first openly gay top-level gby player, although top referee Nigel Owens me out 2007. While homosexualy a macho such as gby is rarely acknowledged, top-level tennis players such as Billie Jean Kg, Marta Navratilova and Amelie Mrmo have discsed beg lbian.