9/11: Gay gby hero whose legacy challeng homophobia | CNN

Contents:

• IS GBY AS GAY AS LOOKS? A CURUFC PLAYER’S PERSPECTIVE
• DISMANTLG STEREOTYP: 10 INSPIRG GAY RUGBY PLAYERS AND PERSONALI
• GAY STTISH GBY TEAM CELEBRATE VICTORY AT BGHAM CUP
• STLAND’S GAY GBY PLAYERS OFFER THANKS TO STT HASTGS
• STTISH GAY GBY TEAM CROWNED CHAMPNS AT THE WORLD’S LGBT GBY WORLD CUP
• ZANR MURRAY IS FIRST CURRENT STTISH PROFSNAL PLAYER TO E OUT AS GAY
• LESTER’S NICK MCCARTHY OUT AS GAY AND THANKS CLUB FOR THEIR SUPPORT
• HEARD OF THE STEELERS? NO, NOT THEM, THE GAY GBY TEAM OM LONDON
• SAM STANLEY BE FIRST ENGLISH GBY UNN PLAYER TO E OUT AS GAY
• GAY STTISH GBY TEAM CELEBRATE VICTORY AT BGHAM CUP

IS GBY AS GAY AS LOOKS? A CURUFC PLAYER’S PERSPECTIVE

Wh the issue of homophobia football htg the headl, one player reveals his experience as a gay man the world of gby. One stunt attribut the solidary among gby teams to his posive experienc as a gay gby playerOli Butler. Rugby, taken out of s sportg ntext, is about as homoerotic as a platonic activy n get.

DISMANTLG STEREOTYP: 10 INSPIRG GAY RUGBY PLAYERS AND PERSONALI

I beme obssed wh gby at the same age I began to realise I was gay: 11. I was very lucky to have this social pal to protect me when mours emerged that I was gay.

(If you didn’t know, I’m gay and play gby #niche). The only b of -game homophobia that has ever been directed at me me one of my first XV gam when the opposn hooker emerged om a scm and lled me a “f***g f*ggot”.

It was this reactn which has epomised my relatnship wh homophobia: gby, your teammat have your back. My favoure recent one has been: “Do you watch gay porn? This nocent ignorance do filter through to what I would refer to as ‘lazy homophobia’.

GAY STTISH GBY TEAM CELEBRATE VICTORY AT BGHAM CUP

General “locker room banter”, to quote Mr Tmp, is omniprent – like llg someone gay for not enjoyg the fensive aspect of the game. Comments like this don’t make someone homophobic, but they do pat an image of an unwelg environment, which n make very timidatg to e out to people – particularly if those around you are olr (and bigger). I thk ’s a shame that flippant ments like this give the imprsn that gby is not a sport for all sexuali bee, while may seem disuragg om the outsi, homophobia, om my experience, is not particularly apparent a team.

A major reason for this is the high-profile openly gay dividuals who are begng to brg gby’s hidn diversy to light.

Nigel Owens, who is wily regnised as one of the bt refere the world, is openly gay and has been vol on how the gby world has been hugely acmodatg. It is the sport’s rponsibily to posively promote anti-homophobia, and anti-bullyg general, so that the majory of people who are acceptg have a lour voice than those who prott.

STLAND’S GAY GBY PLAYERS OFFER THANKS TO STT HASTGS

The Caledonian Thebans are proud members of the Internatnal Gay Rugby Associatn, IGR, which has so far taken all over the world, cludg Birmgham, Dubl, Sydney, Nashville, Amsterdam. To mark their 20th anniversary as the UK's first gay gby team, the Kgs Cross Steelers stipped down and posed for a new book to be published by die 'ze Meat.

All the players were photographed by Meat's founr, Adrian, who started Meat 2010, said that he was "tired of the body shamg that go on wh the gay muny.

STTISH GAY GBY TEAM CROWNED CHAMPNS AT THE WORLD’S LGBT GBY WORLD CUP

" His aim is to "celebrate the bodi of 'ordary gay men.

The Steelers has not only helped pave the way for clive gby teams but also helped hanged perceptns about gay sportsmen.

"Alex Smh, Chairman of the Kgs Cross Steelers said: "Dpe so much progrs over the last 20 years, n still be very difficult to be an out gay man, ma even more so by a lot of unhelpful noise around how to be, act or look wh the muny. "He add: "For two s, our club has helped hundreds of men - big, small, gay or straight - realize the great maxim about gby: that is a game for people of all shap and siz - tly a sport for everyone.

ZANR MURRAY IS FIRST CURRENT STTISH PROFSNAL PLAYER TO E OUT AS GAY

In light of recent ntroversy regardg homophobic slurs by Israel Fol, we thought we would she a light on 10 fluential gay gby personali.

LESTER’S NICK MCCARTHY OUT AS GAY AND THANKS CLUB FOR THEIR SUPPORT

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.

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.

Notable homosexual gby players and personali. Here’s a list of ten notable gay gby players and how they are shapg the game today.

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

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. 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.

SAM STANLEY BE FIRST ENGLISH GBY UNN PLAYER TO E OUT AS GAY

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.

GAY STTISH GBY TEAM CELEBRATE VICTORY AT BGHAM CUP

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. A gay gby club om Stland have emerged victor om the send pool at the Bgham Cup the USA. The biannual tournament, known as the ‘gay gby world cup’ was held Nashville, USA, this weekend, and saw teams battle the heat as they fought for the tle of the bt Gay and Bisexual gby team the world.

Bgham was fundamental the tablishment of two premier gay gby clubs the Stat and sce his ath, the gam have meant his legacy has been ntued. Nick Jonas on gay sex: ‘I wouldn’t say I haven’t, bee that would be lyg’.

Gay Rugby.