Ian Roberts, the first ele gby league player to e out as gay, nmned the sport's cisn to ban transgenr players om women's ternatnals as a setback for tolerance and cln the broar muny.
Contents:
- THE URAGEO JOURNEY OF IAN ROBERTS, GBY LEAGUE'S FIRST OPENLY GAY PLAYER
- IAN ROBERTS SAYS HE RECEIVED HORRIFIC HOMOPHOBIC ABE AS THE FIRST NRL STAR TO E OUT AS GAY
- DISMANTLG STEREOTYP: 10 INSPIRG GAY RUGBY PLAYERS AND PERSONALI
- ONLY OPENLY-GAY PROFSNAL RUGBY LEAGUE PLAYER SPEAKS OUT ON MANLY JERSEY CONTROVERSY
- RUGBY LEAGUE HARDMAN'S PARENTS STOPPED TALKG TO HIM WHEN HE ME OUT AS GAY
- GAY NRL IN IAN ROBERTS “FULLY RPECTS” MANLY PLAYERS OVER PRI JERSEY BOYTT
- FIRST OPENLY GAY GBY LEAGUE PLAYER HAILS 'OVERWHELMG' SUPPORT
- AFTER EMOTNAL STGGLE, GBY PROP PALMER OUT AS GAY
- HUGE SUPPORT FOR FORMER WALLABI PLAYER WHO HAS E OUT AS GAY
- 10 GAY RUGBY PLAYERS WHO MA THEIR COME OUT
THE URAGEO JOURNEY OF IAN ROBERTS, GBY LEAGUE'S FIRST OPENLY GAY PLAYER
The former South Sydney and Manly ont rower told the world he was gay 1995 a landmark announcement that shocked Atralia. * ian gay rugby league player *
Aborigals, Polynians, Melanians and Southern European migrants provid the game’s first diversy om s Anglo-Celtic base and the terlopers were accepted if they plied wh the and “pped sweet” had no place for homosexual men and to be labeled gay was a slur implyg weakns.
IAN ROBERTS SAYS HE RECEIVED HORRIFIC HOMOPHOBIC ABE AS THE FIRST NRL STAR TO E OUT AS GAY
There are many great gay profsnal gby players and personali. The players have bee a bean of light bee they overme the stereotyp. * ian gay rugby league player *
And that’s the way remaed until a pneer smashed the stereotype, beg the game’s first openly homosexual player, a precursor, a full 20 years before Keegan Hirst, the Batley Bulldogs player who this weekend beme the first Brish player to do likewise. “Until Ian Roberts me out we thought all gay guys were weak, ” says Mar Fenech, the former South Sydney Rabbohs pta and Roberts’s team-mate. Stereotyp mean ls thkg and for the league muny, surround by a ep emotnal moat, there was no way he uld be tough and father always advised him to “go for the biggt guy” and, crippled by a life nial, he uld sublimate his rage and claw back self-worth by excellg at everythg physil, cludg was all a smokcreen for a new phase of his life, glorly gurated at Sydney gay pub The Exchange.
Roberts would nvce them that he was gog to “50-50 clubs”, further throwg them off the trail by paradg wh betiful “girliends” at club 1984, an unlikely hero emerged for 19-year-old Roberts the form of New South Wal premier Neville Wran, who passed a law crimalisg homosexualy. ”It was the same year that Bronski Beat’s tortured g out anthem Smalltown Boy stormed world dancefloors, crystallisg the horror experience which a young suburban man is bashed for attendg a gay club and disowned by his father. Early the 1989 season a gossip em wrten unr a nom plume appeared the Sun Herald statg Roberts had been spotted a gay club.
In the followg game Roberts was baed by Bulldogs players and openly vilified by fans, the thought of a gay player fuellg the passns of the wilst Jack, pictured after a brawl wh Roberts 1991. Roberts was bone tired om pretendg, but they both advised him to keep a fay secret until after his years later Roberts tormented gby league media and fans further by agreeg to a nu shoot Blue, a new gay magaze, but did not fively say he was gay. Many the muny viewed Roberts’s g out as a way to save liv, particularly wh high rat of gay teen suici blamed on a lack of posive role mols.
DISMANTLG STEREOTYP: 10 INSPIRG GAY RUGBY PLAYERS AND PERSONALI
Ex-Atralia star Ian Roberts, who was regard as one of the tought tacklers gby league the 1990s, has opened up about g out as gay to his parents * ian gay rugby league player *
Peter FzSimons the Sydney Morng Herald was clear on the impact of the announcement: “Roberts is not the first gay footballer, but the first wh the urage to live openly. ”Moments and events accumulate to create change and as the first gay ntact sport player to e out durg a reer, Ian Roberts ss wh sports diversy pneers Jackie Robson and Marta Navratilova.
ONLY OPENLY-GAY PROFSNAL RUGBY LEAGUE PLAYER SPEAKS OUT ON MANLY JERSEY CONTROVERSY
Ian Roberts was the first gby league star to publicly e out as gay 1995, and he said he 'fully rpects' those Manly Sea Eagl players who don't want to wear the club's Pri k * ian gay rugby league player *
Bashed the street, attacked by fans and shunned by teammat: Ian Roberts opens up on the homophobia he faced after beg the first gby league star the world to e out as gayThe former Sydney and Manly ont rower told the world he was gay 1995 Shortly after, he was knocked out by two thugs at Sydney Harbour and abedRoberts, now 55 and a relatnship wh a school teacher, said changed him Published: 15:43 BST, 15 April 2021 | Updated: 16:54 BST, 15 April 2021.
RUGBY LEAGUE HARDMAN'S PARENTS STOPPED TALKG TO HIM WHEN HE ME OUT AS GAY
Ian Roberts (gby league): Atralian gay gby league player (1965-), Athlete, Actor, Rugby league player, Rugby unn player, Film actor, Mol, From: Atralia * ian gay rugby league player *
Pictured: Former NRL player Ian RobertsNRL star Ian Roberts has opened up about the horrific abe and homophobia he alt wh after beg the first gby league player the world to e out as former South Sydney and Manly ont rower told the world he was gay 1995 a landmark announcement that shocked Atralia. Pictured: Former gby league player Ian Roberts on April 4, 1995 - the year he me out as gay Pictured: Ian Roberts playg for the Cowboys durg a NRL match between the Canberra Rairs and the North Queensland Cowboys held at Bce Stadium May 17, 1998The Sea Eagl star wrtled the culpr to the ground before secury tervened and they were charged wh also relled a time durg an terstate trip where his roommate - a well known player who Roberts would not intify - said he felt 'unfortable' sharg a room bee 'Ian is a f***ot'. Even when I was at Souths, everyone knew I was gay, ' he player said he wanted to e out 1990 when he left South Sydney for Manly, but when he saw the way the prs treated English soccer player Jt Fashanu, he rensired.
Pictured: Ex Rugby league player and Actor Ian Roberts and Ben Prix attend the openg night of 'The Trocks' at the State Theatre on October 5, 2005 Sydney Pictured: Former NRL player Ian Roberts is seen takg part the 38th annual Gay and Lbian Mardi Gras para, Sydney, March 5, 2016'I ed to feel for my mum and dad at gam bee people would scream s**t out - I was worried they had to hear that but there are certa thgs you n't protect your fay om. Roberts has been a relatnship wh a school teacher named Daniel for 15 years, and says would be 'naive' to thk there were not players petg now who are homosexual. 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.
GAY NRL IN IAN ROBERTS “FULLY RPECTS” MANLY PLAYERS OVER PRI JERSEY BOYTT
The remarkable story of Ian Roberts, the only openly gay male Atralian gby league player, is beg ma to a documentary." name="scriptn * ian gay rugby league player *
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.
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. 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.
FIRST OPENLY GAY GBY LEAGUE PLAYER HAILS 'OVERWHELMG' SUPPORT
The first Brish gby league player to e out as gay says he has been "overwhelmed" by the reactn of fans and fellow profsnals. * ian gay rugby league player *
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. 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. Roberts is the only male profsnal gby league star history to e out as gay and he adms the players' refal to wear the rabow-loured 'Everyone League' strip uld impact the wir LGBTQIA+ muny.
Pic: Twter/Ch10Openly gay gby league great Ian Roberts says the Manly rabow jersey ntroversy has exposed a vastatg tth around the LGBTQIA issue has domated the sportg headl this week and threatened to rail the Sea Eagl' NRL season, after the club nfirmed seven players would s out Thursday night's match agast the Roosters, prott agast wearg the rabow signed jerseys. Roberts is a Manly club legend and remas the only profsnal gby league player Atralian history, to e out as said broke his heart to hear about the player protts agast the rabow jersey, and warned the ntroversy uld have larger ramifitns for members of the LGBTQIA Roberts expos vastatg tth“This is very personal to me as an olr gay person, bee I’ve lost iends to suici, ” Roberts said.
AFTER EMOTNAL STGGLE, GBY PROP PALMER OUT AS GAY
BRISBANE, Atralia (AP) — Former gby unn ternatnal Dan Palmer has e out as gay a lengthy self-wrten lumn Atralia's Fairfax Media which he adms that earlier his life wasn’t “an exaggeratn to say my own ath felt preferable to anybody disverg I was gay.” Palmer played a tt the ont row for Atralia 2012. He had been vice-pta of the ACT Bmbi Super Rugby and ma his Wallabi but that year, but cried himself to sleep “most nights,” often “numbed” by opids. Palmer, 32, jos former Wal wger Gareth Thomas as the only two gby unn ternatnals to say they are gay. The hight-profile gay player gby league Atralia was Ian Roberts, who me out as gay 1995 while he was still playg the Natnal Rugby League but after he had played his last of 13 tts for Atralia. Rugby referee Nigel Owens me out 2007 durg his high-profile ternatnal reer. Palmer scrib his “credibly trated, angry, and sperately sad” state, spe a year 2012 where he was livg out his childhood dream. He said that although he thought he had “ma ," he “fantasized about disappearg, changg my name and startg my life all over aga.” Palmer said the article published Friday was “somethg I have been very apprehensive about wrg. I have not been forced to do this, nor do I seek the attentn may brg. “In fact, at this pot I feel like I am scribg the life of a pletely separate person; albe someone that shaped who I am today, for better or worse. I don’t thk scribg my experienc this way is somethg I am obliged to do, but rather, I feel like is somethg I should do, on the off chance will help someone who fds themselv a siar posn." After stag a seri of juri 2013, Palmer signed a gby ntract wh FC Grenoble the French Top 14 petn. That’s when he said his life h rock-bottom. “After overdosg on pakillers and wakg up a pool of the prev day’s food, was clear to me that I was rapidly self-stctg and that somethg had to change,” the former prop wrote. A paful nversatn wh a iend London followed, but “he was the first person I told that I was gay my 25 years on the pla. Tellg him removed a weight I had been rryg for as long as I uld remember.” He said he felt he wouldn’t be accepted by fay and iends, but feared tellg them would make him look as though he had ceived them for years. Palmer ntu his volvement wh gby as a ach wh the Canberra-based Bmbi. Wallabi pta Michael Hooper said he believ Palmer’s lumn uld spark a posive change. “I gus that’s why someone like Dan is puttg that out there, his words speak loud,” Hooper said. “I feel really happy for Dan, he’s a great bloke, a great Wallaby, a great gby player and now ach.” David Pock, a former Atralia pta and veteran of three Rugby World Cup mpaigns, went on social media to lend his support, sayg Palmer was “one of the bt men I got to know and play alongsi gby. Incredibly hard workg and an actual geni.” “I believe sport is at s bt when ’s challengg society to be more clive,” Pock, who been an outspoken advote of marriage equaly and clivens general, posted Friday wh a lk to Palmer's story. “A good remr of how much more work there is to do.” ___ More AP sports: and * ian gay rugby league player *
Ex-Atralia star Ian Roberts, who was regard as one of the tought tacklers gby league the 1990s, has opened up about g out as gay to his parentsIan Roberts actn for Manly Sea EaglFormer Rugby league star Ian Roberts has revealed he didn't speak to his parents for over a year after tellg them he was gay. But he adms he was stgglg to open up about his sexualy, havg grown up a hoehold wh "a lot of misogynistic and homophobic language".
Roberts, who also spent time wh Wigan Warrrs, was playg for Manly Sea Eagl when he was asked by his parents if he was gay. The former gby star relled the nversatn 1995, wh his late father tellg him: "We jt need to hear you say you are not gay, and that is good enough for . " The ex-Wigan man adms he didn't e out sooner due to the backlash received by ex-footballer Jt Fashanu when he announced he was gay.
Batley Bulldogs star Keegan Hirst beme the fist Brish player to e out as gay back 2015 and still plays the Champnship after reversg his plans to retire last year. Ian Roberts was the first gby league star to publicly e out as gay 1995, and he said he 'fully rpects' those Manly Sea Eagl players who don't want to wear the club's Pri kManly Sea Eagl recently lnched their LGBTIQ+ Pri jerseys, which some of their own players refed to wear Former NRL superstar Ian Roberts has shown passn for the group of Manly Sea Eagl stars who have refed to wear the club's Pri k by sayg he 'fully rpects' their cisn.
HUGE SUPPORT FOR FORMER WALLABI PLAYER WHO HAS E OUT AS GAY
* ian gay rugby league player *
In 1995 Roberts beme the first high-profile Atralian sports person and first gby footballer the world to e out to the public as gay.
The NRL Footy Show prcipals Pl Vt, Peter Sterlg and Steve Roach appeared a poster mpaign agast homophobia nducted by the Lbian and Gay Anti-Vlence Project.
In 2012 Ian land his first starrg role the film Saltwater, starrg oppose Ronnie Kerr, which is also Ian's first role playg a gay man. ExcliveSportNRLNRL 2023Ian Roberts, reflectg on a remarkable life that is set to bee the subject of a documentary film, wonrs whether would be easier for a footballer to e out as gay today than when he beme a trailblazer way back 1995. The project is tentatively tled Light: The Ian Roberts approached Roberts after the Manly Pri jersey bacle and the latter eventually felt the time was right to tell his were few tougher than Ian Roberts durg his 1990s Getty Imag“There’s such a wi spe of subject matter, and not jt around gby league and the gay thg, ” Roberts said.
10 GAY RUGBY PLAYERS WHO MA THEIR COME OUT
”In Atralia, NBL star Isaac Humphri and the A-League’s Josh Cavallo are the only high-profile male sportg stars to announce they were openly gay sce Roberts. Not at Cavallo of Alai Uned and NBL star Isaac Humphri are the only openly gay men Atralian profsnal Getty“I don’t have many regrets and I don’t know if you ll a regret. “That’s another good thg about this story, back the ’90s was ok for me to be gay around the team bee everyone knew I was gay, but nobody spoke about .
Media ptn, Keegan Hirst says was "nceivable" for him to thk he uld be gayThe first Brish gby league player to e out as gay says he has been "overwhelmed" and "humbled" by fans' and fellow players' support for Hirst, who is separated om his wife, said the time had e "to be te to myself". "Image source, PAImage ptn, Hirst said he hoped other players would feel able "to be who they really are"Hirst said he only recently me to accept he was gay when his marriage broke down.
BRISBANE, Atralia (AP) — Former gby unn ternatnal Dan Palmer has e out as gay a lengthy self-wrten lumn Atralia’s Fairfax Media which he adms that earlier his life wasn’t “an exaggeratn to say my own ath felt preferable to anybody disverg I was gay. He had been vice-pta of the ACT Bmbi Super Rugby and ma his Wallabi but that year, but cried himself to sleep “most nights, ” often “numbed” by, 32, jos former Wal wger Gareth Thomas as the only two gby unn ternatnals to say they are gay.