The urageo journey of Ian Roberts, gby league's first openly gay player | Rugby league | The Guardian

Contents:

• GAY RUGBY LEAGUE PLAYER SAYS HE'S SEEN MUCH 'GAYER' THGS IN SPORTS CHANGG ROOMS
• KEEGAN HIRST STEPS ON TO FIELD AS BRA'S FIRST GBY LEAGUE STAR TO E OUT AS GAY
• GAY GBY LEAGUE STAR SLAMS "HOMOPHOBIA HIDG BEHD RELIGN" AMID PRI SHIRT BOYTT
• IAN ROBERTS SAYS HE RECEIVED HORRIFIC HOMOPHOBIC ABE AS THE FIRST NRL STAR TO E OUT AS GAY
• I WAS A GBY HARDMAN WHO BROKE AN OPPONENT’S JAW – BUT WHEN I ME OUT AS GAY TO MY PARENTS THEY STOPPED TALKG TO ME
• RUGBY LEAGUE STAR KEEGAN HIRST BE FIRST BR PLAYER TO E OUT AS GAY
• LIST | 5 GAY RUGBY STARS WHO ARE OUT AND PROUD
• THE URAGEO JOURNEY OF IAN ROBERTS, GBY LEAGUE'S FIRST OPENLY GAY PLAYER
• I'M A CELEBRY AU: BE RYAN SAYS HE'S CERTA THERE ARE GAY PLAYERS THE NRL
• LESTER’S NICK MCCARTHY OUT AS GAY AND THANKS CLUB FOR THEIR SUPPORT

GAY RUGBY LEAGUE PLAYER SAYS HE'S SEEN MUCH 'GAYER' THGS IN SPORTS CHANGG ROOMS

A former English gby league star has rpond to the recent LGBTQIA+ jersey saga engulfg the Manly Sea ex-player Keegan Hirst says 's rather ironic that the group are boyttg wearg the pri k bee he's seen 'what go on changg rooms' and 'would be seen as beg MUCH gayer' than simply wearg a rabow jersey for a AlamyThe Manly Sea Eagl have ma headl across the world this week after releasg their 'Everyone League' jersey – unfortunately, though, wasn't for the right was meant to be a posive move to drive clivy soon turned sour when several players threatened to boytt their next game after refg to wear the club’s rabow Aloiai, Jason Saab, Christian Tuipulotu, Josh Schter, Hmole Olak’atu, Tolut Koula and Toafofoa Sipley have been named as the players qutn and will subsequently miss their next fixture after beg stood down on relig saga hasn't pated anyone volved a particularly pleasant light wh both the players and the club self g unr fire. A number of big-name figur have had their say on the matter, cludg the NRL's first and only openly-gay player Ian Hirst, who me out as gay 2015 durg his time the UK Super League, has h out at the Sea Eagl players. And a lot of would be seen as beg MUCH ‘gayer’ than a rabow on a jersey.

”Another Twter er then rpond, sayg: "To me there is no such person as a gay person. All people are equal no need for gay pri. Gay people are equently ostracised, ridiculed, beaten and even killed simply for beg gay.

Gay people around the world are still executed, arrted and persecuted for beg gay. What do mean to gay kids who want to play gby? “Beg gay isn’t a belief.

KEEGAN HIRST STEPS ON TO FIELD AS BRA'S FIRST GBY LEAGUE STAR TO E OUT AS GAY

How uld I be gay?

No one is gay Batley, ” the prop cisn to go public prompted a wave of support om teammat and fans, many takg to social media to praise the 6ft 4 Yorkshireman. “Rpect to Keegan Hirst for g out as gay. Rpect to @KeeganHirst for g out as gay.

”Nigel Wood, the chief executive of the Rugby Football League, the sport’s erng body, ngratulated Hirst but said he hoped that one day would not be nsired exceptnal for a player to announce they were gay. “I feel ’s hardly an issue worthy of ment bee why shouldn’t a player e out and say that they’re gay? “Particularly wh a sport that is as exprsive and tough as gby league, I thk there is a prupposn that would suppose that people who were gay would not be playg , but that’s jt not right.

GAY GBY LEAGUE STAR SLAMS "HOMOPHOBIA HIDG BEHD RELIGN" AMID PRI SHIRT BOYTT

The Welsh gby unn star Gareth Thomas, now retired, is the hight-profile gby player to have said he was gay while still playg the sport. He summoned the urage to tell his wife he was gay a few weeks ago after realisg that she blamed herself for their breakup. Hopefully if there’s other gay players out there – which I’m sure there are – if they have the urage to do then ’s a good thg.

”The Rugby Football League beme the first erng body of a major sport to sign up to Stonewall’s mpaign agast homophobia 2008, when logos proclaimg “Some people are gay.

Matthew Hodson, the chief executive of the gay men’s health chary GMFA, scribed Hirst’s announcement as a signifint moment for a sport nsired one of the most macho the world. “I thk ’s really important that for other people who have e om very tradnal backgrounds, and have that expectatn of ‘this is what a man is’, to fd out that gby players, builrs, other sportspeople are gay.

IAN ROBERTS SAYS HE RECEIVED HORRIFIC HOMOPHOBIC ABE AS THE FIRST NRL STAR TO E OUT AS GAY

Keegan Hirst, the first Brish gby league star to e out as gay, has cricised the Manly Sea Eagl players set to s out their match on Thursday prott at a shirt promotg LGBTQ+ equalyThe first Brish gby league star to publicly e out as gay has acced Manly Sea Eagl players of g relign as an exce for their homophobia. Keegan Hirst, the former Wakefield Try prop, beme the first Brish player to publicly e out as gay when he did so 2015 before retirg 2020. “Everyone is allowed to play gby league, and for the players to make this cisn, and I feel hi behd relig and cultural beliefs, I feel as though 's homophobia hidg behd relign.

There's plenty of people who are relig who aren't homophobic. Keegan Hirst beme the first profsnal gby league star to e as gay back 2015. 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.

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.

I WAS A GBY HARDMAN WHO BROKE AN OPPONENT’S JAW – BUT WHEN I ME OUT AS GAY TO MY PARENTS THEY STOPPED TALKG TO ME

'There was a new gay magaze at the time and I did other magaze terviews. 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.

His advice to young gay players was to 'make sure you feel fortable'. FORMER gby league star Ian Roberts has opened up about the difficult journey he had g out as gay to his parents and the world. Born to what he scrib as a hoehold wh "a lot of racism, and misogynistic and homophobic language", he never felt fortable tellg his parents about his sexualy.

But one day durg his reer he was asked outright by his parents whether he was gay or not. Rellg the discsn wh his parents, he told the BBC: "My dad retold the story and said 'we jt need to hear you say you are not gay, and that is good enough for '. Dcribg the rponse om his team-mat at the Manly Sea Eagl - who already knew he was gay - he said: "It was kd of a bondg moment for .

RUGBY LEAGUE STAR KEEGAN HIRST BE FIRST BR PLAYER TO E OUT AS GAY

My g out challenged people's prenceptns of gay men.

"There were elements of phback - of urse there were - but if I knew what I knew now I would have e to top-level gby league as a gay man.

Roberts' dad, Ray, passed away 2014 but not before he me to terms wh his son beg gay.

LIST | 5 GAY RUGBY STARS WHO ARE OUT AND PROUD

"Dad said 'I am equally proud of all my children, but I will say that I am so grateful that one of my sons was gay bee I fally saw the world as really was'.

Rugby League player Keegan Hirst is the first Brish profsnal the to openly say he is gay.

The 6ft 4 pta of Wt Yorkshire si Batley Bulldogs said: “At first I uldn’t even say ‘I’m gay’ my head, let alone out loud.

THE URAGEO JOURNEY OF IAN ROBERTS, GBY LEAGUE'S FIRST OPENLY GAY PLAYER

” Speakg for the first time about g to terms wh beg gay, Keegan adds: “I had a wife and kids. No one is gay Batley. He said: “I fally told my wife I was gay a few weeks ago.

Keegan Hirst: He only told his wife he was gay a few weeks ago. ” Keegan says he first felt he might be gay as a teenager. I nvced myself, no way uld I be gay, was nceivable.

I'M A CELEBRY AU: BE RYAN SAYS HE'S CERTA THERE ARE GAY PLAYERS THE NRL

I’m gay. “I haven’t been out as a gay guy on the pull yet, so that’ll be a new experience.

On Sunday, he will play his first match as an openly gay profsnal gby player, when he ptas his team agast lol rivals Dewsbury. ” Rugby still has almost no openly gay profsnals. In 1995, Atralian Rugby League player Ian Roberts, then aged 30, beme the first high-profile player the world to publicly reveal he was gay.

Meanwhile, Amerin Football leman Michael Sam, 25 - the first gay player to w an NFL place after g out 2014 - said yterday he is qutg the sport bee of the "difficult year".

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

In Febary 2013 former Leeds Uned footballer Robbie Rogers announced he was gay - and he remas the only openly gay profsnal footballer playg. A year later former Germany ternatnal Thomas Hzlsperger beme the first Premier League player to reveal he was 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.