Rugby's Only Openly Gay Referee Reveals Players' Support Over Comg Out
Contents:
- WHO IS GBY REF NIGEL OWENS? WELSHMAN BRAVELY ME OUT AS GAY, FOUGHT BULIMIA AND OVERME SUICI
- NIGEL OWENS: 'I ULDN'T ACCEPT I WAS GAY'
- RUGBY’S TRAILBLAZG GAY REFEREE NIGEL OWENS REVEALS SUICI ATTEMPT AT AGE 11 DUE TO BULLYG — YEARS BEFORE TRYG TO KILL HIMSELF A BATTLE WH SEXUALY
- GAY GBY REFEREE NIGEL OWENS SUBJECTED TO HOMOPHOBIC TWTER ABE AFTER ENGLAND'S VICTORY OVER FRANCE
- RUGBY WORLD CUP 2015: REFEREE NIGEL OWENS ON BEG GAY IN THE SPORT
WHO IS GBY REF NIGEL OWENS? WELSHMAN BRAVELY ME OUT AS GAY, FOUGHT BULIMIA AND OVERME SUICI
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.
NIGEL OWENS: 'I ULDN'T ACCEPT I WAS GAY'
A GAY REF IN A MACHO SPORT. "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.
He hadn't met a gay man before and his feelgs were totally alien to him, so much so that he sperately tried to supprs them.
RUGBY’S TRAILBLAZG GAY REFEREE NIGEL OWENS REVEALS SUICI ATTEMPT AT AGE 11 DUE TO BULLYG — YEARS BEFORE TRYG TO KILL HIMSELF A BATTLE WH SEXUALY
''I didn't want to be a gay person. ''Alongsi his battle wh prsn and anxiety, Owens veloped bulimia and beme hooked on steroids as he stggled to accept that he was gay.
I didn't want to be a gay person Aged 24, Owens attempted to take his own life due to his self loathg over his sexual orientatn - a regret he says will plague him for the rt of his life. Gay gby referee Nigel Owens has spoken out about ncealg his sexualy, explag that he once hid a date a Pizza Hut Swansea when a former Wal ternatnal player walked . The Welsh ternatnal referee, who publicly me out as gay 2007, explaed that he nstantly lived fear of others disverg his sexualy earlier on his reer.
GAY GBY REFEREE NIGEL OWENS SUBJECTED TO HOMOPHOBIC TWTER ABE AFTER ENGLAND'S VICTORY OVER FRANCE
When gby referee Nigel Owens me out as gay 2007, he said was “a big taboo” to be LGBT+ his le of work. Welsh gby player Gareth Thomas later me out as gay, and other players have opened up about their inti too. Did you enunter much homophobia after g out as gay?
But on the odd ocsn – on the very, very odd ocsn that there were homophobic ments shouted at me om the spectators – was heard by other people and was reported to the relevant bodi and they managed to al wh the suatn. Rugby has allowed to be who we are, so nobody uld say that gby is a homophobic sport.
RUGBY WORLD CUP 2015: REFEREE NIGEL OWENS ON BEG GAY IN THE SPORT
Welsh former gby ternatnal referee Nigel Owens has shared the homophobic abe he received a "hate" filled letter on social 51-year-old posted a picture of the letter sayg "unls we start llg out the kd of people nothg will change. "Nigel Owens now ns a farm the Gwendraeth 'me out' as gay 2007 and went on to bee the first referee to reach a landmark 100 ternatnal tts 's now livg a lifelong dream of beg a farmer and workg as a TV letter sparked an outpourg of support for Owens om people on social mediaOne social media er lled the letter "pathetic and absurd" while dozens exprsed their "love" for the gby legend. Owens, 47, is known as gby’s trailblazer, the first man the sport to e out as gay and to she a light on his battle wh prsn and attempted suici.