A letter to the first openly gay AFL player

Contents:

• SAT BE 'GAY IN' AHEAD OF AFL'S GURAL PRI GAME
• ANDY BRENNAN IS FIRST MALE ATRALIAN FOOTBALLER TO E OUT AS GAY
• WHY IS AFL THE ONLY PRO SPORT TO NEVER HAVE AN OPENLY GAY MALE PLAYER?
• 'I'VE HAD TO MASK MY FEELGS': A-LEAGUE PLAYER OUT AS GAY EMOTNAL SOCIAL POSTS
• ‘I HAVE BEEN FIGHTG MY SEXUALY’: A-LEAGUE MEN PLAYER JOSH CAVALLO OUT AS GAY
• ‘I N UNRSTAND’: GAY PLAYERS THE AFL ‘CHOOSG NOT TO BE FIRST’ OUT PUBLICLY SAYS GILL MCLACHLAN
• ‘NO WORDS’: GAY ATRALIAN FOOTBALLER JOSH CAVALLO LLS OUT HOMOPHOBIC CROWD ABE
• WHICH AFL PLAYERS ARE GAY?
• THE GAY MAN'S GUI TO ATRALIAN FOOTBALL'S HOTTT HUNKS
• JOEL CREASEY OPENS UP ON GAY PLAYERS THE AFL
• THE AFL’S GROWG PROBLEM WH VISIBILY OF GAY PLAYERS
• GAY AFL PLAYERS CHOOSG NOT TO E OUT TO AVOID PRSURE OF BEG FIRST: MCLACHLAN
• A LETTER TO THE FIRST OPENLY GAY AFL PLAYER
• OPENLY GAY MALE PLAYERS WOULD BE WELED THE AFL: SELWOOD
• RUMOUR GAY AFL PLAYERS
• FIRST OPENLY GAY AFL PLAYER UPLE: "WE'RE PROUD, AND PROUD OF EACH OTHER"
• JAGS' MAXEN IS FIRST MALE AMERIN PRO SPORTS ACH TO E OUT AS GAY
• JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS ASSISTANT KEV MAXEN BE FIRST MALE ACH MAJOR U.S. PRO LEAGUE TO E OUT AS GAY

SAT BE 'GAY IN' AHEAD OF AFL'S GURAL PRI GAME

It might not be a scriptor the St Kilda fenr ever expected, but, acrdg to Jason Ball (Atralian Football's first openly gay male player), the scriptn is que, a 28-year-old centre half-back for Victorian untry club Yarra Glen, explaed how highly Gilbert is thought of by the lbian, gay, bisexual, transgenr, tersex and qutng (LGBTIQ) muny. "He's bee a gay in a way, " Ball said of the veteran Sats fenr.

"It sent a msage to other people the sportg world that sayg no to homophobia don't make you ls of a man. "I me to unrstand a lot of the homophobic language and behavur wasn't g om a place of hatred towards me or gay people, but rather jt ignorance and not knowg the impact on me, " Ball said.

ANDY BRENNAN IS FIRST MALE ATRALIAN FOOTBALLER TO E OUT AS GAY

"(They weren't) necsarily directed at me, but every time I would hear those words, felt like a remr if they found out I was gay, I wouldn't be accepted.

"Acrdg to the study Out On The Fields, which documented the experienc of gay, lbian and bisexual people team sports, 87 per cent of young gay Atralians felt pelled to hi their sexualy some hid his sexualy om his football club for many years, but he had ma a promise to himself he would not lie about if ever knew tryg to fabrite tal about experienc wh women would get him ught was openly gay while studyg at Melbourne Universy, so when an old school iend me to the football club, Ball's sexualy soon beme an open secret, although he remaed unaware others night after trag, while talkg to a teammate, the nversatn shifted and Ball was asked about his personal life.

He was able to proudly intify as a gay cisn to e out publicly was supported by Yarra Glen, which ntu to back Ball his 's experienc have shown him people are pable of change.

WHY IS AFL THE ONLY PRO SPORT TO NEVER HAVE AN OPENLY GAY MALE PLAYER?

"Gilbert believ the AFL is ready for s first openly gay player, but only when a person feels fortable enough to go down that path.

30pmFew people realise the men’s AFL is the only major profsnal male sport the world to never have had an openly gay or bisexual player, even after is why the cisn by the NFL’s Carl Nassib to e out as gay this week while still playg Amerin football ph Atralian football further off the crowd field of cln.

Nassib may be the first active NFL player to e out, but he’s actually the 16th gay NFL player sce 1975 – that’s close to the same number of players on an AFL Vegas Rairs fensive end Carl Nassib me out this APThe total visibily of gay or bisexual AFL players be even more ncerng when you nsir the multiple gay and bisexual players basketball, ice hockey, baseball, gby unn, gby league, cricket, soccer, and smaller sports like curlg, hurlg and lacrosse. I have studied homophobia sport for the past , cludg studi the AFL and 42 other sports at Monash Universy.

'I'VE HAD TO MASK MY FEELGS': A-LEAGUE PLAYER OUT AS GAY EMOTNAL SOCIAL POSTS

Why has one of the world’s olst sports never had an openly gay player?

However, ’s important to first rrect the mis-perceptn that homophobia is ls of a problem bee is assumed most players are gay.

It also ters many girls, both straight and gay, om playg ntact sports like AFL or rearch has found between 15-20 per cent of female AFL players are not heterosexual. Visibily is clearly important, particularly to children, but the visibily of male AFL players is a symptom of ser a problem that has long been ignored by the AFL and other erng is extensive evince om Atralia and overseas that gay and bisexual children, as well as heterosexual youth, are beg harmed by systemic homophobic behavurs muny and school sport settgs. Gay and bisexual boys play sport at half the rate of their peers.

‘I HAVE BEEN FIGHTG MY SEXUALY’: A-LEAGUE MEN PLAYER JOSH CAVALLO OUT AS GAY

Dpe this evince, I often hear sport lears and ernment officials say “thgs are a lot better for gay people sport the days.

‘I N UNRSTAND’: GAY PLAYERS THE AFL ‘CHOOSG NOT TO BE FIRST’ OUT PUBLICLY SAYS GILL MCLACHLAN

We expected that those who me out would report much ls homophobic behavur (bullyg, asslts, slurs, etc. That’s not what we boys and girls who me out to others sport were signifintly more likely to report homophobic victimisatn than those who remaed the closet. Most (82 per cent) gay and bisexual boys also said they tried to hi their sexualy om teammat.

LoadgBeyond Blue has found experienc of homophobic discrimatn sport is associated wh clil anxiety and prsn, risk factors for suici.

‘NO WORDS’: GAY ATRALIAN FOOTBALLER JOSH CAVALLO LLS OUT HOMOPHOBIC CROWD ABE

Homophobic behavur youth sport is an issue of child protectn. This is why there are no openly gay or bisexual male AFL do we fix this problem? Ian Roberts, Atralia’s first openly gay athlete, has been llg on sport and ernment lears to protect young people om homophobic abe sce 1997.

They signed a mment to be “world lears” “creatg clive sportg cultur and elimatg homophobia our sports.

WHICH AFL PLAYERS ARE GAY?

This rearch found most activy to addrs this problem is beg driven by small chari, such as Pri Cup or Proud2Play, or muny sport clubs, while the mments ma by the lears of the AFL and the other sports have not been players om the Yarra Glen Football Club take part rearch nducted to better unrstand the drivers and harm ed by homophobic language sport. The club has been at the foreont of tacklg Monash UniversyOne of those papers, published the world’s top sport dtry journal, said erng bodi e rabow-themed social media posts and pri gam to create a false illn (ln) they are takg actn on homophobia, when realy, almost nothg is beg done beyond “lip service or happy talk.

”Our own rearch has found the AFL has done ls on the issue of homophobia than any other major sport Atralia, or globally. Scientists have also found the Atralian Sports Commissn has turned a bld eye to homophobic abe sport. Olympic legend Ian Thorpe mpaigned Febary 2020 on the Relig Discrimatn Alex EllghsenThere is no mentn of LGBT people nor of any fundg to addrs homophobia sport.

THE GAY MAN'S GUI TO ATRALIAN FOOTBALL'S HOTTT HUNKS

The omissn of LGBT people needs to be urgently fixed and an vtigatn is need to terme why homophobia sport is nsistently ernments and sport lears start prrisg protectg children om harmful homophobic behavurs sport, we’ll be talkg about the lack of openly gay male athlet the AFL and other sports for many years to Denison is a behavural science rearcher at Monash Universy’s School of Social Scienc who vtigat solutns to homophobia sport. Alai Uned midfielr Josh Cavallo hop more profsnal footballers will follow his lead and publicly announce that they’re gay. Cavallo on Wednday beme a rary profsnal sport: an openly gay male athlete.

“It’s astonishg to know that there are currently no gay profsnal footballers who are out and actively playg, not only Atralia, but around the world. “Ashamed I would never be able to do what I loved and be gay, ” he wrote.

“Beg a closeted gay footballer, I’ve had to learn to mask my feelgs orr to f the mould of a profsnal footballer. “Growg up beg gay and playg football were jt two worlds that hadn’t crossed paths before.

JOEL CREASEY OPENS UP ON GAY PLAYERS THE AFL

A-League Men midfielr Josh Cavallo says he knows there are other players “livg silence” after beg the only known current male top-flight profsnal footballer the world to e out as gay.

Ashamed I would never be able to do what I loved and be gay. “Beg a gay closeted footballer, I’ve had to learn to mask my feelgs orr to f the mould of a profsnal footballer.

THE AFL’S GROWG PROBLEM WH VISIBILY OF GAY PLAYERS

Growg up beg gay and playg football were jt two worlds that hadn’t crossed paths before. Labor senate lear and openly gay woman, Penny Wong, tweeted: “Any young person who is stgglg wh their inty, or feelg exclud or judged, n look today to Josh Cavallo. ”Globally there are only a handful of openly gay male footballers, none of whom are playg the top flight.

Amerin former Leeds player Robbie Rogers also announced he was gay on retirg 2013, before returng to the field wh LA Galaxy and wng the MLS Cup to bee the first openly gay male athlete to w a major profsnal team sports tle the Uned 2019, former Newstle Jets player Andy Brennan beme Atralia’s first profsnal male footballer to e out while still playg the game.

GAY AFL PLAYERS CHOOSG NOT TO E OUT TO AVOID PRSURE OF BEG FIRST: MCLACHLAN

“It is astonishg to know that there are currently no gay profsnal footballers who are out and actively playg, not only Atralia, but around the world. AFL CEO Gillon McLachlan says he n unrstand why gay players the men’s petn wouldn’t want to e out due to the “prsure and weight” of beg the first to do so. No current AFL men’s players have publicly e out as gay, whereas the AFLW has numero players who’re openly gay.

Start your ee trial now >“The first thg I’d say is, I am very fortable there are gay male players and I am very fortable ( sayg) they are known to their teammat, ” McLachlan said on Monday. “So the prsure and the weight on that person beg the first AFL player who out and plays as an out gay man...

A LETTER TO THE FIRST OPENLY GAY AFL PLAYER

And those wh flawsListen below or subscribe Apple Podsts or SpotifyThe AFL remas one of the only sportg s Atralia whout an openly gay player. Josh Cavallo, who last year beme the only openly gay profsnal top flight men’s footballer the world, says he has “no words” to scribe his disappotment at beg targeted by homophobic abe durg an A-League Men game over the Alai Uned player me on as a send-half substute durg the Reds’ away game at Melbourne Victory on Saturday night and said afterwards that he had received abe om the crowd at AAMI 22-year-old received acclaim om across the globe October when he me out via Alai’s social media channels. “I’m not gog to pretend that I didn’t see or hear the homophobic abe at the game last night, ” Cavallo wrote on Instagram on Sunday.

OPENLY GAY MALE PLAYERS WOULD BE WELED THE AFL: SELWOOD

”Cavallo also said he was targeted after the game on Instagram and ed his own post to ll out the social media platform for the way als wh homophobic abe.

”The Atralian Profsnal Leagu said was “shocked and sadned” to hear of the reports of the “homophobic bullyg”.

There are so many different typ of sexual orientatn om heterosexual through to asexual, homosexual, bisexual and more. 2% of the adult populatn Atralia intified as homosexual or bisexual.

RUMOUR GAY AFL PLAYERS

While beg the face of a gay movement might sound good theory, when ’s your face and private life splashed through the media, ’s a lot to take . A gay AFL player might prefer to stay out of the spotlight to avoid placg their reer the media’s hand. In 2019, the fullback ma an anti-gay ment on social media (not for the first time), statg that gays will go to hell.

While Rugby Atralia acted the right manner and termated his posn, shows we have a long way to e before beg gay is accepted.

FIRST OPENLY GAY AFL PLAYER UPLE: "WE'RE PROUD, AND PROUD OF EACH OTHER"

If beg gay don’t affect their performance (which clearly don’t), then why is somethg they should have to brg up the first place? While would be nice to live a world where people don’t bat an eyelid about beg gay, we’re not que there yet. While we have e a long way when to LGBT rights, we still have a long way to go towards equaly and breakg down barriers and there’s no way of predictg the effect of g out gay.

The biggt ncern for many gay athlet is how their teammat will see them. Many gay people fd hard enough g out to their immediate fay.

JAGS' MAXEN IS FIRST MALE AMERIN PRO SPORTS ACH TO E OUT AS GAY

If you want to ppot another reason that gay athlet are proment the media, ’s thanks to the gay stereotyp that are monplace society.

JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS ASSISTANT KEV MAXEN BE FIRST MALE ACH MAJOR U.S. PRO LEAGUE TO E OUT AS GAY

We have a huge anti-gay history behd , which is still very proment many different religns. There’s the belief that gay men are weaker than straight men. It’s a giant barrier standg the way for many of our gay athlet.

In 2019, Andy Brennan beme the first Atralian profsnal male footballer to e out as gay while still playg. “I’m gay, ” he wrote  an say published by Profsnal Footballers Atralia, the players’ unn.