BBC Sport - Rugby Unn - Ex-Ln Gareth Thomas reveals he is gay

welsh rugby gay player

Wal gby unn ternatnal Gareth Thomas has announced that he is gay an terview Bra's Daily Mail newspaper.

Contents:

WHO IS GARETH THOMAS? OPENLY GAY WAL GBY UNN LEGEND AND REALY STAR DIAGNOSED WH HIV

There are many great gay profsnal gby players and personali. The players have bee a bean of light bee they overme the stereotyp. * welsh rugby gay player *

He me out as gay 2009, makg him the first openly gay profsnal gby unn player - and will be a star on ITV's new show The Real Full Monty on Ice.

2 The former Welsh ternatnal me out as gay after his marriage broke up and said he hoped would enurage other young gay gby playersCred: Getty Imag. When did Gareth Thomas e out as gay? In December 2009, Thomas announced publicly that he is gay.

DISMANTLG STEREOTYP: 10 INSPIRG GAY RUGBY PLAYERS AND PERSONALI

* welsh rugby gay player *

He said he did not want to be known as a "gay gby player" but simply as a "gby player".

WELSH GBY STAR REVEALS HE IS GAY

He was also the first profsnal gby unn player to announce that he was gay, when he me out 2009. Thomas married his wife, Jemma, 2002, but they later divorced before he announced that he was gay 2009.

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.

HUGE SUPPORT FOR FORMER WALLABI PLAYER WHO HAS E OUT AS GAY

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.

EX-LN GARETH THOMAS REVEALS HE IS GAY

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

MICKEY ROURKE'S GAY GBY FILM IS NO LONGER ABOUT GARETH THOMAS

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.

*BEAR-MAGAZINE.COM* WELSH RUGBY GAY PLAYER

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d="M27.9766667,4.66666667 C15.0966667,4.66666667 4.66666667,15.12 4.66666667,28 C4.66666667,40.88 15.0966667,51.3333333 27.9766667,51.3333333 C40.88,51.3333333 51.3333333,40.88 51.3333333,28 C51.3333333,15.12 40.88,4.66666667 27.9766667,4.66666667 Z M28,46.6666667 C17.6866667,46.6666667 9.33333333,38.3133333 9.33333333,28 C9.33333333,17.6866667 17.6866667,9.33333333 28,9.33333333 C38.3133333,9.33333333 46.6666667,17.6866667 46.6666667,28 C46.6666667,38.3133333 38.3133333,46.6666667 28,46.6666667 Z M29.1666667,16.3333333 L25.6666667,16.3333333 L25.6666667,30.3333333 L37.9166667,37.6833333 L39.6666667,34.8133333 L29.1666667,28.5833333 L29.1666667,16.3333333 Z" /> </g> </g></svg></i><time class="iCsJz _0Z4Oc" dateTime="2022-08-09T13:30:45Z" data-ttid="date-time">Tuday 9 Augt 2022 at 2:30pm</time></div></li></ul></div><figure class="ZN3xR"><picture class="cp_picture"><source type="image/avif" srcSet=" media="(m-width: 1280px)"/><source type="image/avif" srcSet=" media="(m-width: 1024px)"/><source type="image/avif" srcSet=" media="(m-width: 768px)"/><source type="image/avif" srcSet="><source type="image/webp" srcSet=" media="(m-width: 1280px)"/><source type="image/webp" srcSet=" media="(m-width: 1024px)"/><source type="image/webp" srcSet=" media="(m-width: 768px)"/><source type="image/webp" srcSet="><source type="image/eg" srcSet=" media="(m-width: 1280px)"/><source type="image/eg" srcSet=" media="(m-width: 1024px)"/><source type="image/eg" srcSet=" media="(m-width: 768px)"/><source type="image/eg" srcSet="><img alt="" class="cp_picture__img" src="></picture><figptn class="Ya3u6 SilLI" data-ttid="ptned-picture-ptn">Mr Thomas, who revealed his HIV stat publicly 2019, is unrstood to strongly ny the claims.<span class="mjYl8"> Cred: <!-- -->PA</span></figptn></figure></hear><div class="_074l4 cp_grid__em" data-ttid="article-body"><p class="A8Lwr BVYCX">Former Wal pta and ternatnal gby star turned LGBT mpaigner Gareth Thomas has been acced of “ceptively” transmtg HIV to an ex-partner.</p><p class="A8Lwr BVYCX">The 48-year-old is beg sued the High Court by his former boyiend Ian Bm for allegedly hidg his HIV stat and “failg to take reasonable re” not to pass the fectn on.</p><p class="A8Lwr BVYCX">Mr Thomas reportedly tends to strongly ntt the claim.</p><p class="A8Lwr BVYCX">His reprentativ were ntacted for a ment.</p><p class="A8Lwr BVYCX">It's reported if Mr Bm ws urt, he uld claim damag of £150,000 or more.</p><p class="A8Lwr BVYCX">The pair were a relatnship between 2013-2016.</p><figure class="A8Lwr m-O"><div class="cp_placeholr"></div><figptn class="Ya3u6 SilLI" data-ttid="ptned-picture-ptn">Thomas me out as gay 2009 and revealed his HIV stat publicly 2019.<span class="mjYl8"> Cred: <!-- -->PA</span></figptn></figure><p class="A8Lwr BVYCX">Mr Bm claims he was HIV negative when they first beme an em, urt papers said.</p><p class="A8Lwr BVYCX">He said he noticed the sportsman was takg pills om bottl which had the labels ripped off them but was told they were multivams.</p><p class="A8Lwr BVYCX">He alleg he found out Mr Thomas, also known as Alfie, had HIV after fdg a tablet marked GSK1.</p><p class="A8Lwr BVYCX">“On googlg the GSK1 pill, the claimant disvered that the fendant was takg anti-viral HIV meditn,” documents said.</p><p class="A8Lwr BVYCX">Mr Bm said he “immediately” went to get a rapid HIV tt and, after fdg out the same day he was posive, felt “vastated” and went to “shock”.</p><p class="A8Lwr BVYCX">He claims he rang Mr Thomas, “who was very repentant and apologetic on the telephone”, for an explanatn.</p><p class="A8Lwr BVYCX">“By transmtg HIV to the claimant, the fendant has ed him ser physil and psychologil jury,” papers said.</p><figure class="A8Lwr m-O"><div class="cp_placeholr"></div><figptn class="Ya3u6 SilLI" data-ttid="ptned-picture-ptn">Gareth Thomas is a former sports star and TV personaly who is an LGBT+ advote and HIV mpaigner<span class="mjYl8"> Cred: <!-- -->PA</span></figptn></figure><p class="A8Lwr BVYCX">Mr Thomas is said to have “plead” wh Mr Bm to keep his HIV stat a secret and, after he agreed, the relatnship ntued.</p><p class="A8Lwr BVYCX">Mr Thomas then ed “ercive and ntrollg behavur” to prevent his HIV stat beg public knowledge, Mr Bm claims.</p><p class="A8Lwr BVYCX">“That rmatn, had bee publicly known, would have been extremely damagg to the fendant’s public reputatn as a person who had spoken out about his homosexualy and LGBTQ issu,” urt documents said.</p><p class="A8Lwr BVYCX">“Sce that time, the fendant has portrayed himself as a spokperson for HIV whout ever disclosg that he ceptively transmted HIV to the claimant 2014.”</p><p class="A8Lwr BVYCX">Mr Thomas ma history 2009 by beg the world’s first openly gay gby player.</p><p class="A8Lwr BVYCX">His reer clus 100 ps for Wal, reprentg the untry four Rugby World Cups, and beg the Brish and Irish Lns pta.</p><p class="A8Lwr BVYCX">He publicly revealed he was livg wh HIV 2019 and ss on the HIV Commissn, which aims to end new s of the disease by 2030.</p><figure class="A8Lwr m-O"><div class="cp_placeholr"></div><figptn class="Ya3u6 SilLI" data-ttid="ptned-picture-ptn">The De of Ssex attends a Terrence Higgs Tst event wh former Wal gby pta Gareth Thomas<span class="mjYl8"> Cred: <!-- -->Steve Parsons/PA</span></figptn></figure><p class="A8Lwr BVYCX">To raise awarens of the ndn, he filmed a documentary wh Prce Harry for the Terrence Higgs Tst and produced his own programme, Gareth Thomas: HIV And Me.</p><p class="A8Lwr BVYCX">Mr Bm said he felt “vulnerable and unsure about his future” after his diagnosis but was “very much love wh” Mr Thomas and vastated he had been “ceived”.</p><p class="A8Lwr BVYCX">“The fendant had knowgly lied to the claimant about his HIV stat and had erced the claimant to havg unprotected sexual terurse when he knew that by dog so he was puttg the claimant at risk of ntractg HIV,” the papers alleged.</p><p class="A8Lwr BVYCX">Mr Bm also acc Mr Thomas of beg unfahful durg their relatnship, allegg that 2015 he found out he was “seekg unknown men for unprotected sex at a well-known r park near to Junctn 18 of the M4 motorway”.</p><p class="A8Lwr BVYCX">Near the end of the relatnship, January 2016, will be claimed Mr Bm wrote a note sayg: “I lied – I already had HIV. Give this to your solicor.”</p><p class="A8Lwr BVYCX">Mr Bm’s legal team claim is an example of their client’s “vulnerabily” by that stage and he do not remember wrg .</p><p class="A8Lwr BVYCX">They allege Mr Thomas was threateng to leave Mr Bm, claim an junctn agast him or persua him to sign a pre-nuptial agreement preventg him om disclosg his HIV stat, and Mr Bm “accepts that he would have done anythg to try to save the relatnship”.</p><div class="qNUzV Z4snd" data-ttid="article-lk"><div class="-VoCt"><a class="WPcEk" data-ttid="next-lk-anchor" href="/news/2019-09-14/gby-legend-gareth-thomas-reveals-hiv-posive-stat">Rugby legend Gareth Thomas tak on Ironman challenge after revealg HIV stat</a><i class="cp_in cp_in__chevron cp_in--base uQW1m" aria-hidn="te"><svg xmlns=" width="12" height="20" viewBox="0 0 12 20" fill="none" role="img"> <path fill-le="evenodd" clip-le="evenodd" d="M0.256714 0.331044C0.626173 -0.0794661 1.25846 -0.112744 1.66897 0.256714L11.669 9.25671C11.8797 9.44635 12 9.71651 12 10C12 10.2835 11.8797 10.5537 11.669 10.7433L1.66897 19.7433C1.25846 20.1127 0.626173 20.0795 0.256714 19.669C-0.112744 19.2584 -0.0794661 18.6262 0.331044 18.2567L9.50515 10L0.331044 1.7433C-0.0794661 1.37384 -0.112744 0.741553 0.256714 0.331044Z" fill="#FFF"/> </svg></i></div></div><p class="A8Lwr BVYCX"></p></div><footer data-ttid="article-footer"><div class="cQTzz C04KI" data-ttid="tag-list"><ul class="fHh0w"><li class="Jp5fE"><div class="aqX0o"></div><div data-ttid="tag" class="_6DWPQ xp9pO"><a class="HPL4j" data-ttid="tag-lk" href="/news/wal"><span data-ttid="tag-text">Wal</span></a></div></li><li class="Jp5fE"><div class="aqX0o"></div><div data-ttid="tag" class="_6DWPQ xp9pO"><a class="HPL4j" data-ttid="tag-lk" href="/news/sport"><span data-ttid="tag-text">Sport</span></a></div></li><li class="Jp5fE"><div class="aqX0o"></div><div data-ttid="tag" class="_6DWPQ xp9pO"><a class="HPL4j" data-ttid="tag-lk" href="/news/topic/gby"><span 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