Top English gby referee Craig Maxwell-Keys out publicly as gay - Outsports

Contents:

• CRAIG MAXWELL-KEYS: PREMIERSHIP GBY REFEREE ME OUT AS GAY VIA WHATSAPP
• GAY GBY LEAGUE REFEREE LIFTS LID ON HOW G OUT AFFECTED OFFICIATG REER
• WHO IS GBY REF NIGEL OWENS? WELSHMAN BRAVELY ME OUT AS GAY, FOUGHT BULIMIA AND OVERME SUICI
• ‘I NSIRED CHEMIL STRATN,’ SAYS GAY GBY REFEREE NIGEL OWENS
• LIST | 5 GAY RUGBY STARS WHO ARE OUT AND PROUD
• DISMANTLG STEREOTYP: 10 INSPIRG GAY RUGBY PLAYERS AND PERSONALI
• TOP ENGLISH GBY REFEREE CRAIG MAXWELL-KEYS OUT AS GAY
• THE ONLY GAY ON THE PCH
• RUGBY FANS BANNED FOR VERBAL ABE OF GAY REFEREE

CRAIG MAXWELL-KEYS: PREMIERSHIP GBY REFEREE ME OUT AS GAY VIA WHATSAPP

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.

GAY GBY LEAGUE REFEREE LIFTS LID ON HOW G OUT AFFECTED OFFICIATG REER

Craig Maxwell-Keys explas a cisn to Exeter Chiefs' Jack YeandleProfsnal gby has ntually embraced morn technology - so 's no surprise that Premiership referee Craig Maxwell-Keys took a siar approach towards g out as gay. "Gunng over prejudice to chase Olympic dreamMaxwell-Keys drifted towards beg a match official by chance - he broke his wrist playg for Lichfield as a youngster and, while reverg om the jury, he enrolled on a refereeg and tly bten by the refereeg bug, he took charge at the Staffordshire Unr-12 Ftival at the age of 17 and worked his way up the ladr to bee a full-time referee urse, Maxwell-Keys is not the only openly gay gby referee - Nigel Owens, who me out 2007, is one of the sport's hight-profile officials and has featured at three World Cups.

Gay gby league referee Jam Child has opened up on how revealg his sexualy publicly for the first time 2021 affected his officiatg reerJam Child beme the first Super League referee to announce he was gay 2021 Retired gby league referee Jam Child claims he 'felt more rpect' om players he officiated after revealg his sexualy. Child, 39, beme the first Super League referee to announce publicly that he was gay Febary 2021.

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.

WHO IS GBY REF NIGEL OWENS? WELSHMAN BRAVELY ME OUT AS GAY, FOUGHT BULIMIA AND OVERME SUICI

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.

‘I NSIRED CHEMIL STRATN,’ SAYS GAY GBY REFEREE NIGEL OWENS

Rugby referee Nigel Owens is one of the most proment gay men sport.

As an openly gay figure one of the most mascule of sports Nigel Owens is a rary – but he might never have achieved his inic stat gby unn if he had gone ahead wh plans for a chemil stratn. “I didn’t want to be gay, ” Owens, who me out 2007, told CNN.

LIST | 5 GAY RUGBY STARS WHO ARE OUT AND PROUD

“I actually went to the doctor at one stage to see if I uld be chemilly strated any way, if would get rid of me beg gay.

They n’t tell other people they’re gay bee they’re fightg themselv. However, he believ the mcular world of gby unn is way ahead of other global sports when to acceptg gay stars, although Gareth Thomas beme the first profsnal player to open up about his sexualy as recently as 2009.

“It annoys me sometim when people say gby is homophobic. New report to homophobia UK sport.

DISMANTLG STEREOTYP: 10 INSPIRG GAY RUGBY PLAYERS AND PERSONALI

Gay referee: "Still some issu".

TOP ENGLISH GBY REFEREE CRAIG MAXWELL-KEYS OUT AS GAY

English gby has been praised for clampg down on homophobia the sport, though a leadg gay referee warns there is still work to be done eraditg the problem. A Brish ernment select mtee released a report Sunday vtigatg the prevalence of homophobia UK sport and how the lg bodi were alg wh . In November 2014, two gby fans were banned for two years and each orred to pay £1, 000 ($1, 250) to a chary of gay referee Nigel Owens’ choice after the Welshman was verbally abed while officiatg an ternatnal match between England and Wal at Twickenham.

“As far as homophobia go, there are some issu gby that need to be addrsed and need to be eradited, but I thk gby is aware of those problems and do all n to eradite them.

THE ONLY GAY ON THE PCH

READ: Gay gby ref ‘nsired chemil stratn’. The mtee also praised gby unn’s rival gby league for s rponse when openly gay player Keegan Hirst received homophobic abe on Twter after a game September 2016.

“There is no place our sport for homophobic abe or ed any abe and we wish to send out a clear msage, ” the club said. The mtee said gby unn, along wh sports such as swimmg and divg, had ma “signifint progrs” creasg the visibily of gay participants.

RUGBY FANS BANNED FOR VERBAL ABE OF GAY REFEREE

The RFU said supported ne gay gby clubs across England, and planned to bid for the right to aga stage the biennial ternatnal Bgham Cup tournament – an amatr gay gby unn tournament – which was held Manchter 2012.

It said s “We Call It Rugby” mpaign featured an advert aimed at breakg down barriers for LGBT people, profilg the gay and clive Manchter Spartans club, and overall the seri of vios had reached almost 35 ln people through outdoor advertisg, social media and televisn. The mpaign was aimed at 16- to 24-year-olds, an age group the mtee said was notable for gay athlet droppg out of their sports.