LIST | 5 Gay Rugby Stars Who Are Out And Proud - Page 2 of 5 - Ruck

Contents:

• WHO IS GBY REF NIGEL OWENS? WELSHMAN BRAVELY ME OUT AS GAY, FOUGHT BULIMIA AND OVERME SUICI
• 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 WANTED TO BE CHEMILLY STRATED AFTER REALISG HE WAS HOMOSEXUAL
• LIST | 5 GAY RUGBY STARS WHO ARE OUT AND PROUD
• GAY GBY REFEREE NIGEL OWENS SUBJECTED TO HOMOPHOBIC TWTER ABE AFTER ENGLAND'S VICTORY OVER FRANCE
• THE ONLY GAY ON THE PCH
• ‘I NSIRED CHEMIL STRATN,’ SAYS GAY GBY REFEREE NIGEL OWENS
• WELSH GBY REF NIGEL OWENS PRAIS 'BRAVE' PHILLIP SCHOFIELD FOR G OUT AS GAYTHE GBY REF SAID PROV THAT BEG GAY IS NOT A CHOICEWALONLEBOOKMARKSHARECOMMENTSLIFTYLEBYJOSHUA KNAPMANNEWPORT AUDIENCE EDOR13:01, 7 FEB 2020UPDATED13:11, 7 FEB 2020BOOKMARKVIO LOADGVIO UNAVAILABLECLICK TO PLAYTAP TO PLAYTHE VIO WILL TO-PLAY SOON8CANCELPLAY NOWKEEP UP TO DATE WH THE LATT STORI WH OUR WALONLE NEWSLETTERMORE NEWSLETTERS SUBSCRIBEINVALID EMAILSOMETHG WENT WRONG, PLEASE TRY AGA LATER.MORE NEWSLETTERSWE E YOUR SIGN-UP TO PROVI NTENT WAYS YOU’VE NSENTED TO AND IMPROVE OUR UNRSTANDG OF YOU. THIS MAY CLU ADVERTS OM AND THIRD PARTI BASED ON OUR KNOWLEDGE OF YOU. MORE THANK YOU FOR SUBSCRIBG!WE HAVE MORE NEWSLETTERSSHOW ME SEE OURPRIVACY NOTICE SEE OURPRIVACY NOTICE&TIM;GROUP 28 KEEP UP TO DATE WH THE LATT STORI WH OUR WALONLE NEWSLETTERINVALID EMAILSOMETHG WENT WRONG, PLEASE TRY AGA LATER.SIGN UPNO THANKS, CLOSEWE E YOUR SIGN-UP TO PROVI NTENT WAYS YOU’VE NSENTED TO AND IMPROVE OUR UNRSTANDG OF YOU. THIS MAY CLU ADVERTS OM AND THIRD PARTI BASED ON OUR KNOWLEDGE OF YOU. MORE &TIM;GROUP 28THANK YOU FOR SUBSCRIBG!
• REF'S GAY TORMENTTHE ONLY WELSH REF TO BE SELECTED FOR THE RUGBY WORLD CUP HAS REVEALED HE NSIRED SUICI AS HE PREPARED TO ADM: "I'M GAY."WALONLEBOOKMARKSHARENEWSBYNATHAN BEVANSENR REPORTER00:00, 20 MAY 2007UPDATED04:54, 30 MAR 2013BOOKMARKKEEP UP TO DATE WH THE LATT STORI WH OUR WALONLE NEWSLETTERMORE NEWSLETTERS SUBSCRIBEINVALID EMAILSOMETHG WENT WRONG, PLEASE TRY AGA LATER.MORE NEWSLETTERSWE E YOUR SIGN-UP TO PROVI NTENT WAYS YOU’VE NSENTED TO AND IMPROVE OUR UNRSTANDG OF YOU. THIS MAY CLU ADVERTS OM AND THIRD PARTI BASED ON OUR KNOWLEDGE OF YOU. MORE THANK YOU FOR SUBSCRIBG!WE HAVE MORE NEWSLETTERSSHOW ME SEE OURPRIVACY NOTICE SEE OURPRIVACY NOTICE&TIM;GROUP 28 KEEP UP TO DATE WH THE LATT STORI WH OUR WALONLE NEWSLETTERINVALID EMAILSOMETHG WENT WRONG, PLEASE TRY AGA LATER.SIGN UPNO THANKS, CLOSEWE E YOUR SIGN-UP TO PROVI NTENT WAYS YOU’VE NSENTED TO AND IMPROVE OUR UNRSTANDG OF YOU. THIS MAY CLU ADVERTS OM AND THIRD PARTI BASED ON OUR KNOWLEDGE OF YOU. MORE &TIM;GROUP 28THANK YOU FOR SUBSCRIBG!

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.

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

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. 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. 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.

GAY GBY REFEREE NIGEL OWENS WANTED TO BE CHEMILLY STRATED AFTER REALISG HE WAS HOMOSEXUAL

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. 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.

LIST | 5 GAY RUGBY STARS WHO ARE OUT AND PROUD

"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. 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.

GAY GBY REFEREE NIGEL OWENS SUBJECTED TO HOMOPHOBIC TWTER ABE AFTER ENGLAND'S VICTORY OVER FRANCE

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. 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.

THE ONLY GAY ON THE PCH

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

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.

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

Sam Stanley beme the first openly gay Rugby Unn and Sevens player the UK.

WELSH GBY REF NIGEL OWENS PRAIS 'BRAVE' PHILLIP SCHOFIELD FOR G OUT AS GAYTHE GBY REF SAID PROV THAT BEG GAY IS NOT A CHOICEWALONLEBOOKMARKSHARECOMMENTSLIFTYLEBYJOSHUA KNAPMANNEWPORT AUDIENCE EDOR13:01, 7 FEB 2020UPDATED13:11, 7 FEB 2020BOOKMARKVIO LOADGVIO UNAVAILABLECLICK TO PLAYTAP TO PLAYTHE VIO WILL TO-PLAY SOON8CANCELPLAY NOWKEEP UP TO DATE WH THE LATT STORI WH OUR WALONLE NEWSLETTERMORE NEWSLETTERS SUBSCRIBEINVALID EMAILSOMETHG WENT WRONG, PLEASE TRY AGA LATER.MORE NEWSLETTERSWE E YOUR SIGN-UP TO PROVI NTENT WAYS YOU’VE NSENTED TO AND IMPROVE OUR UNRSTANDG OF YOU. THIS MAY CLU ADVERTS OM AND THIRD PARTI BASED ON OUR KNOWLEDGE OF YOU. MORE THANK YOU FOR SUBSCRIBG!WE HAVE MORE NEWSLETTERSSHOW ME SEE OURPRIVACY NOTICE SEE OURPRIVACY NOTICE&TIM;GROUP 28 KEEP UP TO DATE WH THE LATT STORI WH OUR WALONLE NEWSLETTERINVALID EMAILSOMETHG WENT WRONG, PLEASE TRY AGA LATER.SIGN UPNO THANKS, CLOSEWE E YOUR SIGN-UP TO PROVI NTENT WAYS YOU’VE NSENTED TO AND IMPROVE OUR UNRSTANDG OF YOU. THIS MAY CLU ADVERTS OM AND THIRD PARTI BASED ON OUR KNOWLEDGE OF YOU. MORE &TIM;GROUP 28THANK YOU FOR SUBSCRIBG!

Although he never played gby at a profsnal level, Mark Bgham has bee an inic figure for gay gby players and sportspeople around the world. Known for his heroics durg the September 11 attacks, Bgham was a robt send-row man who played for the gay-clive San Francis Fog RFC.

The Mark Kendall Bgham Memorial Tournament, simply known as the Bgham Cup, is a biennial gay gby unn tournament which was held for the first time 2002.

Thomas publicly me out 2009 and has sce scribed his experience as a secretly gay player, revealg how the social prsure and stereotyp pose a signifint challenge for many athlet today. 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.

REF'S GAY TORMENTTHE ONLY WELSH REF TO BE SELECTED FOR THE RUGBY WORLD CUP HAS REVEALED HE NSIRED SUICI AS HE PREPARED TO ADM: "I'M GAY."WALONLEBOOKMARKSHARENEWSBYNATHAN BEVANSENR REPORTER00:00, 20 MAY 2007UPDATED04:54, 30 MAR 2013BOOKMARKKEEP UP TO DATE WH THE LATT STORI WH OUR WALONLE NEWSLETTERMORE NEWSLETTERS SUBSCRIBEINVALID EMAILSOMETHG WENT WRONG, PLEASE TRY AGA LATER.MORE NEWSLETTERSWE E YOUR SIGN-UP TO PROVI NTENT WAYS YOU’VE NSENTED TO AND IMPROVE OUR UNRSTANDG OF YOU. THIS MAY CLU ADVERTS OM AND THIRD PARTI BASED ON OUR KNOWLEDGE OF YOU. MORE THANK YOU FOR SUBSCRIBG!WE HAVE MORE NEWSLETTERSSHOW ME SEE OURPRIVACY NOTICE SEE OURPRIVACY NOTICE&TIM;GROUP 28 KEEP UP TO DATE WH THE LATT STORI WH OUR WALONLE NEWSLETTERINVALID EMAILSOMETHG WENT WRONG, PLEASE TRY AGA LATER.SIGN UPNO THANKS, CLOSEWE E YOUR SIGN-UP TO PROVI NTENT WAYS YOU’VE NSENTED TO AND IMPROVE OUR UNRSTANDG OF YOU. THIS MAY CLU ADVERTS OM AND THIRD PARTI BASED ON OUR KNOWLEDGE OF YOU. MORE &TIM;GROUP 28THANK YOU FOR SUBSCRIBG!

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.

Across the hour that he discs mental health, prsn, bereavement and homosexualy, the word ‘acceptance’ is one he returns to often. It took Owens until the age of 26 to accept he was gay and another seven years before he told anyone. Owens on the first gay footballerNIGEL OWENS believ football’s first player to e out as gay will be supported by the sport — but he urg to be for the right reason.