Celebratg 20 Years of the World's First Gay Rugby Club

Contents:

• HEARD OF THE STEELERS? NO, NOT THEM, THE GAY GBY TEAM OM LONDON
• STEELERS: HOW ANTI-GAY ROW SPIRED GBY FILM
• JOG THE WORLD'S FIRST GAY GBY TEAM CHANGED MY LIFE. SO I MA A FILM ABOUT
• HOW AMAZON PRIME’S GAY GBY DOCUMENTARY STEELERS PLETELY FLIPS THE DISURSE OF MASTREAM LGBTQ+ STORI
• NEW ‘STEELERS’ DOCUMENTARY PROFIL BARRIER-BREAKG GAY BRISH GBY CLUB
• CELEBRATG 20 YEARS OF THE WORLD'S FIRST GAY RUGBY CLUB

HEARD OF THE STEELERS? NO, NOT THEM, THE GAY GBY TEAM OM LONDON

Niamh LewisMar 1, 2021, 09:52 AM ETWhen Eammon Ashton-Atkson, an Atralian televisn reporter, cid to film his gby club as they went to the biannual Bgham Cup 2018, he uld never have imaged the posive reactn a documentary about would film Steelers is about London-based Kgs Cross Steelers, the world's first gay gby club and one of over 60 such sis world-wi. Although the stori the film are related to the stggl of g out, prsn, and a history of bullyg for beg gay, they're are told a way which wir dienc n empathise wh. "It's a story about a gay gby club, but 's also a story about human stggle, and people g sport and their sense of muny to help each other, which is universal, " Ashton-Atkson told ESPN.

"She's got a certifite for the hight achg level, and sce she left the Steelers she's been nsistently overlooked and not even shortlisted [for jobs] than men who are ls qualified and ls experienced than her, which is heart-breakg and disgtg, " Ashton-Atkson beg gay 2021 wtern society is often unremarkable today, you don't have to go back very far to fd trmatic stori. "But, if 's easier to e out now, then why do we need gay gby clubs?

"That's a thought that do go through your md, and while 's generally a posive there are still pockets of homophobia. Then, 2019, Atralia's Israel Fol spouted his famo anti-gay ments on Instagram, sayg "hell awas" gay opened the drawer and started the ed aga om scratch, and turned to the unnventnal documentary has bee.

STEELERS: HOW ANTI-GAY ROW SPIRED GBY FILM

"Wh beg gay, you don't thk that I grew up sperately wantg to change my sexualy, like, wishg the gay away? They were dubbed the tabloids as 'Harlequeens, ' there was homophobic ments, and a fear over ntractg HIV and AIDS. "For those of who grew up when wasn't ok to be gay, jt really before the ter was mon, there was huge stigma.

You had Margaret Thatcher's Sectn 28 [a law brought the UK by a Conservative ernment om 1988-2003 to the "prohib the promotn of homosexualy"], misnceptns about the HIV vis, " Ashton-Atkson explas. "For those guys who were settg up that team 1995, they were real trailblazers bee they were gog out to different teams Essex week--week out smashg down stereotyp one game of gby at a time and om what I heard, the men Essex, they had never met an openly gay man before, let alone an openly gay sportsman. However, "There are still issu wh homophobia and homophobic language beg ed on the pch.

"And one of the thgs we've been workg on wh Harlequs and Monash Universy is that a lot of that isn't actually homophobia, 's the culture of clubs, the challeng of languag not beg followed through. It mak the prospect of optimistic documentary Steelers: The World’s First Gay and Inclive Rugby Club much more wele – and a way to mornise a mty narrative.

JOG THE WORLD'S FIRST GAY GBY TEAM CHANGED MY LIFE. SO I MA A FILM ABOUT

It’s ma by one of the London-based club’s former players, Atralian reporter Eammon Ashton-Atkson, who is narrator, director, wrer and edor, tellg the story of three queer people volved wh the team as they pete agast other gay clubs the Bgham teas out some movg ttimoni and provis a stgg remr for many straight viewers that g out isn’t always the happy endg many thk is, and there are still wounds that need to heal over.

HOW AMAZON PRIME’S GAY GBY DOCUMENTARY STEELERS PLETELY FLIPS THE DISURSE OF MASTREAM LGBTQ+ STORI

The gameplay scen aren’t que immersive enough and the film is missg historil ntext: how this team – and gay gby – went om a punchle to an dtry.

The former Wallabi prop scribed a moment when he was drivg recklsly, the feelg of “ath felt preferable to anybody disverg [he] was gay.

NEW ‘STEELERS’ DOCUMENTARY PROFIL BARRIER-BREAKG GAY BRISH GBY CLUB

Not jt any gby club, the world’s first gay gby club, the Kgs Cross Steelers London.

Here, queer people were reclaimg their place on the pch – an arena they grew up beg told they didn’t belong Israel Fol began postg “hell awas homosexuals” on social media I realised I had to tell the story of the club – and my own story. Photograph: One Man Band MediaIn fact, om this sgle club, there are now 80 gay and clive gby clubs around the world cludg five Atralia. There was the ocsnal homophobic sledge, but over time the Steelers won the rpect of the straight burly Brish men bee not only did they beat them on ocsn, they showed them that we’re all pretty much the forward to me takg my mera to Amsterdam to film the club at the Bgham Cup, the world cup of “rabow” gby.

It was only when Israel Fol began postg “hell awas homosexuals” on social media that I realised I had to tell the story of the club – and my own like Dan Palmer, I too have Fol to thank small part. His pennt documentary Steelers: the World’s First Gay Rugby Club is cemas across Atralia now. Joy, celebratn, acceptance – Steelers has a place for everyone (Picture: Amazon Prime)The Kg’s Cross Steelers may not be a team on your radar, whether you’re gay or straight, but few clubs will have ma que the impact of the self-ma gby teamed found a north London pub 25 years ago.

CELEBRATG 20 YEARS OF THE WORLD'S FIRST GAY RUGBY CLUB

The film follows the Steelers as they make the biannual pilgrimage to the Bgham World Cup where, 25 years after the Steelers was formed, a further 60 clubs worldwi followed s lead, and now every two years they e together and battle out – savagely – the biggt gay gby tournament the world.

As turned out, he soon found a new fay – a team of gay men om all walks of LGBTQ+ life wh a shared love, passn, and talent for the sport which many gay men have otherwise been exclud om. The Kgs Cross Steelers attempt to w the gay gby world cup (Picture: Kgs Cross Steeelrs)‘I was lookg around the club and I realised wasn’t jt me who had felt this impact, was every sgle player.