Zanr Murray: Bonnyrigg Rose Athletic sign SPFL's only openly gay footballer - BBC Sport

scotland gay footballer

Zanr Murray be the only gay male footballer Stland's top four divisns after jog League 2 club Bonnyrigg Rose Athletic.

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ZANR MURRAY: GALA FAIRYAN ROVERS STRIKER BE FIRST OPENLY GAY STTISH PROFSNAL

Zanr Murray asks why he is the only male senr Sttish footballer to reveal publicly that he is gay. * scotland gay footballer *

Media ptn, 'I want to spire young men to be themselv' - Zanr MurrayIs football homophobic and what n we do if is?

My cisn last September to bee the first male Sttish senr footballer to e out publicly as gay was not an easy or quick one. I knew I was gay and I fought agast . Image source, Craig Brown - SNS GroupImage ptn, Zanr Murray sr agast Schie Junrs the Sttish CupThe were the sorts of nversatns young lads have - about girls, beg tough, playg hard, and the language ed to scribe gay men was not what you would ll were jt boys and didn't know any better but did set me apart om my gog out on the pch was my relief, I slowly turned away om the game and gave up on my dream of playg football my 20s I started playg serly aga, buildg up through smaller teams.

ZANR MURRAY: BONNYRIGG ROSE ATHLETIC SIGN SPFL'S ONLY OPENLY GAY FOOTBALLER

Gala Fairyan Rovers striker Zanr Murray be the first Sttish senr footballer to e out as gay. * scotland gay footballer *

5% of the UK male populatn intifi as gay or bisexual.

So wh more than 1, 000 profsnal male footballers Stland you'd expect about 35 of them to be gay. In the urse of filmg the documentary I've heard first-hand ttimony om fans, amatr players, and my iend the referee Lloyd Wilson, about how homophobic language mak them feel. A survey last year showed only 6% of gay men take part team sports.

And many say 's homophobia that's stoppg them jog is a problem here, so how do we tackle ? This season, the Sttish Football Associatn troduced Disciplary Rule 81, which rults a 10-match ban for any player or club official who engag homophobic abe, or any other form of discrimatory behavur and around has been ed 22 tim this season.

FOOTBALLER MURRAY 'BLOWN AWAY' BY SUPPORT AFTER G OUT AS GAY

* scotland gay footballer *

And 17 of the have been bee of a homophobic slur or a homophobic actn on or around the field of play. The SFA and the chary LEAP have a "Football vs Homophobia" strategy, which I support. I'm now signed to Bonnyrigg Rose, fulfillg my dream of playg the profsnal has been an amazg six months for me, but I'm not llg on other gay male players to e out.

ZANR MURRAY BE FIRST SENR STTISH MALE FOOTBALLER TO E OUT AS GAY

Zanr Murray beme the first senr profsnal footballer Stland to e out as gay last week. * scotland gay footballer *

Gala Fairyan Rovers striker Zanr Murray has bee the first Sttish senr footballer to e out as is the first openly gay player the men's profsnal ranks Stland sce Jt Fashanu wh Airdrie and Hearts the 30-year-old Lowland League player follows the example of refere Craig Napier and Lloyd Wilson June.

"Murray said that remag the closet was "playg havoc wh my life", so "I put a post on my social media tellg folk I was gay". English striker Fashanu moved to Airdrieonians three years after g out as gay before later playg for Heart of Midlothian and remas the only openly gay player to play Stland's top tier.

GAY STTISH SOCCER PLAYER ZANR MURRAY IS THE SUBJECT OF A NEW DOCUMENTARY

The gay pro Sttish player explor soccer’s history of homophobia, and how to fix . * scotland gay footballer *

Blackpool forward Jake Daniels ma what Murray scrib as his "amazg" cisn May, closely followed by the two Sttish refere, but the Gala striker is disappoted there are no platforms offerg support to young gay male footballers. "Of urse there are gay footballers our game and I have had lots of players get touch sayg they have read my post and they n't believe how strong I am by dog this, " Murray said.

0’Zanr Murray has bee the only openly gay male footballer Stland's top four divisns after jog League 2 club Bonnyrigg Rose.

The striker, 31, who me out September, arriv om Lowland League outf Gala Fairyan is the first openly gay player Sttish men's profsnal football sce Jt Fashanu played the mid-1990s wh Hearts and three-and-a-half seasons wh Gala, Murray sred more than 100 goals.

ZANR MURRAY BE FIRST OPENLY GAY STTISH FOOTBALLER: "I THOUGHT ENOUGH IS ENOUGH"

Gala Fairyan Rovers striker Zanr Murray said "the weight of the world is now off my shoulrs" after beg the first openly gay active footballer Stland * scotland gay footballer *

Bonnyrigg Rose, who gaed promotn om the Lowland League last season, s bottom of League 2 on goal difference but are jt three pots off fifth uld make his but at New Dundas Park on Saturday as Robbie Horn's si wele send-placed Stirlg be first openly gay male Sttish playerMurray 'blown away' by support. Stland’s first out gay footballer says ’s an unbelievable feelg to see his shirt be unveiled at the Sttish Football Mm and hop n be a force for good to others stgglg wh their sexualy.

But Bonnyrigg Rose striker Zanr Murray has revealed to STV that he still receiv homophobic abe on social media almost every day. The 31-year-old me out as gay last year and has sce worked to improve cln and diversy the game.

STLAND'S ONLY OPENLY GAY FOOTBALLER ON BREAKG STEREOTYP AND HIS OWN LIBERATN

Striker Zanr Murray has bee the only openly gay footballer Stland's top four divisns after movg clubs.  * scotland gay footballer *

“You n’t help beg gay, you n’t change who you are and, tst me, I’ve tried to e that nversn therapy on myself to try and fight this but you n’t, people are jt gay.

ZANR MURRAY BE FIRST OUT GAY PLAYER 30 YEARS TO SIGN FOR TOP STTISH TEAM

Gay Sttish footballer Zanr Murray opens up about his stggl wh ternalised homophobia a new BBC documentary. * scotland gay footballer *

Dpe the posivy, Murray revealed he still receiv homophobic abe on an almost daily basis on certa social media platforms. Gala Fairyan Rovers forward Zanr Murray has bee the first senr Sttish football player to e out as is the first openly gay player the men’s profsnal game Stland sce Jt Fashanu wh Airdrie and Hearts the 30-year-old, who is his fourth season wh the Lowland League club, said he ma the cisn to help others who wish to open an terview wh the club webse, Murray said: “(It) feels like the weight of the world is now off my shoulrs.

Zanr Murray has a qutn: why is he the only gay male Sttish soccer player to ever e out? Murray, who publicly me out as gay last fall, is the subject of a new BBC Stland Disclosure documentary that was released Monday.

In , Murray speaks wh multiple LGBTQ fans, amatr players and out referee Lloyd Wilson about how anti-gay language hurts them. Jake Daniels, a teenage soccer player for Blackpool FC, said he was gay last May, beg the only out active pro player England. In Murray’s BBC article, he c the importance of the Sttish Football Associatn troducg a new disciplary le that rults a 10-match ban for any player who engag homophobic tnts or other forms of discrimatory behavr.

GAY FOOTBALLER ZANR MURRAY SAYS HIS 20S FELT LIKE PERSONAL ‘NVERSN THERAPY’

EXCLUSIVE BY STEPHEN MCGOWAN: The first openly gay Sttish footballer has nmned ments by a World Cup ambassador brandg homosexualy 'damage of the md'. * scotland gay footballer *

The new clse has been ed 22 tim this season, 17 of which were anti-gay offens.

ZANR MURRAY IS FIRST CURRENT STTISH PROFSNAL PLAYER TO E OUT AS GAY

Zanr Murray be first openly gay Sttish footballer: "I thought enough is enough"Gala Fairyan Rovers striker Zanr Murray said "the weight of the world is now off my shoulrs" after beg the first openly gay active footballer StlandZanr Murray says he's been touched by the support he's receivedZanr Murray has bee the first active Sttish footballer to e out as gay. He is the first openly gay footballer the men's profsnal game Stland sce Jt Fashanu played for Airdrie and Hearts the neti.

I put a post on my social media tellg folk I was gay. " Murray has e out as gay four months after Blackpool forward Jake Daniels beme the first openly gay active footballer England. Sttish refere Craig Napier and Lloyd Wilson also me out as gay June.

STLAND'S FIRST OPENLY GAY FOOTBALLER ZANR MURRAY TARGETED WH HOMOPHOBIC ABE DAYS BEFORE DOC AIRSZANR MURRAY, WHO PLAYS FOR LEAGUE 2 SI BONNYRIGG ROSE FC, HAS BEEN VTIGATG HOMOPHOBIA STTISH FOOTBALL FOR A NEW BBC DOCUMENTARY WHICH AIRED ON MONDAY.DAILYRERDBOOKMARKSHARECOMMENTSNEWSBYRYAN CARROLLREPORTER12:25, 14 MAR 2023UPDATED14:32, 14 MAR 2023BOOKMARKZANR MURRAY (IMAGE: BBC)GET THE LATT TOP NEWS STORI SENT STRAIGHT TO YOUR BOX WH OUR DAILY 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 GET THE LATT TOP NEWS STORI SENT STRAIGHT TO YOUR BOX WH OUR DAILY 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!

Gala Fairyan Rovers striker Zanr Murray has announced he is gay. I have done lots of rearch and I always keep an eye on media outlets to see if there are any platforms for young gay male footballers for support but there are none. "Of urse there are gay footballers our game and I have had lots of players get touch sayg they have read my post and they n't believe how strong I am by dog this.

" Murray is hopg the Sttish Football Associatn n offer more support to male footballers who want to e out as gay. After three s of verg up and nyg his te sexualy, the striker was now the first openly gay Sttish footballer.

Durg lockdown the Lowland League striker bge-watched It’s A S, the Channel 4 seri wrten by Rsell T Davi, pictg the life of gay men durg the AIDS crisis 1980s affected by what he saw, he end a heterosexual relatnship wh a girliend shortly April 2021, he felt ready to divulge who he really was to iends and fay. They put gay guys a pk box wh bows on. ‘You n be gay and like fba’.

STLAND'S ONLY GAY FOOTBALLER NMNS WORLD CUP AMBASSADOR FOR 'HURTFUL' HOMOPHOBIC MENTS

’ The Gala Fairyan Rovers star beme the first senr Sttish footballer to reveal he is gayStereotyp around homosexualy are only slightly more mon than stereotyp around football fans.

Regard as a rough-and-ready, macho, workg-class sport, Murray stayed the closet as long as he did for fear of the likely reactn of supporters and Airdrie and Hearts striker Jt Fashanu was the last openly gay player the Sttish game the 1990s. The omerta surroundg homosexualy wh the natnal game was fally shattered when Blackpool striker Jake Daniels me out earlier this year.

‘There are gay footballers Stland. I want to get to a day where a gay footballer is no longer natnal news. We have to get to a pot where gay players n s a drsg room after a game and say: “I’m gog out for a few drks wh my boyiend” and no one bats an eyelid.

GALA FAIRYAN ROVERS ZANR MURRAY 'BLOWN AWAY BY THE SUPPORT' AFTER G OUT AS GAY

‘I thought: “Oh no, what if they fd out I’m gay? ’Recently appoted a diversy champn for gay rights group Stonewall, Murray is an experienced reers advisor and will e those skills to give talks schools. ‘Sce I went public, I’ve had many olr men e up to me and say: “My nephew’s gay.

The more terviews he do, the more he’ll be regnised on the streets of his native Glasgow and the higher the likelihood there is of homophobia peekg through the curtas. He beme the first openly gay player to play Stland sce Jt Fashanu the 1990s‘At some pot, I am gog to be abed. When I was out wh gay pals a rtrant talkg about Ru Pl’s Drag Race, I’d be hidg.

*BEAR-MAGAZINE.COM* SCOTLAND GAY FOOTBALLER

Zanr Murray, gay soccer player, is the subject of a new documentary - Outsports .

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