10 Inspirg Gay Rugby Players and Personali

Contents:

• IS GBY AS GAY AS LOOKS? A CURUFC PLAYER’S PERSPECTIVE
• STLAND’S GAY GBY PLAYERS OFFER THANKS TO STT HASTGS
• DISMANTLG STEREOTYP: 10 INSPIRG GAY RUGBY PLAYERS AND PERSONALI
• LIST | 5 GAY RUGBY STARS WHO ARE OUT AND PROUD
• FIRST OPENLY GAY GBY LEAGUE PLAYER HAILS 'OVERWHELMG' SUPPORT
• 10 GAY RUGBY PLAYERS WHO MA THEIR COME OUT
• GAY GBY PLAYER JA KONKEL-ROBERTS ON HOW THE SPORT HELPED HER FD HERSELF
• GAY GBY PLAYER TEXAS SHAR HIS PRI VIO TO SPIRE OTHERS TO LOVE THEMSELV
• SAM STANLEY IS FIRST ENGLISH GBY PLAYER TO E OUT AS GAY
• MURRAY BE FIRST OPENLY GAY STTISH PROFSNAL PLAYER
• GAY PRO GBY PLAYER SPIRED TO E OUT BY LOVE OF HIS BOYIEND
• GAY STTISH GBY TEAM CELEBRATE VICTORY AT BGHAM CUP
• 10 GAY RUGBY PLAYERS WHO MA THEIR COME OUT
• STTISH GAY GBY TEAM CROWNED CHAMPNS AT THE WORLD’S LGBT GBY WORLD CUP

IS GBY AS GAY AS LOOKS? A CURUFC PLAYER’S PERSPECTIVE

Wh the issue of homophobia football htg the headl, one player reveals his experience as a gay man the world of gby. One stunt attribut the solidary among gby teams to his posive experienc as a gay gby playerOli Butler.

Rugby, taken out of s sportg ntext, is about as homoerotic as a platonic activy n get.

I beme obssed wh gby at the same age I began to realise I was gay: 11.

STLAND’S GAY GBY PLAYERS OFFER THANKS TO STT HASTGS

I was very lucky to have this social pal to protect me when mours emerged that I was gay.

(If you didn’t know, I’m gay and play gby #niche). The only b of -game homophobia that has ever been directed at me me one of my first XV gam when the opposn hooker emerged om a scm and lled me a “f***g f*ggot”.

It was this reactn which has epomised my relatnship wh homophobia: gby, your teammat have your back. My favoure recent one has been: “Do you watch gay porn? This nocent ignorance do filter through to what I would refer to as ‘lazy homophobia’.

DISMANTLG STEREOTYP: 10 INSPIRG GAY RUGBY PLAYERS AND PERSONALI

General “locker room banter”, to quote Mr Tmp, is omniprent – like llg someone gay for not enjoyg the fensive aspect of the game. Comments like this don’t make someone homophobic, but they do pat an image of an unwelg environment, which n make very timidatg to e out to people – particularly if those around you are olr (and bigger). I thk ’s a shame that flippant ments like this give the imprsn that gby is not a sport for all sexuali bee, while may seem disuragg om the outsi, homophobia, om my experience, is not particularly apparent a team.

A major reason for this is the high-profile openly gay dividuals who are begng to brg gby’s hidn diversy to light. Nigel Owens, who is wily regnised as one of the bt refere the world, is openly gay and has been vol on how the gby world has been hugely acmodatg.

It is the sport’s rponsibily to posively promote anti-homophobia, and anti-bullyg general, so that the majory of people who are acceptg have a lour voice than those who prott. SportThe print of Stland’s leadg “gay and clive gby club” Caledonian Thebans has praised Grand Slam hero Stt Hastgs for his terventn the Israel Fol homophobia Atralian ternatnal was sacked after a social media post which he said “hell awas” gay people.

LIST | 5 GAY RUGBY STARS WHO ARE OUT AND PROUD

The 73-tim pped Wallaby full-back had his ntract wh the Rugby Atralia and New South Wal Waratahs end after beg warned followg siar ments last 30-year-old vout Christian of Tongan scent posted on Instagram: “Dnks, homosexuals, adulterers, liars, fornitors, thiev, atheists and idolators [sic] – Hell awas you.

”Hastgs, the former Stland and Lns centre, whose son Corey is gay, tweeted his disapproval of England ternatnal Billy Vunipola’s support for Fol’s ments on Saturday om Sgapore where he was mentatg on the world sevens seri 54-year old Hastgs, who played 65 Tts for Stland and two for the Brish and Irish Lns between 1986 and 1997, was rpondg to a tweet by English gby mentator Nick Heath, who had said “as a gay gby mentator, I’ve had enough of God-fearg athlet tellg me I need to repent for my ss”. 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. 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.

FIRST OPENLY GAY GBY LEAGUE PLAYER HAILS 'OVERWHELMG' SUPPORT

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. 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.

10 GAY RUGBY PLAYERS WHO MA THEIR COME OUT

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

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.

GAY GBY PLAYER JA KONKEL-ROBERTS ON HOW THE SPORT HELPED HER FD HERSELF

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. English gby player Pl Doran-Jon is the latt straight athlete to appear naked the Brish gay magaze Attu and the latt to say that gay teammat will be embraced if they e out.

"Of urse there are loads of gay guys sport and when they are ready they will e out knowg 's all accepted, " Doran-Jon said. Doran-Jon lled openly gay gby player Gareth Thomas his hero and I admire how matter of fact he is on the subject. It is amazg how we hear on a regular basis om straight athlet supportg a gay teammate.

A total of 71 gay and straight cisgenr men, a term ed to scribe people whose sexual inty match the genr they were born wh, and transgenr men took part the six teams who stepped up to the plate and braved all weathers earlier this year were the Glasgow Alphas, Northampton Outlaws, Sheffield Vulns, Liverpool Trons, Bristol Bisons and Brighton and Hove Sea is the send lendar created, wh a proportn of the sal gog towards the gby clubs volved and Balls to Cancer. Media ptn, Keegan Hirst says was "nceivable" for him to thk he uld be gayThe first Brish gby league player to e out as gay says he has been "overwhelmed" and "humbled" by fans' and fellow players' support for Hirst, who is separated om his wife, said the time had e "to be te to myself".

GAY GBY PLAYER TEXAS SHAR HIS PRI VIO TO SPIRE OTHERS TO LOVE THEMSELV

'B of stick'"There's not any gay people Batley, not that I know of, " he told the BBC. "You expect a b of stick om fans, om players - you get whether you're gay or not - but there wasn't any of that. "Image source, PAImage ptn, Hirst said he hoped other players would feel able "to be who they really are"Hirst said he only recently me to accept he was gay when his marriage broke down.

SAM STANLEY IS FIRST ENGLISH GBY PLAYER TO E OUT AS GAY

"I jt thought was a phase - was nceivable for me to thk that I uld be gay. "I feel 's hardly an issue worthy of ment bee why shouldn't a player e out and say that they're gay? Rugby is one of the most loved sports the world and due to s physily, is regard as a “manly” sport, which mak more difficult for gay players to publicly acknowledge their preference.

MURRAY BE FIRST OPENLY GAY STTISH PROFSNAL PLAYER

Nigel Owens, one of the bt refere the world, is openly gay and has been vol about how the gby world has been hugely acmodatg. It is the sport’s rponsibily to posively promote anti-homophobia, and anti-bullyg general, so that the majory of people who are acceptg have a lour voice than those who prott. In this article, we’ll look at 10 Gay Rugby Players and how they are shapg the game today.

In the gby world, he tak cred as the very first high-profile player to ever e out to the public as gay. After his Saturday afternoon on the pch, is reported that Roberts would spend Saturday night on Oxford Street, Sydney’s gay quarter. His brave actn saw other gay gby players g out publicly to nfs their sexual orientatn.

Followg the footsteps of Ian Roberts who may have been the first high-profile player to openly adm beg gay, Keegan Hirst was arguably the first ever to do while still actively playg gby. Currently a Wakefield Try prop, Hirst has bee one of the most notable gay athlet, earng him a startg role after signg a ntract wh the League si 2016. In an terview wh the Sunday Mirror, the now divorced father of two and self-nfsed gay tells of the moment he fally found the words to expla to his wife the reason they uld no longer be together.

GAY PRO GBY PLAYER SPIRED TO E OUT BY LOVE OF HIS BOYIEND

Sam Stanley beme the first openly gay Rugby Unn and Sevens player the UK 2015.

GAY STTISH GBY TEAM CELEBRATE VICTORY AT BGHAM CUP

He fends himself by sayg, “Millns of people are the suatn, even people who have been Lrence’s (his partner) suatn and they are still married but are gay. He is one of the current crop of players who have e out openly to say that they are gay.

As a young spired player he stated, “…this is pretty spirg for me as a fairly new player who happens to be gay, I had held off pursug gby bee of but the guys i play wh give no shs whatsoever and we have good banter about . Shame some ele gby players are still sayg anti-gay thgs on social media. A large athlete at 6 ft 4 (193 cm) and 225 pounds (102 kg), Bgham was a robt send-row man who played for the gay-clive San Francis Fog RFC and was a favore for his teammat the gby songs that he tght them.

10 GAY RUGBY PLAYERS WHO MA THEIR COME OUT

This also ma him bee an inic figure for gay gby players and sportspeople around the world.

STTISH GAY GBY TEAM CROWNED CHAMPNS AT THE WORLD’S LGBT GBY WORLD CUP

To honor him, The Mark Kendall Bgham Memorial Tournament, simply known as the Bgham Cup and was started 2002, is a biennial gay gby unn tournament is named after the former gby player. Gareth ‘Alfie’ Thomas was a profsnal Welsh Rugby player who broke one of the biggt taboos the sport when he announced his homosexualy 2009.

In 2010 he was voted the most fluential gay person the UK The Inpennt on Sunday Pk Listand received Stonewall’s Hero of the Year. He scribed his experience as a secretly gay player, revealg how social prsure and stereotyp pose a signifint challenge for many athlet today. He is a voted activist for the LGBT e, wng “Gay Sports Personaly of the De” at the Stonewall awards ceremony London back 2015.

The 36-year-old Texas-born athlete has e a long way om the homophobia she wnsed firsthand high school. “One of my iends got cut om the basketball team bee she was gay. She also thks that playg the game as a gay athlete is not really a big issue.