The urageo journey of Ian Roberts, gby league's first openly gay player | Rugby league | The Guardian

Contents:

• GAY RUGBY LEAGUE PLAYER SAYS HE'S SEEN MUCH 'GAYER' THGS IN SPORTS CHANGG ROOMS
• FIRST OPENLY GAY PLAYER KEEGAN HIRST 'OVERWHELMED AND HUMBLED' BY SUPPORT
• COREY PARKER: GAY PLAYERS STILL FEEL THE NEED TO HI NRL AND ’S TIME TO DO BETTER
• SCULTHORPE: INCLIVE GBY LEAGUE WELG FOR GAY PLAYERS
• KEEGAN HIRST - FIRST OPENLY GAY, ACTIVE RUGBY LEAGUE PLAYER
• REPORT: MORE ASIE RUGBY LEAGUE PLAYERS REVOLT AGAST GAY PRI JERSEY
• 10 GAY RUGBY PLAYERS WHO MA THEIR COME OUT
• LIST | 5 GAY RUGBY STARS WHO ARE OUT AND PROUD
• HERE ARE EIGHT OUT AND PROUD MALE GAY FOOTBALLERS
• THE URAGEO JOURNEY OF IAN ROBERTS, GBY LEAGUE'S FIRST OPENLY GAY PLAYER
• CRONULLA NRL STAR TOBY RUDOLF REVEALS HE HAS 'KISSED MANY GAY MEN' AS HE BACKS NRL PRI ROUND
• LESTER’S NICK MCCARTHY OUT AS GAY AND THANKS CLUB FOR THEIR SUPPORT
• RUGBY LEAGUE PLAYERS ATRALIA TO BOYTT KEY MATCH OVER GAY PRI JERSEY

GAY RUGBY LEAGUE PLAYER SAYS HE'S SEEN MUCH 'GAYER' THGS IN SPORTS CHANGG ROOMS

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. At the same time, there are many misnceptns about this betiful sport, which has led to the margalizatn and targetg of gay players.

FIRST OPENLY GAY PLAYER KEEGAN HIRST 'OVERWHELMED AND HUMBLED' BY SUPPORT

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. 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.

COREY PARKER: GAY PLAYERS STILL FEEL THE NEED TO HI NRL AND ’S TIME TO DO BETTER

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. 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.

SCULTHORPE: INCLIVE GBY LEAGUE WELG FOR GAY PLAYERS

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. A former English gby league star has rpond to the recent LGBTQIA+ jersey saga engulfg the Manly Sea ex-player Keegan Hirst says 's rather ironic that the group are boyttg wearg the pri k bee he's seen 'what go on changg rooms' and 'would be seen as beg MUCH gayer' than simply wearg a rabow jersey for a AlamyThe Manly Sea Eagl have ma headl across the world this week after releasg their 'Everyone League' jersey – unfortunately, though, wasn't for the right was meant to be a posive move to drive clivy soon turned sour when several players threatened to boytt their next game after refg to wear the club’s rabow Aloiai, Jason Saab, Christian Tuipulotu, Josh Schter, Hmole Olak’atu, Tolut Koula and Toafofoa Sipley have been named as the players qutn and will subsequently miss their next fixture after beg stood down on relig saga hasn't pated anyone volved a particularly pleasant light wh both the players and the club self g unr fire. A number of big-name figur have had their say on the matter, cludg the NRL's first and only openly-gay player Ian Hirst, who me out as gay 2015 durg his time the UK Super League, has h out at the Sea Eagl players.

KEEGAN HIRST - FIRST OPENLY GAY, ACTIVE RUGBY LEAGUE PLAYER

"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. "I don't thk there will be a Spartac-like thg where everyone out and says 'I'm gay', but if a uple of people do then 's a good thg. "That will help normalise , and hopefully one day a sportsman who's playg, beg gay, won't be news.

"At first I uldn't even say 'I'm gay' my head, let alone out loud, " the father of two said.

REPORT: MORE ASIE RUGBY LEAGUE PLAYERS REVOLT AGAST GAY PRI JERSEY

"Cross- ternatnal Gareth Thomas was prevly the only openly homosexual gby player after he me out whilst playg for gby unn si Cardiff Blu 2009.

10 GAY RUGBY PLAYERS WHO MA THEIR COME OUT

I n only image how mt feel to be a gay gby league player today’s tly pas me to thk that wh our game, those players still feel a need to hi. Yet gay players and the LGBTQI+ muny more broadly … that’s one group we’ve mostly left alone.

I n only speak for myself, but if a guy me out my team and said, ‘I’m gay’, personally I wouldn’t give a sh. If the young men who are refg to play wh rabow strip on a jersey later have a child who is born gay, do they disown them?

LIST | 5 GAY RUGBY STARS WHO ARE OUT AND PROUD

Image the stris that uld be ma terms of unrstandg and acceptance, not jt wh gby league but wir years, the NRL have had a float at Sydney’s Gay and Lbian Mardi Gras. That we n help end the cycle of gay people havg to hi themselv away, and all the emotnal damage that would be groundbreakg. Two-time Man of Steel wner Pl Sculthorpe believ that gby league ss at the ont of the pack when to creatg a welg environment for gay athlet.

“I’ve had the pleasure of achg England women and there are gay players and partnerships wh the team; and ’s great.

HERE ARE EIGHT OUT AND PROUD MALE GAY FOOTBALLERS

Former Manly forward Ian Roberts, who the 1990s was the first high-profile gby league player to e out as gay, said he was not surprised by the players’ cisn.

The biggt difference between Hirst and hundreds of other gby league players is that Keegan was the first active player to e out as a gay man.

THE URAGEO JOURNEY OF IAN ROBERTS, GBY LEAGUE'S FIRST OPENLY GAY PLAYER

Keegan was a very happily married man wh children, but he had took the brave cisn 2015 to rip the plaster of his married liftyle and e out an terview that he was gay. Ian Roberts was the first gby league player to e out as gay but only did so after his playg days where far om over. The most high profile player to e out as gay was Gareth Thomas who was a gby unn player but also he did not choose to do this till he hung up his boots and the locker room was a distant memory.

The stereotypil view of gby players is that they are super tough and the thought of gay men playg the sport is seen a taboo subject. This isn’t surprisg as wh football beg a global sport, there is still very few male players g out as gay. We hope the g years and wh gay players such as Keegan Hirst, this will enrge other team members and gby players to e out both gby league and gby unn.

We also hope that team cludg top tier super league teams also support and provi a level playg field for stars of all sexualy cludg gay men, to play the sport they love. Sce g out as a gay sportstar for the gby league, Keegan has gone on to support many stars and players who are gay or e out as gay que has recently sent support out to Phillip Scholfield, who recently e out to the world that he was gay durg his This Morng slot on TV.

CRONULLA NRL STAR TOBY RUDOLF REVEALS HE HAS 'KISSED MANY GAY MEN' AS HE BACKS NRL PRI ROUND

Keegan Also creds his good iend Anthony Cotton as a supportive figure his life, helpg wh his next life journey as a gay man. As well as beg an active figure the gay muny and supportg stars and sport stars, he has also beg supportg gay men wh his onle body achg platform aimed at all mens om all sexualy background (). The revolt by seven gby league players Sydney, Atralia, agast wearg a ntroversial rabow-tailed gay pri team jersey has wined, a report claimed Tuday.

LESTER’S NICK MCCARTHY OUT AS GAY AND THANKS CLUB FOR THEIR SUPPORT

Atralian Rugby Players Revolt After Beg Told to Wear Gay Pri Jersey — Brebart London (@BrebartLondon) July 25, 2022.

Former Manly player Ian Roberts, who was the first high-profile player the to e out as gay, said he was not surprised by the players’ cisn.

Roberts, who the 1990s was the first high-profile gby league player to e out as gay, said he was not surprised seven Manly players whdrew om a match bee they’re unwillg to wear their club’s cln jersey due to “relig phback.

RUGBY LEAGUE PLAYERS ATRALIA TO BOYTT KEY MATCH OVER GAY PRI JERSEY

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.