Bold ad mpaign for South Ain gby club grabs attentn, tackl gay stereotyp - ESPN

Contents:

• JOZI CATS: AI’S FIRST GAY GBY TEAM TACKL HOMOPHOBIA
• AI’S FIRST GAY GBY TEAM: JOZI CATS
• DISMANTLG STEREOTYP: 10 INSPIRG GAY RUGBY PLAYERS AND PERSONALI
• LIST | 5 GAY RUGBY STARS WHO ARE OUT AND PROUD
• GAY RUGBY BRIDG DIVI SOUTH AI
• JOZI CATS: SOUTH AI'S FIRST GAY AND CLIVE GBY CLUB
• MEET AI'S FIRST GAY CLIVE GBY CLUB
• AI'S FIRST GAY GBY TEAM LNCH PROVOTIVE RECMENT MPAIGN
• GAY SA GBY TEAM HEADG TO HEARTLANDS
• BOLD AD MPAIGN FOR SOUTH AIN GBY CLUB GRABS ATTENTN, TACKL GAY STEREOTYP
• AI’S 1ST GAY GBY CLUB: THE JOZI CATS

JOZI CATS: AI’S FIRST GAY GBY TEAM TACKL HOMOPHOBIA

Gay gby team lnched South Ai. In the macho world of sports, ’s not easy to be openly gay – and sults like the make difficult to e out the locker room. But one fledglg gby team is g such stereotyp to not only create awarens of homophobia, but to promote self as a safe haven for those who don’t feel fortable wh the game’s culture.

Formed this year, Johannburg-based Jozi Cats is Ai’s first gay gby team – and s provotive marketg mpaign has had a greater impact than s members ever dreamed possible. Ai's first gay gby club shatters stereotyp. Homosexualy is outlawed many Ain untri, but that is not the se South Ai.

AI’S FIRST GAY GBY TEAM: JOZI CATS

However, an Amnty Internatnal report poted to at least seven murrs what appeared to be homophobic attacks between June and November 2012. “We said let’s do somethg that tak gay stereotyp and turns them on their heads, and ask the qutn, like ‘Are you or aren’t you? “We had to e words – tradnal gay slurs – which didn’t need translatn to the broar straight muny, which people would get whout too much explanatn.

So that’s why we went to our six gay stereotyp. “It’s started a nversatn about homophobia sport, more specifilly homophobia gby, ” says Kuni, who portrayed “Pillow Ber” the photo shoot. There’s also que a big gay gby scene globally that we want to put teams together for, bee South Ai is not reprented there at all.

So we looked at them, and he said ‘But they don’t even look gay. “It’s great to have started the nversatn – and that nversatn is, ‘Why do we even need to have a gay gby team?

DISMANTLG STEREOTYP: 10 INSPIRG GAY RUGBY PLAYERS AND PERSONALI

Verrijdt is wary of nmng gby as a homophobic sport, and says tn n create wir awarens. “A lot of homophobic slurs have a certa jocular humor to , so I often thk ’s unnsc and ’s not even meant the way out, ” he says.

LIST | 5 GAY RUGBY STARS WHO ARE OUT AND PROUD

“But n be hurtful, absolutely, and that’s why we e the payoff le, ‘Rugby, that’s so gay, ’ bee I’ve been out wh straight iends – as iendly and clive as they are – and even wh them slips out, and you have to tch yourself. Read: Gay gby ref ‘nsired chemil stratn’.

GAY RUGBY BRIDG DIVI SOUTH AI

Kuni hop the club – which maly plays touch gby for now – will one day take part ternatnal events such as the Gay Gam, Out Gam and Bgham Cup. Read: World’s first gay gby club turns 20. South Ai's Jozi Cats, the first gay gby team Ai, is g a provotive advertisg mpaign to rec members to s club.

"Lots of ternatnal guys (om other gay clubs) feared hearg formg bee South Ai is one of the superpowers of the gby world. The team hop to eventually be able to pete ternatnal tournaments such as the Gay Gam, Out Gam and Bgham Cup. "It's started a nversatn about homophobia sport, more specifilly homophobia gby.

JOZI CATS: SOUTH AI'S FIRST GAY AND CLIVE GBY CLUB

"We're nng a mpaign to make awarens of people who are homosexual our society to have urage to actually step out, " says Chris Herbst -- "Flamer" the photo shoot.

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.

MEET AI'S FIRST GAY CLIVE GBY CLUB

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. 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.

AI'S FIRST GAY GBY TEAM LNCH PROVOTIVE RECMENT MPAIGN

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. 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.

GAY SA GBY TEAM HEADG TO HEARTLANDS

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.

BOLD AD MPAIGN FOR SOUTH AIN GBY CLUB GRABS ATTENTN, TACKL GAY STEREOTYP

Supreme Court Jtice Ruth Bar Gsburg) and legal protectns agast discrimatn on the books, progrs has been, negative stereotyp, and homophobic vlence persist, makg difficult for LGBT people to live eely or pursue personal and profsnal passns whout fear of harassment or attack. However, one group is celebratg South Ai's gby tradn while dismantlg tired stereotyp about gay men. ??? #gby #gay gby #jozits #handsome #sporty #boys A photo posted by Jozi Cats (@jozitsgby) on May 10, 2016 at 1:57pm PDTThey're South Ai's first petive gay and clive gby Johannburg, the Jozi Cats hope to jo the ranks of other gay gby cubs around the world and pete the World Outgam (an Olympic-style event for LGBT athlet) and the Bgham Cup, an annual tournament for gay gby clubs.

The Jozi Cats would be the first team om the entire ntent of Ai to participate the to stay petive and offer opportuni for gay men to pursue the sport, they had to rec some new players.

AI’S 1ST GAY GBY CLUB: THE JOZI CATS

Many of the players didn't f the "nventnal" mold or expectatn people might have for a gay sports Viljoen, tighthead prop for the Jozi Cats.

Jt are gay dus who happen to like gby, " he told Upworthy.

Verrijdt and the team wanted a way to challenge long-held notns of masculy and homosexualy, while recg some new talent. "We're nng a mpaign to make awarens of people who are homosexual wh our society, to have urage to actually step out, " said the team's all-rounr Chris Herbst, who actually me out to his iends and fay by participatg the mpaign. Image via Havas WW South Ai/ fished product — real players reclaimg rogatory gay slurs — is shockg but driv home a very important msage.