Openly gay footy star Keegan Hirst out of retirement after Manly Sea Eagl pri jersey drama, Batley Bulldogs | — Atralia’s leadg news se

Contents:

• FIRST OPENLY GAY PLAYER KEEGAN HIRST 'OVERWHELMED AND HUMBLED' BY SUPPORT
• BATLEY'S KEEGAN HIRST SAYS G OUT AS GAY HAS HELPED HIS GBY LEAGUE FORM
• BATLEY BULLDOGS PROP KEEGAN HIRST BE FIRST GBY LEAGUE PLAYER TO E OUT AS GAY
• YORKSHIRE RL STAR REVEALS HE IS GAY
• BATLEY: OBSSN, RAT-TCHERS AND GAY PRI
• KEEGAN HIRST: ‘I’M PROUD TO BE A GBY LEAGUE PLAYER AND I’M PROUD TO BE GAY’
• VIDEO: BATLEY BULLDOGS PTA KEEGAN HIRST IS FIRST BRISH GBY LEAGUE PROFSNAL TO E OUT AS GAYTHE MARRIED DAD-OF-TWO TALKS ANKLY ABOUT HIS TORMENTHUDRSFIELXAMERBOOKMARKSHARENEWSBYPATRICK HILL13:00, 16 AUG 2015UPDATED13:44, 16 AUG 2015BOOKMARKYORKSHIRE BREAKG NEWS AND UPDAT SENT STRAIGHT TO YOUR BOXMORE 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 YORKSHIRE BREAKG NEWS AND UPDAT SENT STRAIGHT TO YOUR BOXINVALID 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!
• RUGBY LEAGUE STAR KEEGAN HIRST BE FIRST BR PLAYER TO E OUT AS GAY
• KEEGAN HIRST STEPS ON TO FIELD AS BRA'S FIRST GBY LEAGUE STAR TO E OUT AS GAY
• KEEGAN HIRST ON PLAYG RETURN AND REPRENTG GAY MUNY
• BATLEY BULLDOGS' KEEGAN HIRST OUT AS GAY AND IS FIRST OPENLY HOMOSEXUAL GBY PLAYER
• FIRST OPENLY GAY GBY LEAGUE PLAYER KEEGAN HIRST OUT OF RETIREMENT
• KEEGAN HIRST - FIRST OPENLY GAY, ACTIVE RUGBY LEAGUE PLAYER
• RUDY GAY
• OPENLY GAY FOOTY STAR KEEGAN HIRST OUT OF RETIREMENT AFTER PRI JERSEY MOVE

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

Keegan Hirst played Super League for WakefieldKeegan Hirst's bid to boost LGBT reprentatn gby league by g out of retirement mt wa until next season after emerged he is not eligible for new club Batley Bulldogs this, the first Brish profsnal gby league player to e out as gay, reversed a retirement cisn to re-sign for his home town the 34-year-old prop forward nnot play until next season bee of a Rugby Football League (RFL) registratn cut-off for signg players was 22 July, wh exceptns ma only for those who have not been at a club for three, though, last featured October 2020 - ls than two years former Halifax player has been trag wh Batley sce last month and was named the 21-man squad to face Sheffield Eagl on Wednday, but upon closer spectn om the RFL will now have to be whdrawn.

BATLEY'S KEEGAN HIRST SAYS G OUT AS GAY HAS HELPED HIS GBY LEAGUE FORM

"After the recent thly-veiled homophobia over a rabow shirt, I thought how n I help wh visibily and cln?

"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.

BATLEY BULLDOGS PROP KEEGAN HIRST BE FIRST GBY LEAGUE PLAYER TO E OUT AS GAY

"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.

Batley pta Keegan Hirst, the only openly-gay player gby league, believ his cisn to e out has played a major role his club's fairytale season.

Cross- ternatnal Gareth Thomas was prevly the only openly gay gby player after he me out while playg for gby unn si Cardiff Blu 2009. ‘The third is Keegan Hirst, Batley’s pta that 2016 season whose fame hangs on the fact that he is the only active gby league player to have e out as gay’. The third is Keegan Hirst, Batley’s pta that 2016 season whose fame hangs on the fact that he is the only active gby league player to have e out as gay.

YORKSHIRE RL STAR REVEALS HE IS GAY

Until, that is, Hirst miss trag after missg a flight after over-sleepg followg a gay pri event London.

”In 2015, Hirst beme the first openly gay gby league player Bra – Gareth Thomas was playg unn when he went public on his sexualy – while playg for Batley and sce then, his life has changed ways he never imaged.

BATLEY: OBSSN, RAT-TCHERS AND GAY PRI

“I jt wanted to be me – but almost immediately, I was gettg msag om guys who were married but knew they were gay, people who played sport but stopped bee they were gay and didn’t want to e out.

KEEGAN HIRST: ‘I’M PROUD TO BE A GBY LEAGUE PLAYER AND I’M PROUD TO BE GAY’

”Hirst dreamed of beg a gby player om a young age but beg a role mol for gay people was never his tentn. But John Kear, my ach at Batley, jt said: ‘It don’t matter to me if you’re gay, you’re my pta and that’s all that matters. Keegan Hirst revers gby league retirement amid 'thly-veiled homophobia' sportKeegan Hirst, the first Brish gby league star to e out as gay, will e out of retirement after Manly Sea Eagl players boytted their match last week prott at a shirt promotg LGBTQ+ equalyVio LoadgVio UnavailableKeegan Hirst discs g out as a gay gby playerKeegan Hirst is set to e out of retirement and return to gby league actn after he acced NRL players of g relign to mask their homophobia.

Hirst, the former Wakefield Try prop, beme the first Brish player to publicly e out as gay when he did so 2015 before retirg 2020. “After the recent thly-veiled homophobia over a rabow shirt, I thought how n I help wh visibily and cln? Batley gby League player Keegan Hirst has be the first Brish profsnal the to openly say he is gay, wr Patrick Hill.

And this afternoon he will play his first match as an openly gay profsnal gby player when he ptas his team agast lol rivals Dewsbury. The 6ft 4 Batley Bulldogs pta said: “At first I uldn’t even say ‘I’m gay’ my head, let alone out loud. Batley Rugby League player Keegan Hirst out and clar he's Gay, Talkg exclively to the Sunday Mirror.

VIDEO: BATLEY BULLDOGS PTA KEEGAN HIRST IS FIRST BRISH GBY LEAGUE PROFSNAL TO E OUT AS GAYTHE MARRIED DAD-OF-TWO TALKS ANKLY ABOUT HIS TORMENTHUDRSFIELXAMERBOOKMARKSHARENEWSBYPATRICK HILL13:00, 16 AUG 2015UPDATED13:44, 16 AUG 2015BOOKMARKYORKSHIRE BREAKG NEWS AND UPDAT SENT STRAIGHT TO YOUR BOXMORE 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 YORKSHIRE BREAKG NEWS AND UPDAT SENT STRAIGHT TO YOUR BOXINVALID 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!

The 6ft 4 pta of Wt Yorkshire si Batley Bulldogs said: “At first I uldn’t even say ‘I’m gay’ my head, let alone out loud. On Sunday, he will play his first match as an openly gay profsnal gby player, when he ptas his team agast lol rivals Dewsbury. In 1995, Atralian Rugby League player Ian Roberts, then aged 30, beme the first high-profile player the world to publicly reveal he was gay.

RUGBY LEAGUE STAR KEEGAN HIRST BE FIRST BR PLAYER TO E OUT AS GAY

Meanwhile, Amerin Football leman Michael Sam, 25 - the first gay player to w an NFL place after g out 2014 - said yterday he is qutg the sport bee of the "difficult year".

In Febary 2013 former Leeds Uned footballer Robbie Rogers announced he was gay - and he remas the only openly gay profsnal footballer playg.

KEEGAN HIRST STEPS ON TO FIELD AS BRA'S FIRST GBY LEAGUE STAR TO E OUT AS GAY

A year later former Germany ternatnal Thomas Hzlsperger beme the first Premier League player to reveal he was gay.

No one is gay Batley, ” the prop cisn to go public prompted a wave of support om teammat and fans, many takg to social media to praise the 6ft 4 Yorkshireman.

”Nigel Wood, the chief executive of the Rugby Football League, the sport’s erng body, ngratulated Hirst but said he hoped that one day would not be nsired exceptnal for a player to announce they were gay. “Particularly wh a sport that is as exprsive and tough as gby league, I thk there is a prupposn that would suppose that people who were gay would not be playg , but that’s jt not right.

KEEGAN HIRST ON PLAYG RETURN AND REPRENTG GAY MUNY

The Welsh gby unn star Gareth Thomas, now retired, is the hight-profile gby player to have said he was gay while still playg the sport. He summoned the urage to tell his wife he was gay a few weeks ago after realisg that she blamed herself for their breakup. Hopefully if there’s other gay players out there – which I’m sure there are – if they have the urage to do then ’s a good thg.

”The Rugby Football League beme the first erng body of a major sport to sign up to Stonewall’s mpaign agast homophobia 2008, when logos proclaimg “Some people are gay. Matthew Hodson, the chief executive of the gay men’s health chary GMFA, scribed Hirst’s announcement as a signifint moment for a sport nsired one of the most macho the world. “I thk ’s really important that for other people who have e om very tradnal backgrounds, and have that expectatn of ‘this is what a man is’, to fd out that gby players, builrs, other sportspeople are gay.

No one is gay Batley, " Hirst Yorkshire native, who recently spl up wh his wife, says that he me to terms wh his sexualy this year and his journey to e out started when he saw what his beg the closet was dog to his wife.

BATLEY BULLDOGS' KEEGAN HIRST OUT AS GAY AND IS FIRST OPENLY HOMOSEXUAL GBY PLAYER

""Particularly wh a sport that is as exprsive and tough as gby league, I thk there is a prupposn that would suppose that people who were gay would not be playg , but that's jt not right. "Welsh gby star Gareth Thomas is the hight-profile gby player to have said he was gay while still playg the sport. Hirst, 34, ma history 2015 when he beme the first Brish profsnal gby league player to e out as gay.

The same year, Catalans had created ntroversy wh the signg of dual- Atralia ternatnal Israel Fol, prevly sacked by Rugby Atralia for makg homophobic ments on social media. Now retired Super League referee Jam Child spoke publicly about beg gay and the homophobic abe he had received 2021, while the NRL, there was big ntroversy when some Manly Sea Eagl players refed to wear pri-themed jerseys.

“I don’t know what the future holds wh regards to gay reprentatn gby league, but hopefully ’ll be a b easier for the next guy.

FIRST OPENLY GAY GBY LEAGUE PLAYER KEEGAN HIRST OUT OF RETIREMENT

It’s an opportuny to show you n be gay and play sport, and for a purist sport fan who don’t know what’s gog on, they don’t have to be two thgs that exist separately of each other.

Married gby league player wh two children out as gay and be the first openly homosexual player the sport Rugby league player Keegan Hirst, 27, has revealed that he is gayProp spoke of the moment he told his wife why they had to break up Batley Bulldogs pta said he prevly felt too 'macho' to e out Hirst be the first Brish openly homosexual gby league player Updated: 01:38 BST, 16 Augt 2015.

KEEGAN HIRST - FIRST OPENLY GAY, ACTIVE RUGBY LEAGUE PLAYER

Married gby league player Keegan Hirst has e out as gay, makg him the first openly homosexual Englishman the 27-year-old prop has spoken of the moment he told his wife why they uld no longer be, pta of Wt Yorkshire si Batley Bulldogs, said the relief of fally g out felt like 'lettg out a long breath that I’ve held for a long time' down for vio Married gby league player Keegan Hirst has e out as gay, makg him the first openly homosexual Brish the sportSpeakg to the Sunday Mirror, the father-of-two said he felt like he was too 'macho' to be gay, but me to realise that he had been attracted to men sce he was revealed that his wife had been blamg herself for their spl and he felt he had no optn but to tell her the real reason he uld no longer be her said: 'She blamed herself when we separated but I knew she’d done nothg wrong. Growg up on a uncil tate and qutg sixth form to pursue his gby league reer, he says he was ' nial' about his homosexualy, nvcg himself that ep down he was toll of keepg such a huge secret about his private life led to Hirst, who sists he loved his wife and never cheated on her, nsirg takg his own first match as an openly gay player today when he fac lol rivals Dewsbury.

'I’m fortable my own sk, probably for the first time ever, ' he gby unn Gareth Thomas me out as gay 2009. Keegan Hirst, the first Brish gby league star to e out as gay, has reversed his retirement cisn wh the hope to play for the Batley Bulldogs for the rt of 2022.

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. 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.

RUDY 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.

OPENLY GAY FOOTY STAR KEEGAN HIRST OUT OF RETIREMENT AFTER PRI JERSEY MOVE

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 ex-Wakefield prop, the first Brish gby league player to openly e out as gay, reversed his cisn to retire and is now set for first petive game three years when Batley kick-off the Beted ChampnshipBatley Bulldogs' Keegan Hirst, left, wh Swton Lns' Gav Bennn at the Beted Champnship lnch KeighleyThere's not been a “Spartac moment” sce he me out as gay but Keegan Hirst believ gby league has ma giant stris. Hirst, the first Brish gby league player to openly e out as gay 2015, kept a promise to reverse his retirement cisn “to help wh visn and clivy.