Steven Davi beme the first openly gay profsnal cricketer - and has never been happier | Daily Mail Onle

Contents:

• GAY CRICKETERS WON’T E OUT UNTIL ‘STIGMA’ IS KNOCKED FOR SIX, BOSS WARNED
• JOE ROOT PRAISED FOR STANDG UP TO HOMOPHOBIA AFTER TELLG WT INDI PLAYER: ‘DON'T E AS AN SULT. THERE'S NOTHG WRONG WH BEG GAY’
• STEVEN DAVI BEME THE FIRST OPENLY GAY PROFSNAL CRICKETER - AND HAS NEVER BEEN HAPPIER
• STRAIGHT CRICKET PLAYER POS NU FOR GAY MAG
• E GAY
• HEATH DAVIS BE FIRST MALE NEW ZEALAND CRICKETER TO E OUT AS GAY
• ATRALIAN CRICKETER JAM FLKNER REVEALS HE IS GAY ON HIS 29TH BIRTHDAY

GAY CRICKETERS WON’T E OUT UNTIL ‘STIGMA’ IS KNOCKED FOR SIX, BOSS WARNED

Cricketer Steve Davi is the first and only English male pro to e out as gay. Gay cricket ach and activist Sam Schofield has cricised the England and Wal Cricket Board (ECB) for “lettg down” the LGBTQ+ muny.

JOE ROOT PRAISED FOR STANDG UP TO HOMOPHOBIA AFTER TELLG WT INDI PLAYER: ‘DON'T E AS AN SULT. THERE'S NOTHG WRONG WH BEG GAY’

After Jake Daniels beme England’s first pro male footballer to e out as gay more than three s, Schofield spoke of the need for more LGBTQ+ role mols cricket. Comparatively, the women’s divisn has players like Natalie Sciver and Kathere Bnt, an openly gay cricketer uple. Gee Cecil Iv (1 October 1867 Germany – 4 June 1950) was an English poet, wrer, penal reformer and early homosexual law reform mpaigner.

Gay sportsmen. Sign up to our ee sport newsletter for all the latt news on everythg om cyclg to boxgSign up to our ee sport email for all the latt newsJoe Root has been hailed as a “role mol” for standg up to alleged homophobic remarks durg the third Tt between England and the Wt Indi St Lucia.

The England pta rpond after an cint wh fast bowler Shannon Gabriel, statg: “There is nothg wrong wh beg gay. While match referee Jeff Crowe was satisfied that no homophobic language had been tected. Steven Davi is the first cricketer to e out as gay and says footballers fear that qutn Updated: 23:53 BST, 4 May 2013 Steven Davi do not nsir himself brave.

STEVEN DAVI BEME THE FIRST OPENLY GAY PROFSNAL CRICKETER - AND HAS NEVER BEEN HAPPIER

But when the Surrey and England wicketkeeper beme the first profsnal cricketer to state publicly that he is gay he adms that he feared he would bee a figure of years later, the 26-year-old says he has never been happier.

He is ntent his cisn and ready to rurrect his ternatnal the week that basketball star Jason Colls beme the first man playg a major Amerin team sport to clare that he was gay, Davi spoke to The Mail on Sunday about his own experience of openg up about his sexualy, his iendship wh pop star Sir Elton John — and his hope that one day soon a current profsnal footballer will follow his lead.

STRAIGHT CRICKET PLAYER POS NU FOR GAY MAG

’In Febary former Leeds Uned footballer Robbie Rogers did adm to beg gay, but only after announcg his retirement om the sport. ‘I’d tell any young guy who knows they are gay and is nsirg a reer profsnal sport that tim are changg and thgs are gettg a lot easier.

E GAY

‘Elton would be on Skype to Johnny Depp and one time I walked to the sue and Elton was there havg ffee wh Coldplay, ’ said beme iends wh Sir Elton after the sger wrote to him followg his cisn to reveal that he was gay, the first top English cricketer to take the step. Devastated: Davi (left) was cshed by the ath of Tom Maynard (centre) Pneer: NBA star Jason Colls me out, beg the first openly gay active player major sports 'They said seeg me do had given them strength to do and they were so much happier. ’VIEWS FROM OTHER SPORTSFOOTBALLVeteran gay rights mpaigner Peter Tatchell says the Football Associatn mt give a stronger and more public lead the game’s efforts to bat 92 Premier League and Football League clubs signed a ernment charter agast homophobia last year, and the thori are phg the clubs to adopt more active Tatchell, who has lobbied the FA for actn agast for more than 20 years, says the are ‘low-key and almost visible mov and not real actn’ add: ‘The FA should be givg a stronger, more public lead.

‘The Football Associatn are dog good grassroots work, to te agast homophobia at unty and junr league level. There have been no high-profile FA mpaigns to challenge anti-gay chants.

Three years ago the FA approved the makg of an anti-homophobia vio but then refed to promote .

HEATH DAVIS BE FIRST MALE NEW ZEALAND CRICKETER TO E OUT AS GAY

’So far 56 clubs have signed up to an FA scheme lnched Febary and aimed at gettg all clubs actively volved anti-homophobia iativ. The FA are also arrangg meetgs next month wh clubs whose fans were mentned a dossier piled by Brighton about homophobic abe at their gam. (pictured below: Robbie Fowler apologised for gay tnts he directed at Graeme Le Sx) WOMEN'S SPORTEngland pta Casey Stoney believ women’s football has a far more mature attu to homosexualy than the men’s game.

ATRALIAN CRICKETER JAM FLKNER REVEALS HE IS GAY ON HIS 29TH BIRTHDAY

Men’s football remas the last major team sport the UK wh no openly gay players, whereas the women’s game has a number of high-profile lbian of them, 30-year-old Stoney, 30, has won 109 ps for England and not enuntered any hostily, and she believ is time for men’s football clubs and fans alike to take rponsibilty for changg ‘prehistoric’ attus. ‘Havg spoken to a lot of male profsnal players, the one issue that keeps croppg up is the amount of grief an openly gay player might get om fans, ’ she says. I know recently there was the Football v Homophobia mpaign and was disappotg to hear that some clubs almost refed to take part that.