Nigel Owens: Rugby referee on retirement and beg gay sport

Contents:

• CRAIG MAXWELL-KEYS: PREMIERSHIP GBY REFEREE ME OUT AS GAY VIA WHATSAPP
• LGBT+ HISTORY MONTH: SUPER LEAGUE REFEREE JAM CHILD SPEAKS PUBLICLY ABOUT BEG GAY
• GAY GBY LEAGUE REFEREE LIFTS LID ON HOW G OUT AFFECTED OFFICIATG REER
• WHO IS GBY REF NIGEL OWENS? WELSHMAN BRAVELY ME OUT AS GAY, FOUGHT BULIMIA AND OVERME SUICI
• TOP ENGLISH GBY REFEREE CRAIG MAXWELL-KEYS OUT AS GAY
• ‘I NSIRED CHEMIL STRATN,’ SAYS GAY GBY REFEREE NIGEL OWENS
• DISMANTLG STEREOTYP: 10 INSPIRG GAY RUGBY PLAYERS AND PERSONALI
• TOP ENGLISH GBY REFEREE OUT AS GAY AND REVEALS THE SPIRATN HE DREW OM NIGEL OWENSCRAIG MAXWELL-KEYS IS ONE OF THE LEADG OFFICIALS THE GALLAGHER PREMIERSHIPWALONLEBOOKMARKSHARECOMMENTSSPORTBYANTHONY WOOLFORD16:21, 5 DEC 2019BOOKMARKENGLISH REFEREE CRAIG MAXWELL-KEYS (IMAGE: DAVID ROGERS/GETTY IMAG) GET THE LATT WELSH RUGBY NEWS ANALYSIS AND TERVIEWSMORE 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 GET THE LATT WELSH RUGBY NEWS ANALYSIS AND TERVIEWSINVALID 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!
• LIST | 5 GAY RUGBY STARS WHO ARE OUT AND PROUD
• THE ONLY GAY ON THE PCH

CRAIG MAXWELL-KEYS: PREMIERSHIP GBY REFEREE ME OUT AS GAY VIA WHATSAPP

Craig Maxwell-Keys explas a cisn to Exeter Chiefs' Jack YeandleProfsnal gby has ntually embraced morn technology - so 's no surprise that Premiership referee Craig Maxwell-Keys took a siar approach towards g out as gay. "Gunng over prejudice to chase Olympic dreamMaxwell-Keys drifted towards beg a match official by chance - he broke his wrist playg for Lichfield as a youngster and, while reverg om the jury, he enrolled on a refereeg and tly bten by the refereeg bug, he took charge at the Staffordshire Unr-12 Ftival at the age of 17 and worked his way up the ladr to bee a full-time referee urse, Maxwell-Keys is not the only openly gay gby referee - Nigel Owens, who me out 2007, is one of the sport's hight-profile officials and has featured at three World Cups.

When gby referee Nigel Owens me out as gay 2007, he said was “a big taboo” to be LGBT+ his le of work. Welsh gby player Gareth Thomas later me out as gay, and other players have opened up about their inti too. Did you enunter much homophobia after g out as gay?

LGBT+ HISTORY MONTH: SUPER LEAGUE REFEREE JAM CHILD SPEAKS PUBLICLY ABOUT BEG GAY

But on the odd ocsn – on the very, very odd ocsn that there were homophobic ments shouted at me om the spectators – was heard by other people and was reported to the relevant bodi and they managed to al wh the suatn.

Rugby has allowed to be who we are, so nobody uld say that gby is a homophobic sport. Child wants to 'help te' people and enurage rpectSuper League referee Jam Child has not spoken publicly about his sexualy before - but this is not his 'g out' 's been a long time sce Child was '' - wh his fay, iends and refereeg lleagu all aware that he's an exclive terview for the BBC's LGBT Sport Podst, Child has bee one of the hight-profile nam gby league to open up about beg gay.

"When I n out there and make a cisn, don't matter whether I'm gay or straight. "Listen: The LGBT Sport Podst - The one wh Jam Child'If this helps te others, that's great'Child's cisn to talk about his sexualy is driven by a number of is still more than a month to go until the new Super League season starts, which means he n share his story whout worryg about overshadowg any actn on the there's also another many ele officials, Child gets plenty of abe - cludg some of a homophobic nature. "I'm not sayg that's all to do wh my sexualy, but I certaly thk one, if not two of those, were homophobic.

GAY GBY LEAGUE REFEREE LIFTS LID ON HOW G OUT AFFECTED OFFICIATG REER

"Child says he's also received homophobic abe durg gam that has been "specifilly directed" at him and not other officials or players. "By me speakg about this publicly, there n't then be a suatn where somebody is homophobic, but ni knowg I'm gay, " he says.

Gay gby league referee Jam Child has opened up on how revealg his sexualy publicly for the first time 2021 affected his officiatg reerJam Child beme the first Super League referee to announce he was gay 2021 Retired gby league referee Jam Child claims he 'felt more rpect' om players he officiated after revealg his sexualy. Child, 39, beme the first Super League referee to announce publicly that he was gay Febary 2021. In 2007, the Mynyddcerrig-native shocked the sports world by g out as gay.

6 In 2007 Owens shocked the sports world by g out as gayCred: SWNS:South Wt News Service. It's such a big taboo to be gay my le of work, I had to thk very hard about bee I didn't want to jeopardise my reer. A GAY REF IN A MACHO SPORT.

WHO IS GBY REF NIGEL OWENS? WELSHMAN BRAVELY ME OUT AS GAY, FOUGHT BULIMIA AND OVERME SUICI

"It's such a big taboo to be gay my le of work, I had to thk very hard about bee I didn't want to jeopardise my reer, " he nfsed. "When I beme a referee, beme clear that there was nobody the sport who was gay. "Although that’s not to say that the sport is openly homophobic.

Owens knew he was gay his late teens.

TOP ENGLISH GBY REFEREE CRAIG MAXWELL-KEYS OUT AS GAY

Craig Maxwell-Keys, a top gby referee England who also do ternatnal match, has e out publicly as gay an terview wh the BBC.

One official got him touch wh Nigel Owens, one the bt gby refere the world, who had e out as gay a few years earlier.

He knows he has the full support of people the sport and that beg gay won’t be a barrier. Rugby referee Nigel Owens is one of the most proment gay men sport. As an openly gay figure one of the most mascule of sports Nigel Owens is a rary – but he might never have achieved his inic stat gby unn if he had gone ahead wh plans for a chemil stratn.

‘I NSIRED CHEMIL STRATN,’ SAYS GAY GBY REFEREE NIGEL OWENS

“I didn’t want to be gay, ” Owens, who me out 2007, told CNN. “I actually went to the doctor at one stage to see if I uld be chemilly strated any way, if would get rid of me beg gay. They n’t tell other people they’re gay bee they’re fightg themselv.

However, he believ the mcular world of gby unn is way ahead of other global sports when to acceptg gay stars, although Gareth Thomas beme the first profsnal player to open up about his sexualy as recently as 2009. “It annoys me sometim when people say gby is homophobic. New report to homophobia UK sport.

Gay referee: "Still some issu". English gby has been praised for clampg down on homophobia the sport, though a leadg gay referee warns there is still work to be done eraditg the problem. A Brish ernment select mtee released a report Sunday vtigatg the prevalence of homophobia UK sport and how the lg bodi were alg wh .

DISMANTLG STEREOTYP: 10 INSPIRG GAY RUGBY PLAYERS AND PERSONALI

In November 2014, two gby fans were banned for two years and each orred to pay £1, 000 ($1, 250) to a chary of gay referee Nigel Owens’ choice after the Welshman was verbally abed while officiatg an ternatnal match between England and Wal at Twickenham.

“As far as homophobia go, there are some issu gby that need to be addrsed and need to be eradited, but I thk gby is aware of those problems and do all n to eradite them. READ: Gay gby ref ‘nsired chemil stratn’. The mtee also praised gby unn’s rival gby league for s rponse when openly gay player Keegan Hirst received homophobic abe on Twter after a game September 2016.

“There is no place our sport for homophobic abe or ed any abe and we wish to send out a clear msage, ” the club said. The mtee said gby unn, along wh sports such as swimmg and divg, had ma “signifint progrs” creasg the visibily of gay participants. The RFU said supported ne gay gby clubs across England, and planned to bid for the right to aga stage the biennial ternatnal Bgham Cup tournament – an amatr gay gby unn tournament – which was held Manchter 2012.

TOP ENGLISH GBY REFEREE OUT AS GAY AND REVEALS THE SPIRATN HE DREW OM NIGEL OWENSCRAIG MAXWELL-KEYS IS ONE OF THE LEADG OFFICIALS THE GALLAGHER PREMIERSHIPWALONLEBOOKMARKSHARECOMMENTSSPORTBYANTHONY WOOLFORD16:21, 5 DEC 2019BOOKMARKENGLISH REFEREE CRAIG MAXWELL-KEYS (IMAGE: DAVID ROGERS/GETTY IMAG) GET THE LATT WELSH RUGBY NEWS ANALYSIS AND TERVIEWSMORE 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 GET THE LATT WELSH RUGBY NEWS ANALYSIS AND TERVIEWSINVALID 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!

It said s “We Call It Rugby” mpaign featured an advert aimed at breakg down barriers for LGBT people, profilg the gay and clive Manchter Spartans club, and overall the seri of vios had reached almost 35 ln people through outdoor advertisg, social media and televisn. The mpaign was aimed at 16- to 24-year-olds, an age group the mtee said was notable for gay athlet droppg out of their sports. While the gby s have had openly gay profsnals such as Hirst and former Wal pta Gareth Thomas, the mtee noted that ele UK football has no active “out” players.

England’s Football Associatn said homophobia “is an issue that we take very serly” and was one of chairman Greg Clarke’s “top prri.

In 2014, former Premier League star Thomas Hzlsperger announced he was gay months after retirg. “From the evince we have received this quiry, we believe there are many gay athlet who have not e out, bee they are ightened of the impact this cisn will have on their reers, and the liv of the people they love, ” chair of the mtee, MP Damian Colls, said a statement. “More needs to be done by the thori to addrs both the overt and latent homophobia that exists wh sport.

LIST | 5 GAY RUGBY STARS WHO ARE OUT AND PROUD

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 ONLY GAY ON THE PCH

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. 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.