Ai's first gay gby team: Jozi Cats | CNN

gay rugby team in south africa

Ai's first gay gby club, the Johannburg-based Jozi Cats, was stgglg to rec players. But that changed thanks to a viral ad mpaign that turned heads and stroyed stereotyp.

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

Queen. Fairy. Pansy. Pillow Ber. Ai’s first gay gby team, Jozi Cats, ref the homophobic sults a provotive marketg mpaign. * gay rugby team in south africa *

Gay gby team lnched South Ai.

AI’S FIRST GAY GBY TEAM: JOZI CATS

We are the Jozi Cats - Ai's first gay and clive petive gby club based Johannburg, South Ai. * gay rugby team in south africa *

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. 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.

MEET SOUTH AI'S FIRST OPENLY GAY GBY TEAM

Ai’s first gay gby team is tacklg stereotyp as seeks to rec new members, g a provotive advertisg mpaign which has sparked a bate about homophobia sport. * gay rugby team in south africa *

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? 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.

GAY RUGBY BRIDG DIVI SOUTH AI

The group has also started up advertisg mpaigns g some of the hostile, homophobic slurs that are normally directed at gay men South Ai by turng them upsi down and owng them. * gay rugby team in south africa *

“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’.

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. Found on 20 Augt 2015, Ai’s first gay gby team began their journey wh simple ials of creatg a safe and harassment-ee environment for everyone to enjoy the game of gby.

SOUTH AI’S GAY GBY TEAM A MPAIGN TO CLU GAY PEOPLE THE WORLD OF SPORTS

South Ai's Jozi Cats, the first gay gby team ai, is g provotive advertisg mpaign to rec members to s club. * gay rugby team in south africa *

Havas PR, of which Chris is the head, vised a bold mpaign to tackle homophobia gby and turn gay stereotyp si out. It challenged the public by askg, “What do a gay gby player look like? ” and ed the typil gay slurs one would hear on the sports field.

The Rugby, That’s so Gay global mpaign lnched on 4 May 2016 and went viral.

AI'S FIRST GAY GBY TEAM LNCH PROVOTIVE RECMENT MPAIGN

In sports-crazed South Ai, gby equals manls, but now the untry’s first gay gby club is challengg stereotyp. CNN’s David McKenzie reports. * gay rugby team in south africa *

Ai’s first gay gby tour menced December 2016 and the Jozi Cats set their sights on shiftg the nservative narrative of gby South Ai. We beme Ai’s first gay and clive petive gby club 2015 where anyone regardls of their sexual orientatn, genr inty or genr exprsn n enjoy the game of gby a safe space whether as a player, official or spectator.

AI’S FIRST GAY RUGBY TEAM “JOZI CATS” TACKL HOMOPHOBIA

South Ai's first gay gby team is planng a tour to the sport's tradnal heartlands to tackle discrimatn head-on. * gay rugby team in south africa *

Jozi Cats ters for experienced players and adult begners both touch and ntact gby, as well as reprentg South Ai ternatnal gay clive gby as the only club Ai that belongs to the IGR, the global anisatn for gay and clive gby. Our sights are set firmly on growg gay and clive gby wh Jozi Cats Rugby Club and the rt of the untry, while ensurg we rema a safe and harassment-ee environment for everyone who shar the valu.

South Ai's Jozi Cats, the first gay gby team Ai, is g a provotive advertisg mpaign to rec members to s club.

AI’S FIRST GAY GBY CLUB SHATTERS STEREOTYP

In a bid to fight stereotyp, the Jozi Cats, South Ai's first gay gby team has lnched a mpaign to rec more members to their team * gay rugby team in south africa *

"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. "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. "The tth of the matter is that many of our players don't feel like they n be openly gay and be a gby player South Ai, " said Jozi Cats chairman Tevhan Kuni.

GAY SA GBY TEAM HEADG TO HEARTLANDS

The group has also started up advertisg mpaigns g some of the hostile, homophobic slurs that are normally directed at gay men South Ai by turng them upsi down and owng them. The Gayly- 5/11/2016 @ 1:45 p.

At the time, to me, the ia of gay gby didn’t sound so out of the ordary. I mean, there were gay sports leagu all over the world, and I didn’t perceive South Ai to be a place that wasn’t tolerant of queers — but apparently I wasn’t totally clued to the homophobia that exists sports South Ai.

They hired a PR firm that staged a bold mpaign that turned gay stereotyp si out by challengg you to ask “what do a gay gby player look like?

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

” and ed the typil gay slurs one would hear on the sports field to tackle homophobia gby. The “Rugby, That’s So Gay” mpaign lnched that May and went viral. Ai’s first gay gby tour menced December 2016, wh sights firmly set on shiftg the nservative narrative of gby South Ai.

WATCH AS SOUTH AI'S FIRST GAY GBY TEAM TACKL PREJUDICE

They traveled throughout South Ai, creatg awarens that homophobia had no place sport and even hosted gby clics to spire other LGBTQ muni around the untry to start their own safe muny space to enjoy gby. The world of sports is still a place where homophobia ns rampant. Jozi Cats is the first gby team South Ai that clus gay people, and to rec new members, the team has started a mpaign lled What Kd of Player Are You?

The mpaign aims to change how people see mascule stereotyp, mostly when to draw attentn, the team ed homophobic slurs alongsi provotive photos. “Our job, ultimately, is to get the word out there that there is a place where you n be gay and a gby player, and be who you are whout fear of discrimatn, ” head of Havas Public Relatns South Ai said.

MEET AI'S FIRST GAY CLIVE GBY CLUB

The group has also created que a marketg mpaign, g some of the slurs and other homophobic terms ed agast gay men South Ai, turng them upsi down and owng them. South Ai’s Jozi Cats, the first gay gby team ai, is g provotive advertisg mpaign to rec members to s the macho world of sports, ’s not easy to be openly gay — and sults like the make difficult to e out the locker 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 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.

“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. In sports-crazed South Ai, gby equals manls, but now the untry's first gay gby club is challengg stereotyp.

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

Johannburg - South Ai's first gay gby team is planng a tour to the sport's tradnal heartlands to tackle discrimatn chairman of Johannburg-based Jozi Cats, as well as one of the players, Tevhan Kuni has e up wh the risky plan as he bids to eventually enter the team to a lol plans a December tour of the Free State and possibly Wtern Cape - the natn's tradnal gby heartlands - to get the Cats playg their first match, as well as holdg achg clics unr-privileged Cats are affiliated to the Wanrers Rugby Club Johannburg's affluent district away om liberal Sandton, Kuni accepts a team of gay gby players may not be weled wh open arms. "Kuni was Berl to take part a tournament - "The Bash About" - for some 125 mostly gay players, wh 30 natnali reprented, om some of the 70 gay gby clubs around the Ai has some of the most open laws on the Ain ntent, where homosexualy is a crime some 40 marriage has been legal South Ai sce 2006.

*BEAR-MAGAZINE.COM* GAY RUGBY TEAM IN SOUTH AFRICA

Meet South Ai's first openly gay gby team | The Gayly .

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