Celebratg 20 Years of the World's First Gay Rugby Club

Contents:

• STEELERS: THE WORLD'S FIRST GAY RUGBY CLUB
• JOG THE WORLD'S FIRST GAY GBY TEAM CHANGED MY LIFE. SO I MA A FILM ABOUT
• CELEBRATG 20 YEARS OF THE WORLD'S FIRST GAY RUGBY CLUB
• STEELERS: THE WORLD’S FIRST GAY RUGBY CLUB 2020
• NEW FILM G TO AMAZON PRIME SHOWS HOW THE WORLD’S FIRST GAY GBY CLUB SAVED LIV AND SMASHED STEREOTYP
• ‘FDG THIS MUNY IS HUGE’: STORY OF WORLD’S FIRST GAY GBY TEAM PTURED ON FILM
• STEELERS: THE WORLD'S FIRST GAY RUGBY CLUB
• STEELERS: THE WORLD'S FIRST GAY RUGBY CLUB
• STEELERS: THE WORLD’S FIRST GAY RUGBY TEAM
• STEELERS - THE WORLD'S FIRST GAY RUGBY CLUB

STEELERS: THE WORLD'S FIRST GAY RUGBY CLUB

We follow the journey of 3 characters the club: the lbian ach fightg misogyny, even the gay worl... We follow the journey of 3 characters the club: the lbian ach fightg misogyny, even the gay world.

JOG THE WORLD'S FIRST GAY GBY TEAM CHANGED MY LIFE. SO I MA A FILM ABOUT

BigRonAApr 20, 2021Contribute to this pageSuggt an ed or add missg ntentWhat is the English language plot outle for Steelers: The World's First Gay Rugby Club (2020)? The former Wallabi prop scribed a moment when he was drivg recklsly, the feelg of “ath felt preferable to anybody disverg [he] was gay. Not jt any gby club, the world’s first gay gby club, the Kgs Cross Steelers London.

Here, queer people were reclaimg their place on the pch – an arena they grew up beg told they didn’t belong Israel Fol began postg “hell awas homosexuals” on social media I realised I had to tell the story of the club – and my own story. Photograph: One Man Band MediaIn fact, om this sgle club, there are now 80 gay and clive gby clubs around the world cludg five Atralia.

There was the ocsnal homophobic sledge, but over time the Steelers won the rpect of the straight burly Brish men bee not only did they beat them on ocsn, they showed them that we’re all pretty much the forward to me takg my mera to Amsterdam to film the club at the Bgham Cup, the world cup of “rabow” gby. It was only when Israel Fol began postg “hell awas homosexuals” on social media that I realised I had to tell the story of the club – and my own like Dan Palmer, I too have Fol to thank small part.

CELEBRATG 20 YEARS OF THE WORLD'S FIRST GAY RUGBY CLUB

His pennt documentary Steelers: the World’s First Gay Rugby Club is cemas across Atralia now. The world's first gay gby club, the Steelers are the subject of a new film.

A new film about Kgs Cross Steelers, the world’s first gay gby club, premier next month at the Glasgow Film Ftival. Created 1995, the club has been a trailblazer for gay and clive gby – today there are almost 100 member clubs listed on the Internatnal Gay Rugby webse. “When we started the club, we were thkg of people who were volved gby and wanted to play a gay muny; after the game they uld go off together to Soho or whatever.

STEELERS: THE WORLD’S FIRST GAY RUGBY CLUB 2020

“In the early days, when you played clubs away om home, you would get all sorts of qutns, like ‘How do gay guys meet? ’ There was a perceptn about the club and the gay muny that we were all soft and like Danny La Rue. “But that perceptn has changed bee more sportsmen and women have e out as beg gay, like Gareth Thomas 2009.

I don’t thk anybody do to mpaign but what we’ve disvered is how helpful we n be both to dividuals and to the gay muny jt by beg there. “It’s a shame that the only openly gay gby player at the moment is Keegan Hirst gby league. “I don’t know if there are guys out there who are gay but if there are I’d like them to feel nfint enough to e out and I thk gby unn is a posn where that uld be the se.

But Craig is an ternatnal referee who happens to be gay. Steelers: The World’s First Gay Rugby Club premier onle at the Glasgow Film Ftival – tickets are available now.

NEW FILM G TO AMAZON PRIME SHOWS HOW THE WORLD’S FIRST GAY GBY CLUB SAVED LIV AND SMASHED STEREOTYP

However, that's not to say 's easy, of urse, and a sport as eply rooted heterosexual masculy as gby is, n be Kgs Cross Steelers were formed 1995 by a group of gay men a pub —spoiler alert—Kg's Cross. Their aim was to create the first gay-clive gby unn team the world. Twenty years later they have a membership of over 120 and are four-time wners of the European Champnships for gay gby story of the world's first gay gby team starts, surprisgly, wh Tory MP and soon to be Lord, Robert Hayward.

‘FDG THIS MUNY IS HUGE’: STORY OF WORLD’S FIRST GAY GBY TEAM PTURED ON FILM

"We never set out as some kd of gay csa. In the early days the Steelers were treated wh cursy by the opposn: "Lots of people, particularly the olr people, would ask how we knew we were gay and where we found our players, " Hayward tells me.

"I wasn't openly gay at that pot and I didn't feel fortable talkg about . "Throughout the club there are stori of players who were keen gby players at school, who were then shunned as soon as they me out as gay. He's played gby for three years, firstly wh the Cardiff Lns, a gay-clive team, before movg to London two years ago.

STEELERS: THE WORLD'S FIRST GAY RUGBY CLUB

I ask him whether beg an openly gay man had been a barrier to jog clubs prevly. So g out to a "straight" club as a gay man mt only make that jog procs even more terrifyg—a feelg Ollie allus to: "When I asked to jo the Cardiff Lns I thought that I was a reasonably nfint person at that pot my life, and I uld jo a straight team, " he says.

I also didn't have a group of gay iends, so I thought this would be a great opportuny to meet likemd people. "Homophobic cints are credibly rare for the team. Chairman Alex has played gay-clive teams for eight years, three at the Steelers and five for a Manchter team, and has only experienced two stanc of homophobic behavr.

STEELERS: THE WORLD'S FIRST GAY RUGBY CLUB

My mat played for a straight team Bristol that had three gay players, but I still uldn't brg myself to do , " he Chris, the Steelers had been more than jt a gby club: he'd moved to London on a Sunday, gone for a social that night, and begun playg on the Tuday. At universy he'd participated gymnastics, hockey, and cheerleadg, often beg the only openly gay man, and hadn't had any issu.

She hadn't prevly been volved gay-clive gby but her first imprsns have been very posive. "It's a lot like beg at a school, really, bee you have the begners, who have wanted to play gby but have never had the opportuny, and you have the players who have played all the way through om youth level, " she experienc women's gby are siar to those that gay players face; stereotyp abound, but they n be shattered by simply watchg a game.

"Before I vised the Steelers I was expectg to see a team worn down by weekly bouts of homophobia om other teams. The Steelers are proof of next step for them will be taken Nashville, Tennsee next year at the Gay World Cup. Directed by Eammon Ashton-Atkson Premier The Steelers journey to pete the World Cup of gay gby this hopeful yet emotnally hont sports documentary about playg for pri, whoever your team is.

STEELERS: THE WORLD’S FIRST GAY RUGBY TEAM

Steelers: World's First Gay Rugby Club is havg s World Premiere cema at The Capol Cema Auckland, on Friday 24 July at 8. In 1995 a bunch of gay men formed the first gay gby club while stg a pub London, the spir of rary (and beer) already apparent. As the players fd their self-nfince on the pch – the playg field beg a great equaliser – you n’t help but root for them and celebrate gay sportg liv.

The new documentary ‘Steelers’ tells the story of the Kg’s Cross Steelers, the world’s first gay gby club. A searg documentary about history-makg gay gby club the Kg’s Cross Steelers will soon be available exclively on Amazon Prime Vio om April 16.

When Israel Fol’s homophobia sent rippl through the world of gby, he had no way of knowg his bigotry would spire a bigger story. Fol’s claims that “hell awas” gay people saw him sacked by Rugby Atralia disgrace.

STEELERS - THE WORLD'S FIRST GAY RUGBY CLUB

“My send was, ‘What if there’s a gay kid that looks up to him? Two years later Eammon’s done jt that wh a new documentary about the Kg’s Cross Steelers – the world’s first gay gby club. “They were gog to the pths of Essex, playg agast the straight clubs, many of whose players might never have met an openly gay man, let alone an openly gay sportsman.

“By beg there, playg gby, showed people that not only n gay men be good sports players, but they’re jt like you and I.

“For whatever reason, the kids at school worked out that I was gay before I even knew . “They played up to all the stereotyp, that gay people have limp wrists and n’t throw a ball, so I was never really given the opportuny to succeed or to practice or to belong a sportg environment.