10 Gay Rugby Players Who Ma Their Come Out - Disver Walks Blog

Contents:

• DAN PALMER PRAISED AFTER BEG FIRST WALLABI PLAYER TO E OUT AS GAY
• RUGBY ATRALIA STRIK ALLIANCE WH ATRALIA'S GAY AND CLIVE RUGBY CLUBS
• FORMER WALLABI PROP BE FIRST ATRALIAN GBY TERNATNAL TO E OUT AS GAY
• 10 GAY RUGBY PLAYERS WHO MA THEIR COME OUT
• IS GBY AS GAY AS LOOKS? A CURUFC PLAYER’S PERSPECTIVE
• 'MY OWN ATH FELT PREFERABLE TO ANYBODY DISVERG': FORMER WALLABY DAN PALMER OUT AS GAY POWERFUL LUMN
• DAN PALMER, FORMER PRO GBY PLAYER, OUT AS GAY TEAR-JERKER OP-ED

DAN PALMER PRAISED AFTER BEG FIRST WALLABI PLAYER TO E OUT AS GAY

Palmer tailed the mental health issu and dg problems he experienced when g to terms wh his sexualy, although he said he never felt discrimated agast durg his playg the long-nng Israel Fol saga, which rulted the wger’s sackg by Rugby Atralia after he posted on social media that “hell awas” gay people, was a ntributg factor his cisn to wre the lumn. ”Former Wal pta Thomas revealed he was gay 2009, while still actively playg. Many others have done so the women’s game, to far ls Denison, a rearcher wh Monash Universy’s School of Social Scienc who has nducted studi examg homophobia and homophobic behavur gby, said the siari between the stori of Palmer and Thomas highlighted the lack of progrs on the issue sport environments.

“There has been a dramatic improvement public attus towards gay people general society, but we haven’t seen the same chang sport where the nstant e of homophobic language creat a culture where gay people feel unwele, ” Denison said. “I’m hopeful that people wh the gby muny will regnise the siary between the stori and unrstand the urgent need to addrs the culture that mak gay people feel unwele and that they have to hi their sexualy to be accepted gby. ”Much progrs has been ma by gby unn recent years, cludg a formal agreement ma between Rugby Atralia and LGBTQ+ and clive teams to fight wh no openly gay active male players, Michael Smh of Internatnal Gay Rugby said there was far more work to be done to create sportg environments which men felt fortable to be themselv.

“Dpe all the progrs we’ve ma around gay rights society, gay athlet still feel like they need to hi their sexualy. “Atralian gby, and the gby teams which Dan played for, have been credibly supportive of the need to addrs homophobia. We need to addrs the disnnect between everyone’s sire to be clive and the actual experienc of gay players.

RUGBY ATRALIA STRIK ALLIANCE WH ATRALIA'S GAY AND CLIVE RUGBY CLUBS

“Most gay male athlet still feel they need to hi their sexualy. The top eight teams qualify for the was the only club planng to wear a pri jersey this Manly forward Ian Roberts, who the 1990s was the first high-profile gby league player to e out as gay, said he was not surprised by the players’ cisn. “As an olr gay man I’m ed to this.

Rugby Atralia has stck a formal alliance wh Atralia’s four gay and clive Rugby Clubs and Internatnal Gay Rugby (IGR) wh the aim of growg Rugby participatn amongst the LGBTIQA+ muny Atralia. Wh a primary charter to grow the participatn rate of people playg Rugby the LGBTIQA+ muny, the Commtee will look to intify barriers and propose solutns to promote participatn, as well as tg the Rugby muny about the impact of homophobia on the safety and wellbeg of LGBTIQA+ participants. The Commtee will also look to strengthen and grow the existg four gay and clive Rugby Clubs – Sydney Convicts, Melbourne Chargers, Brisbane Htlers and Perth Rams – and support the velopment of new Clubs.

FORMER WALLABI PROP BE FIRST ATRALIAN GBY TERNATNAL TO E OUT AS GAY

Rugby Atralia Chief Executive, Raelene Castle said: “Rugby Atralia has worked closely wh the gay and clive Rugby clubs to velop a program to further support the velopment of Rugby the LGBTIQA+ muny. As part of the partnership, Rugby Atralia will also work alongsi the clubs and IGR to brg the Bgham Cup - the biennial world champnships of gay Rugby - back to Atralia, havg hosted the tournament for the first time 2014 Sydney.

Former Wallabi prop be first Atralian gby ternatnal to e out as gay (Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Imag) One-tt Atralia prop Dan Palmer has bee the first Wallabi player to e out as gay, wrg a newspaper lumn on Friday of mental health issu and dg problems while g to terms wh his 32-year-old wrote the Sydney Morng Herald of the anguish of “livg the dream” as an ele athlete while beg trapped a “false narrative”.

It is not an exaggeratn to say my own ath felt preferable to anybody disverg I was gay. After gog public 2009, Thomas also revealed stggl wh personal mons while ncealg his, who played tighthead prop for Atralia agast Stland 2012, said he had overdosed on pakillers while France and woken up a “pool of the prev day’s food” moment was transformative, and he flew to London to share his secret for the first time wh a he said he had never felt discrimated agast the gby environment, Palmer was motivated to e out after former Wallabi fullback Israel Fol posted on social media that hell awas “homosexuals” who do not, a fundamentalist Christian, had his Wallabi ntract torn up by Rugby Atralia last might be achg royalty New Zealand but Steve Hansen's been given a prod om his succsor to leave the All Blacks alone. ”Only a handful of ele gby unn players have e Stanley, who played gby sevens for England, beme the first English profsnal gby unn player to e out ternatnal gby unn referee Nigel Owens, one of the game’s most popular and regnisable officials, me out 2007 and long champned cln for gay sportsmen and ’s lumn triggered an outpourg of support om former team mat and other gby figur.

10 GAY RUGBY PLAYERS WHO MA THEIR COME OUT

Rugby is one of the most loved sports the world and due to s physily, is regard as a “manly” sport, which mak more difficult for gay players to publicly acknowledge their preference. The players have bee a bean of light bee they overme stereotyp and other challeng faced by homosexual athlet way too often. Nigel Owens, one of the bt refere the world, is openly gay and has been vol about how the gby world has been hugely acmodatg.

It is the sport’s rponsibily to posively promote anti-homophobia, and anti-bullyg general, so that the majory of people who are acceptg have a lour voice than those who prott. In this article, we’ll look at 10 Gay Rugby Players and how they are shapg the game today.

In the gby world, he tak cred as the very first high-profile player to ever e out to the public as gay. After his Saturday afternoon on the pch, is reported that Roberts would spend Saturday night on Oxford Street, Sydney’s gay quarter. His brave actn saw other gay gby players g out publicly to nfs their sexual orientatn.

IS GBY AS GAY AS LOOKS? A CURUFC PLAYER’S PERSPECTIVE

Followg the footsteps of Ian Roberts who may have been the first high-profile player to openly adm beg gay, Keegan Hirst was arguably the first ever to do while still actively playg gby. Currently a Wakefield Try prop, Hirst has bee one of the most notable gay athlet, earng him a startg role after signg a ntract wh the League si 2016.

In an terview wh the Sunday Mirror, the now divorced father of two and self-nfsed gay tells of the moment he fally found the words to expla to his wife the reason they uld no longer be together. Sam Stanley beme the first openly gay Rugby Unn and Sevens player the UK 2015.

'MY OWN ATH FELT PREFERABLE TO ANYBODY DISVERG': FORMER WALLABY DAN PALMER OUT AS GAY POWERFUL LUMN

He fends himself by sayg, “Millns of people are the suatn, even people who have been Lrence’s (his partner) suatn and they are still married but are gay. He is one of the current crop of players who have e out openly to say that they are gay.

As a young spired player he stated, “…this is pretty spirg for me as a fairly new player who happens to be gay, I had held off pursug gby bee of but the guys i play wh give no shs whatsoever and we have good banter about . Shame some ele gby players are still sayg anti-gay thgs on social media. A large athlete at 6 ft 4 (193 cm) and 225 pounds (102 kg), Bgham was a robt send-row man who played for the gay-clive San Francis Fog RFC and was a favore for his teammat the gby songs that he tght them.

This also ma him bee an inic figure for gay gby players and sportspeople around the world. To honor him, The Mark Kendall Bgham Memorial Tournament, simply known as the Bgham Cup and was started 2002, is a biennial gay gby unn tournament is named after the former gby player.

DAN PALMER, FORMER PRO GBY PLAYER, OUT AS GAY TEAR-JERKER OP-ED

Gareth ‘Alfie’ Thomas was a profsnal Welsh Rugby player who broke one of the biggt taboos the sport when he announced his homosexualy 2009. In 2010 he was voted the most fluential gay person the UK The Inpennt on Sunday Pk Listand received Stonewall’s Hero of the Year. He scribed his experience as a secretly gay player, revealg how social prsure and stereotyp pose a signifint challenge for many athlet today.

He is a voted activist for the LGBT e, wng “Gay Sports Personaly of the De” at the Stonewall awards ceremony London back 2015.

The 36-year-old Texas-born athlete has e a long way om the homophobia she wnsed firsthand high school. “One of my iends got cut om the basketball team bee she was gay.