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
• STEVEN DAVI BEME THE FIRST OPENLY GAY PROFSNAL CRICKETER - AND HAS NEVER BEEN HAPPIER
• 'BRAVE' CRICKETER DAVI REVEALS HE IS GAY
• STEVEN DAVI BACKED AFTER NFIRMG HE IS GAY
• STEVEN DAVI REVEALS HE IS GAY
• ENGLAND CRICKETER REVEALS HE IS GAY
• ENGLAND CRICKETER DAVI ADMS BEG GAY
• HEATH DAVIS BE FIRST MALE NEW ZEALAND CRICKETER TO E OUT AS GAY

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

But an creasg number of openly gay female cricketers are experiencg the petive dilemmas.

The outlet Cricket Monthly recently ran a long feature story on the phenomenon of openly gay female cricket players. While Bnt and Sciver are one of only three engaged or married upl who play on the same ternatnal cricket team, there are gay players all over the sport. And this XI all have one thg mon – they are gay.

Set up 1996 wh the aim of providg an “opportuny for people to watch and play cricket irrpective of genr or sexual orientatn, ” a world where beg gay wasn’t always accepted, Grac have bee a haven for people to e to terms wh their sexualy while also allowg them to play cricket. They’ve often e om societi where is illegal to be gay and the opportuny to meet like-md dividuals is somethg that Sam Nimaiyar, who was born India, has valued immensely. But for Chris Sherwood – the club’s prs and publicy officer – beg able to play cricket and not stand out for beg gay is one of Grac’ unique appeal.

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

“It’s nice not to be ‘the gay one, ’” Sherwood said. “I always feel like if I was a straight team, ’s like ‘oh Chris, he’s the gay one’ and then I have to e out. “This is the reason ’s difficult for people to e out bee there’s all this banter about gay beg lser somehow and to sudnly go ‘that’s me, I’m gay, ’ ’s que a difficult thg to do.

'BRAVE' CRICKETER DAVI REVEALS HE IS GAY

Modi moved om India to the UK 2004 and although he had known he was gay for the prev 18 months, he’d never had any gay relatnships. Upon movg to London, a batn of his membership at Grac, his new gay iends and his ex-boyiend – whom he still creds for much of the posive aspects of his life – Modi cid to e out to the most important person his life – his dad. In tradnal Indian culture, where arranged marriag are often the norm, to have an openly gay relative would harm a fay’s abily to attract potentially prospero spo.

STEVEN DAVI BACKED AFTER NFIRMG HE IS GAY

Although is timated that the law change affected 104 ln gay Indians, is still not monplace to be openly gay Indian society.

STEVEN DAVI REVEALS HE IS GAY

Whether is bee of tradnal attus or homophobic beliefs that still permeate through the untry as a rult of relig iologi, the numbers of openly gay people India is disproportnate to the populatn of India. It’s impossible to ppot a sgular actn that will fively change the perspective of the Indian populatn of the LGBT muny, but speakg to Modi and Nimaiyar, is clear that they believe that havg famo Indian ins – whether they are sports stars or celebri other walks of life – voice their support for the LGBT muny, is somethg that uld signifintly help gay people. However, she advised him not to e out to his brother and father bee “they would rather you be a rapist or murrer than gay.

And isn’t jt the ethnic ntgent of the club who have had to al wh homophobic abe durg their liv. There is nothg wrong wh beg gay. ” Not only was Root standg up on behalf of all gay cricket players, but subsequently srg a century after makg the ment, he did what the members at Grac’ have learnt to do – let the cricket do the talkg.

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. Cricketer Steve Davi is the first and only English male pro to e out as gay.

ENGLAND CRICKETER REVEALS HE IS GAY

Gay cricket ach and activist Sam Schofield has cricised the England and Wal Cricket Board (ECB) for “lettg down” the LGBTQ+ muny. 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.

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. 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.

ENGLAND CRICKETER DAVI ADMS BEG GAY

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. ’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.

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