Liam Napier: First openly gay All Black Campbell Johnstone’s journey shows how far New Zealand still has to go - NZ Herald

Contents:

• RUGBY STARS REACT AS CAMPBELL JOHNSTONE BE FIRST OPENLY GAY ALL BLACK
• FIRST OPENLY GAY ALL BLACK CAMPBELL JOHNSTONE ANNOUNC ENGAGEMENT
• LIAM NAPIER: FIRST OPENLY GAY ALL BLACK CAMPBELL JOHNSTONE’S JOURNEY SHOWS HOW FAR NEW ZEALAND STILL HAS TO GO
• FIRST ALL BLACK PLAYER TO PUBLICLY E OUT AS GAY TELLS HIS STORY
• CAMPBELL JOHNSTONE BE FIRST OPENLY GAY ALL BLACK
• CAMPBELL JOHNSTONE BE FIRST ALL BLACK TO E OUT AS GAY
• DIVERSY SPORT: WHY THE FIRST OPENLY GAY ALL BLACK MATTERS
• RUGBY STARS SHOW SUPPORT FOR FIRST OPENLY GAY ALL BLACK
• FIRST ALL BLACK NEW ZEALAND PLAYER OUT AS OPENLY GAY
• FORMER NEW ZEALAND GBY PLAYER CAMPBELL JOHNSTONE BE FIRST ALL BLACK TO E OUT AS GAY
• RUGBY: ALL BLACKS STARS REACT TO FORMER TT PROP CAMPBELL JOHNSTONE G OUT AS GAY
• ‘IT N ACTUALLY HELP OTHER PEOPLE’: CAMPBELL JOHNSTONE OUT AS THE FIRST OPENLY GAY ALL BLACK
• RUGBY: CAMPBELL JOHNSTONE BE FIRST ALL BLACK TO PUBLICLY E OUT AS GAY

RUGBY STARS REACT AS CAMPBELL JOHNSTONE BE FIRST OPENLY GAY ALL BLACK

Photo / GettyCurrent All Blacks have praised former prop Campbell Johnstone after he has bee the first All Black to publicly e out as gay. “If I n be the first All Black that out as gay and take away the prsure and the stigma surroundg the whole issue then n actually help other people.

"I'm also hopg to help open the door for anyone stgglg this space" ❤️Former All Blacks prop Campbell Johnstone has e out as the first openly gay male New Zealand gby player — World Rugby (@WorldRugby) January 30, 2023. Sport Mister and openly gay MP Grant Robertson shared his support for Johnstone on Instagram, llg “a big moment”.

FIRST OPENLY GAY ALL BLACK CAMPBELL JOHNSTONE ANNOUNC ENGAGEMENT

”In 2019, All Black halfback TJ Perenara spoke out about his support for the Rabow muny and the age-old qutn - are Kiwis ready for a gay All Black?

”Perenara said he uldn’t speak on behalf of the All Blacks on whether fans would be ready for an openly gay All Black, but he hoped Kiwis were.

LIAM NAPIER: FIRST OPENLY GAY ALL BLACK CAMPBELL JOHNSTONE’S JOURNEY SHOWS HOW FAR NEW ZEALAND STILL HAS TO GO

The first All Black to publicly e out as gay has announced his engagement to Ben Thomson. Campbell Johnstone, a ont-rower who played three tts for the All Blacks 2005, revealed he was gay at the begng of the year a momento tone for New Zealand gby.

FIRST ALL BLACK PLAYER TO PUBLICLY E OUT AS GAY TELLS HIS STORY

He was also probably gay — and until now his full story has never been told. And he was gay.

CAMPBELL JOHNSTONE BE FIRST OPENLY GAY ALL BLACK

While New Zealand was on s first openly gay All Black, Vcent was probably s first gay pta. While one of his clost nfidant, ternatnally acclaimed jazz sger Mallm McNeill, said of his homosexualy, “Who r? “I look at this way: you uld be lbian, you uld be straight, you uld be gay, but do that worry me?

Young, a tap-dancg hooker on that team, says he didn’t know if Vcent was gay and would never have thought to ask, scribg as a “no-no” subject. Says Nev MacEwan, an All Black 1956: “I had my spicns when he never married and went to San Francis to live, but he never did anythg around the team that would lead you to thk he was gay. The ia that Vcent settled the Bay Area bee he was gay don’t que add up, says Jerry Murphy, who played unr Vcent when he first started achg at St Mary’s and remaed a lifelong iend.

Pat me here the mid-60s, and the gay scene San Francis didn’t really blossom till the 80s, at the earlit ’75. Murphy said that while there were clearly gay men and women around the mp and the ci, there wasn’t an epicentre for the scene, like the Castro suburb of San Francis would later bee.

CAMPBELL JOHNSTONE BE FIRST ALL BLACK TO E OUT AS GAY

The tth was, would have been extremely difficult to be openly gay and live onse at a Catholic llege, but “at that time I don’t thk anybody gay anywhere had an easy time beg openly gay”, Murphy ntu. However, Jeff Hollgs, a New Zealanr who played for the US Eagl at hooker and has ma his home San Francis for 40 years, says was well known Vcent was gay. Although 's accurate that an exuberantly public scene did not emerge until the 80s, Hollgs says a flourishg gay muny existed at Berkeley before “migratg” across the Bay Bridge wh the emergence of the Beat Generatn and the San Francis Renaissance.

Dpe this, particularly given that he lived and tght on a Catholic mp, would have been difficult for Vcent to live openly as a gay man. The fascatn belongs the fact that spe there beg close to 1200 All Blacks throughout history, none have been openly gay. It is statistilly improbable for that to be the se, so you look at the reasons why, spe New Zealand beg proud of s diverse, clive society, s most inic sportg brand remas whout a gay male totem.

You also n’t help but wonr if the “normalisatn” of homosexualy New Zealand would take a great leap forward if was acknowledged that there have been gay players their past and, undoubtedly, their future..

DIVERSY SPORT: WHY THE FIRST OPENLY GAY ALL BLACK MATTERS

In the 1950s, there was nothg normal about beg homosexual.

Even now, his teammat feel pelled to fend him as if the suggtn he was gay was not a part of his character, but a slur on . The Homosexual Law Reform Act, which would crimalise sex between nsentg men, was not passed until 1986.

RUGBY STARS SHOW SUPPORT FOR FIRST OPENLY GAY ALL BLACK

Today is a signifint day, bee for the first time an All Black is puttg on the rerd publicly that he’s gay.

The prop played three All Black Tt match 2005 and ma 72 appearanc for Canterbury and 38 for the told his fay and close iends he was gay but tonight he’s openg up publicly the hope will help other players.

"If I n be the first All Black that out as gay and take away the prsure and stigma surroundg the issue n actually help other people, " Johnstone said. Campbell Johnstone has bee the first All Black to publicly e out as gay. In 2019, All Black halfback TJ Perenara spoke out about his support for the Rabow muny and the age-old qutn - are Kiwis ready for a gay All Black?

FIRST ALL BLACK NEW ZEALAND PLAYER OUT AS OPENLY GAY

Perenara said he uldn’t speak on behalf of the All Blacks on whether fans would be ready for an openly gay All Black, but he hoped Kiwis were.

Former New Zealand prop Campbell Johnstone has bee the first All Black to e out as gay, sayg on a televisn programme on Monday he had been "livg a lie" and leadg "a double life" before acknowledgg his sexualy.

FORMER NEW ZEALAND GBY PLAYER CAMPBELL JOHNSTONE BE FIRST ALL BLACK TO E OUT AS GAY

New Zealand Sports Mister and former puty Prime Mister Grant Robertson, who is gay, thanked Johnstone for "blazg this trail" and said his announcement was "a big moment". Earlier this year, former All Black Campbell Johnstone me out as gay - the first top-tier Kiwi male gby player to do so. He anised the world's first gay gby match: Wellgton's Krazy Knights faced off agast the Ponsonby Hero.

"Homophobic language was probably rife, and there weren't role mols, " Knight tells The Detail. Knight adms he got "a b teary" when he saw Johnstone say he was gay.

Current All Blacks have praised former prop Campbell Johnstone after he has bee the first All Black to publicly e out as gay. Sign up to our ee sport newsletter for all the latt news on everythg om cyclg to boxgSign up to our ee sport email for all the latt newsFormer New Zealand prop Campbell Johnstone has bee the first All Black to e out as gay, sayg on a televisn programme he had been “livg a lie” and leadg “a double life” before acknowledgg his sexualy. “If I n be the first All Black that out as gay and take away the prsure and stigma surroundg the issue n actually help other people, ” Johnstone said.

RUGBY: ALL BLACKS STARS REACT TO FORMER TT PROP CAMPBELL JOHNSTONE G OUT AS GAY

We want to be clear, no matter who you love, gby has your back, ” Robson Zealand Sports Mister and former puty Prime Mister Grant Robertson, who is gay, thanked Johnstone for “blazg this trail” and said his announcement was “a big moment”. "Homophobic language was probably rife, and there weren't role mols, " Knight tells The Detail. Former New Zealand gby player Campbell Johnstone beme the first All Black to e out publicly as gay, an terview wh TVNZ’s Seven Sharp on Monday.

New Zealand gby stars have ld former tt prop Campbell Johnstone for beg the first openly gay All Black. "If I n be the first All Black that out as gay, and take away the prsure and stigma surroundg the issue, n actually help other people. Sports Mister Grant Robertson, who is also openly gay, and Atralian gby star Sharni Williams have also thanked Johnstone for sharg his story.

‘IT N ACTUALLY HELP OTHER PEOPLE’: CAMPBELL JOHNSTONE OUT AS THE FIRST OPENLY GAY ALL BLACK

‘It n actually help other people’: Campbell Johnstone out as the first openly gay All BlackJanuary 30, 2023 — 6.

43pmCampbell Johnstone has outed himself as the first openly gay player to have reprented New Zealand’s most fluential sportg brand, the All No. “If I n be the first All Black that out as gay and take away the prsure and the stigma surroundg that whole issue, then n actually help other people, ” Johnstone told Seven Sharp.

RUGBY: CAMPBELL JOHNSTONE BE FIRST ALL BLACK TO PUBLICLY E OUT AS GAY

”Johnstone hoped an openly gay All Black uld be one of the fal piec the puzzle of New Zealand sport to show that there is acceptance and normalise sexualy for any young athlet makg their way their chosen out publicly as the first All Black to do so will throw Johnstone’s name to the spotlight and reluctantly, he believ he’s ready for that knowg will help, what was Johnstone’s advice for a young athlete who may be stgglg wh the ia of revealg their sexualy?

In a momento tone for NZ gby, former prop Campbell Johnstone has bee the first All Blacks player - past or prent - to publicly e out as gay. "If I n be the first All Black that out as gay, and take away the prsure and stigma surroundg the issue, n actually help other people, " Johnstone told TVNZ.