Sam Stanley is first English gby player to e out as gay | Rugby Unn News | Sky Sports

Contents:

• DISMANTLG STEREOTYP: 10 INSPIRG GAY RUGBY PLAYERS AND PERSONALI
• LGBT+ HISTORY MONTH: CAMPBELL JOHNSTONE ON BEG THE FIRST GAY ALL BLACK
• SAM STANLEY IS FIRST ENGLISH GBY PLAYER TO E OUT AS GAY
• SAM STANLEY BE FIRST ENGLISH GBY UNN PLAYER TO E OUT AS GAY

DISMANTLG STEREOTYP: 10 INSPIRG GAY RUGBY PLAYERS AND PERSONALI

In light of recent ntroversy regardg homophobic slurs by Israel Fol, we thought we would she a light on 10 fluential gay gby personali. The players have bee a bean of light bee they overme stereotyp and other challeng faced by homosexual athlet way too often. In this article, we’ll name ten of the most notable gay gby personali, analyze their acplishments, discs how they are shapg the game today, and asss their impact on the overall perceptn of homosexual profsnal athlet around the world.

LGBT+ HISTORY MONTH: CAMPBELL JOHNSTONE ON BEG THE FIRST GAY ALL BLACK

That beg said, due to s physily, gby is regard as a “manly” sport, which mak more difficult for gay players to publicly acknowledge their preference. At the same time, there are many misnceptns about this betiful sport, which has led to the margalizatn and targetg of gay players. Some high-profile stars like Israel Fol have recently ma headl due to potentially homophobic posts on social media.

This is one of the ma reasons why reprentativ of World Rugby met wh the lears of Internatnal Gay Rugby (IGR) to help eradite homophobia and tolerance om the game.

Notable homosexual gby players and personali. Here’s a list of ten notable gay gby players and how they are shapg the game today.

SAM STANLEY IS FIRST ENGLISH GBY PLAYER TO E OUT AS GAY

The very first high-profile gby player to ever e out to the public as gay is former Atralian ternatnal Ian Roberts. Even though Ian Roberts may have been the first high-profile player to openly adm beg gay, Keegan Hirst was the first to ever do while still active. Currently a Wakefield Try prop, Hirst has bee one of the most notable gay athlet, earng himself a startg role after signg a ntract wh the League si 2016.

Sam Stanley beme the first openly gay Rugby Unn and Sevens player the UK. Although he never played gby at a profsnal level, Mark Bgham has bee an inic figure for gay gby players and sportspeople around the world.

Known for his heroics durg the September 11 attacks, Bgham was a robt send-row man who played for the gay-clive San Francis Fog RFC. The Mark Kendall Bgham Memorial Tournament, simply known as the Bgham Cup, is a biennial gay gby unn tournament which was held for the first time 2002. Thomas publicly me out 2009 and has sce scribed his experience as a secretly gay player, revealg how the social prsure and stereotyp pose a signifint challenge for many athlet today.

SAM STANLEY BE FIRST ENGLISH GBY UNN PLAYER TO E OUT AS GAY

The Welshman is also a TV personaly and a voted activist for the LGBT e, wng “Gay Sports Personaly of the De” at the Stonewall awards ceremony London back 2015. The Unn Cup is Europe's premier gay-iendly gby tournament and will wele more than 65 LGBTQ+ gby teams, 2, 000 players om over 18 untri and, hopefully, thoands of Bmmie supporters. Gay gby in, Gareth Thomas, is fully mted, sayg: "As one of the most important LGBTQ+ sportg events Europe, I was honoured to get volved the prev Unn Cup Dubl, which broke down social barriers and bridged together muni across Europe.

"There's always been this prsure about 'who is the gay All Black?

Bee Johnstone, 43, was that gay All Black and January he ma headl around the world by speakg publicly about his sexualy for the first time. Listen - LGBT Sport Podst: The one wh Campbell JohnstoneEx-All Black hop g out will 'take away the stigma' of beg gayBorn to a sports-mad fay, Johnstone was troduced to gby by his two olr brothers - who didn't exactly hold back when me to the physily of the game.