World's first gay gby club 20 years on | CNN

Contents:

• HEARD OF THE STEELERS? NO, NOT THEM, THE GAY GBY TEAM OM LONDON
• STEELERS: HOW ANTI-GAY ROW SPIRED GBY FILM
• WILLIAMGAY
• CALIFORNIA SCHOOL BOARD ADOPTS SOCIAL STUDI TEXTBOOKS THAT CLU GAY RIGHTS AFTER WARNGS OM ERNOR
• FORMER NFL QUARTERBACK OPENS UP ABOUT RUMORS HE WAS GAY
• JAGUARS ASSOCIATE STRENGTH ACH KEV MAXEN OUT AS GAY A FIRST FOR US-BASED PRO LEAGU
• STEELERS' WILLIAM GAY ON LOSG HIS MOTHER TO DOMTIC VLENCE: 'I STARTED SEEG EVIL'
• STEELERS: THE WORLD'S FIRST GAY RUGBY CLUB
• WILLIAM GAY
• MEN'S WILLIAM GAY #22 STEELERS LIMED PLAYER JERSEY WHE
• WORLD’S FIRST GAY GBY CLUB TURNS 20: ‘NO-ONE HAD SEEN PLAYERS LIKE BEFORE’
• AN O TO WILLIAM GAY: SO MUCH MORE THAN NO. 22 FOR THE STEELERS

HEARD OF THE STEELERS? NO, NOT THEM, THE GAY GBY TEAM OM LONDON

Niamh LewisMar 1, 2021, 09:52 AM ETWhen Eammon Ashton-Atkson, an Atralian televisn reporter, cid to film his gby club as they went to the biannual Bgham Cup 2018, he uld never have imaged the posive reactn a documentary about would film Steelers is about London-based Kgs Cross Steelers, the world's first gay gby club and one of over 60 such sis world-wi. Although the stori the film are related to the stggl of g out, prsn, and a history of bullyg for beg gay, they're are told a way which wir dienc n empathise wh. "It's a story about a gay gby club, but 's also a story about human stggle, and people g sport and their sense of muny to help each other, which is universal, " Ashton-Atkson told ESPN.

STEELERS: HOW ANTI-GAY ROW SPIRED GBY FILM

"She's got a certifite for the hight achg level, and sce she left the Steelers she's been nsistently overlooked and not even shortlisted [for jobs] than men who are ls qualified and ls experienced than her, which is heart-breakg and disgtg, " Ashton-Atkson beg gay 2021 wtern society is often unremarkable today, you don't have to go back very far to fd trmatic stori.

"But, if 's easier to e out now, then why do we need gay gby clubs?

"That's a thought that do go through your md, and while 's generally a posive there are still pockets of homophobia.

WILLIAMGAY

Then, 2019, Atralia's Israel Fol spouted his famo anti-gay ments on Instagram, sayg "hell awas" gay opened the drawer and started the ed aga om scratch, and turned to the unnventnal documentary has bee.

"Wh beg gay, you don't thk that I grew up sperately wantg to change my sexualy, like, wishg the gay away? They were dubbed the tabloids as 'Harlequeens, ' there was homophobic ments, and a fear over ntractg HIV and AIDS.

"For those of who grew up when wasn't ok to be gay, jt really before the ter was mon, there was huge stigma.

CALIFORNIA SCHOOL BOARD ADOPTS SOCIAL STUDI TEXTBOOKS THAT CLU GAY RIGHTS AFTER WARNGS OM ERNOR

You had Margaret Thatcher's Sectn 28 [a law brought the UK by a Conservative ernment om 1988-2003 to the "prohib the promotn of homosexualy"], misnceptns about the HIV vis, " Ashton-Atkson explas. "For those guys who were settg up that team 1995, they were real trailblazers bee they were gog out to different teams Essex week--week out smashg down stereotyp one game of gby at a time and om what I heard, the men Essex, they had never met an openly gay man before, let alone an openly gay sportsman. However, "There are still issu wh homophobia and homophobic language beg ed on the pch.

FORMER NFL QUARTERBACK OPENS UP ABOUT RUMORS HE WAS GAY

"And one of the thgs we've been workg on wh Harlequs and Monash Universy is that a lot of that isn't actually homophobia, 's the culture of clubs, the challeng of languag not beg followed through. William Gay.

JAGUARS ASSOCIATE STRENGTH ACH KEV MAXEN OUT AS GAY A FIRST FOR US-BASED PRO LEAGU

One of the bt late-round draft picks recent Steelers history, William Gay played a total of 10 seasons Ptsburgh wh one year Arizona sprkled midway through his reer.

Appearg 175 gam for the Steelers between the regular season and postseason, Gay had six reer fensive touchdowns cludg a fumble return the 2010 AFC Champnship Game agast the New York Jets. Gay also add six sacks to go along wh his 11 regular-season terceptns while Ptsburgh.

Released followg the 2017 season, Gay spent trag mp wh the New York Giants 2018, but failed to make the team. A Southern California school board on Friday adopted a social studi curriculum that clus gay rights that was approved by parents and teachers after ially rejectg . “Unr the headg ‘Protts, ’ one paragraph discs gay rights California and unr the headg ‘Court Cas, ’ there are two paragraphs that discs the urt s that allowed gay marriage California.

STEELERS' WILLIAM GAY ON LOSG HIS MOTHER TO DOMTIC VLENCE: 'I STARTED SEEG EVIL'

She said a supplemental rource lists Harvey Milk, a gay rights activist and polician who was assassated 1978, along wh San Francis Mayor Gee Mosne. Milk was believed to be the first openly gay person elected to public office California.

LGBTQ sex lumnist Dan Savage noted that Earrg Magic Ken’s wardrobe rembled outfs seen at gay rav a few years prr (leave to Ken to be jt behd the tim).

STEELERS: THE WORLD'S FIRST GAY RUGBY CLUB

And to many who’d seen the doll, the rg around his neck rembled a certa sex toy popular among straight and gay men alike. Even though Mattel nied that he was signed wh gay men md, he was one of the few mastream toys at the time that stck a chord wh LGBTQ nsumers. Stewart, who is not gay, said he felt attacked by the cy of Ptsburgh for the mor, which he said the Steelers found was started by an dividual lol police officer.

-based profsnal league to e out as gay. Michael Sam beme the first openly gay player to be drafted when the then-St.

WILLIAM GAY

When Ptsburgh Steelers rnerback William Gay was 7-years-old, his world me crashg down around him when his beloved mother was fatally shot by his stepfather.

Carolyn Hall had attempted to leave the abive relatnship she was wh Gay’s stepfather when he found her, shot her, then killed himself, leavg Gay whout a mother.

MEN'S WILLIAM GAY #22 STEELERS LIMED PLAYER JERSEY WHE

His lovg grandmother raised him, but the pa of that tragic day never left Gay. “Up until I was 12-years-old, I was gog down the wrong path, ” Gay, 30, tells PEOPLE.

WORLD’S FIRST GAY GBY CLUB TURNS 20: ‘NO-ONE HAD SEEN PLAYERS LIKE BEFORE’

The hurt and anger that Gay felt si end up cripplg him. Gay had even given up school when he fally found his turng pot: football.

Dpe all the succs he’s found on the field, Gay says his bt work is done behd the scen. Gay’s passn for advocy has led him to team up wh Verizon for their HopeLe program, which has llected lns of phon to support non-prof domtic vlence anizatns sce 2001.

AN O TO WILLIAM GAY: SO MUCH MORE THAN NO. 22 FOR THE STEELERS

“It sounds so simple, but allows victims and survivors to nnect wh loved on wh a private le or simply have a way to munite wh a hotle, ” Gay says. As Gay prepar to enter to his nth year wh the NFL, he’ll ntue to e his star power as a vehicle to stop domtic abe, pecially as programs are put place to rolve the current domtic vlence issue that exists wh the league. DB William GayJay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports.

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. Read allSee productn, box office & pany More like thisReview Emotnally engagg portrayalA great documentary that ptur the journey for many gay men, through the ey of a few players om the world's first gay gby journey towards belongg is poignant and is one that everyone the cema related to, what was a very vulnerable and hont portrayal.