The former New Zealand gby player Campbell Johnstone has bee the first All Black to e out as gay, sayg he hoped to ‘take away the prsure and the stigma’ of dog so publicly
Contents:
- CAMPBELL JOHNSON, FORMER ALL BLACKS PRO-RUGBY PLAYER, COM OUT AS GAY
- 20 YEARS OF GAY RUGBY NEW ZEALAND TO BE CELEBRATED ANNIVERSARY MATCH
- FORMER ALL BLACK CAMPBELL JOHNSTONE PRAISED AFTER PUBLICLY G OUT AS GAY
CAMPBELL JOHNSON, FORMER ALL BLACKS PRO-RUGBY PLAYER, COM OUT AS GAY
Auckland’s gay gby team will travel to Wellgton for a game agast the Straight Ups Invatnal XV and mark the begng of gay gby New Zealand. * gay rugby team new zealand *
As New Zealand's only reprentative natnal gay and clive gby team, recently, the NZ Falns played a pose team the Bgham Cup 2022 held Ottawa, Ontar. A former member of the famed New Zealand natnal gby team has e out as gay. He told prenter Hilary Barry he was g out now to help other gay athlet stgglg the closet.
“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, ” the 43-year-old said on Monday. AdvertisementAuckland’s gay gby team will travel to Wellgton for a game agast the Straight Ups Invatnal XV and mark the begng of gay gby New Zealand. October’s game will mark 20 years sce the first match between two gay gby teams New Zealand and the world.
20 YEARS OF GAY RUGBY NEW ZEALAND TO BE CELEBRATED ANNIVERSARY MATCH
The first game between two gay gby teams occurred south Wellgton October 1998. The publicy was about beg able to say y, we’re gay, but we also want to be part of somethg that’s very much a part of our untry’s culture. Twenty years on and the need for gay gby teams is jt as strong, if not stronger than what was 1998.
For most of the time sce that October 1998 game, the Falns remaed New Zealand’s only out gay gby team. That changed this year wh the formatn of the Canterbury Hero Christchurch, a signal of gay gby’s ntual rise across the untry. The importance of gay gby New Zealand over the past 20 years has been two-fold.
Speakg to exprs, Ronan Maoilchrn says that the first is obvly about provg a safe and supportive environment for gay men who love the game of gby unn but have prevly not felt fortable playg. Maoilchrn not the close relatnship the Falns have wh the sport’s erng body, New Zealand Rugby and the approach NZR have towards makg gby New Zealand more gay clive.
FORMER ALL BLACK CAMPBELL JOHNSTONE PRAISED AFTER PUBLICLY G OUT AS GAY
“Havg gay teams such as the Falns, who have a close relatnship wh NZR (New Zealand Rugby), n only be good for makg the game more clive. Given the progrs ma over the past twenty years for gay gby New Zealand, ’s important to acknowledge the event that started all.
“Markg the 20th anniversary of the first gby match between two gay gby teams NZ and the world is important for the club. We want to regnize and remember the guys who’ve led the way for gay gby NZ. The former New Zealand gby player Campbell Johnstone has bee the first All Black to e out as gay, sayg he hoped to “take away the prsure and the stigma” of dog so publicly.
Johnstone, 43, said Seven Sharp TV terview that he had told iends and fay “a long time ago” that he was gay. ”New Zealand’s sports mister, Grant Robertson, who is also gay, said Johnstone had blazed a trail for the natnal team – which is domant on the world stage, venerated at home and has bee a multi-billn dollar global brand. The Black Ferns – the natnal women’s team – has multiple openly gay current and past players, cludg Louisa Wall, a former member of parliament who was part of the wng si at the 1995 Women’s Rugby World has been much rarer for men the sport’s top echelons to e out publicly.