"Exeter powerhouse" - Pride Weekend: Five out and proud male rugby stars
Rugby NewsSaturday, 27 January 2024 at 14:46
Premiership Rugby champion inclusion through celebratory LGBTQ+ Pride Weekend
Continuing their mission to improve inclusivity and representation across the game, Premiership Rugby and its clubs have reimagined Round 12 (26th -28th January) ‘LGBTQ+ Pride Weekend’ in a celebration of the LGBTQ+ community.
The partnership with International Gay Rugby (IGR) continues this season with each Premiership club partnering with a local IGR club to improve education on the challenges faced by members of the LGBTQ+ community, whilst fostering greater relationships at a grassroots level.
explains;
“The LGBTQ+ Pride Weekend is a very clear statement that Premiership Rugby is committed to raising awareness, ensuring inclusion and stamping out discrimination at every level. The work of Stonewall and IGR unfortunately is far from over, so we are proud to stand amongst allies in the battle for equality on and off the pitch.
'The fact that 82% of LGBTQ+ people who take part in sport experience or witness prejudice and 43% of LGBTQ+ people feel unsafe and unwelcome at public sporting events is not acceptable. By working together, we aim to improve the recognition and respect of the right of any individual to be involved in rugby without discrimination whether that be on the pitch, in the changing room or in the stands.
1. Nigel Owens
Nigel Owens is a well-known figure in the world of rugby, recognized by fans, players, and anyone with even a passing knowledge of the sport. Not only does he hold the record for refereeing the most test matches, but he has also established himself as one of the most respected rugby referees globally.
Beyond his officiating duties, this Welshman has ventured into television and has become a dedicated advocate for the LGBTQ+ community. In recognition of his contributions, he was honored with the title of "Gay Sports Personality of the Decade" at the Stonewall awards ceremony in London in 2015.
"It's such a big taboo to be gay in my line of work, I had to think very hard about it because I didn't want to jeopardise my career," he confessed.
"Coming out was very difficult and I tried to live with who I really was for years. I knew I was 'different' from my late teens, but I was just living a lie."
Refereeing in as sport like rugby also hindered his decision.
"When I became a referee, it became clear that there was nobody in the sport who was gay.
"The rugby world is very heterosexual and masculine, and this made things difficult.
"Although that’s not to say that the sport is openly homophobic. It was just never an environment where I felt like I could be myself."
STARTING A FAMILY:
He wrote in his column: "There’s not too much I can say at the moment about the process itself, but we are both incredibly excited. It’s something that we’ve spoken about for a few years now and it’s taken a while to get here, but now that it’s happening we can’t wait, although I must admit it’s also a little nerve-wracking.
"As any parent will tell you, there’s no bigger commitment than raising a child, so that was obviously the main reason why I decided against the South Africa job in the end. I couldn’t, nor would I want to, go away for the next six months with this happening."
2. Devin Ibañez
American rugby union player who came out as gay in 2020. He is an advocate for inclusion and diversity in the sport.
A self-described “rugby maniac,” Ibañez played in college for the University of Massachusetts, and in his coming out message posted photos with his boyfriend Fergus Wade, an English medical student he met in 2017 while Wade was doing research at Harvard studying sleep deprivation in fruit flies.
Posting the photos on his coming out story added power to his desire be his authentic self. He created his Instagram account yesterday as “thatgayrugger,” since he is one of the very few openly gay pro rugby players, past or present.
3. Craig Maxwell-Keys
Maxwell-Keys, who took charge of the 2020 Gallagher Premiership final, eventually decided the time was right to reveal his sexuality to colleagues at Twickenham as well as his local club, Lichfield RFC in 2019.
Now based in Cheltenham, he aims to continue moving up the referees' pecking order - and his experiences since coming out have indicated that sexuality will be no barrier to that.
4. Nick McCarthy
The former Leinster scrum-half came out as gay in June 2022, and thanked coaches Leo Cullen and Stuart Lancaster for their “unbelievable” support.
McCarthy added that he had previously thought about quitting professional rugby union because of his sexuality.
The 27-year-old added that he had taken strength from the stories of footballer Josh Cavallo and American footballer Carl Nassib, in addition to his former bisexual teammate Jack Dunne.
Last summer, the scrum-half completed a move to Chicago Hounds from Major League Rugby.
5. Jack Dunne
Dunne led the charge for Exeter as they showcased remarkable resilience, overcoming a 19-10 deficit to secure a 32-24 victory against Munster and maintain their unbeaten record in the European Champions Cup.
The former Leinster forwards pivotal try, following a skillful chase down of a kick, propelled Exeter into the lead, with Henry Slade contributing a bonus-point score to seal the impressive comeback.
Under the guidance of boss Rob Baxter, Exeter demonstrated their tenacity and determination on the rugby field.
A couple of years back, Dunne publicly came out as bisexual in an interview with the Independent, talking about his desire to be a role model for LGBTQ kids.
That’s an impressive goal for any young rugby player.
QUIZ: Name Every Head Coach to Win the Men’s Guinness Six Nations (2000 – 2023)
The brains behind the Six Nations masterplans, these head coaches have all won 'Rugby's Greatest Championship', since the modernised competition began back in 2000. Throughout the history of the competition, there have been only five head coaches to win the competition on more than one occasion.
However, Ireland head coach Andy Farrell is looking to become the sixth, as he orchestrates the men from the Emerald Isle into defending their Six Nations Grand Slam. In total, the Six Nations has been won by 13 different head coaches, and we challenge you to name them all in the next six minutes!
Your time starts... now! Good luck!
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