Premiership teams will wear rainbow laces as league celebrates first openly out player
Rugby NewsWednesday, 15 February 2023 at 14:55
Premiership Rugby is dedicating Rounds 17 and 18 of Gallagher Premiership Rugby to Stonewall’s Rainbow Laces campaign as part of our mission to improve inclusion, supported by our title partner Gallagher.
As Rainbow Laces celebrates its 10th Anniversary, Premiership Rugby is proud to announce its support for a seventh season. The campaign aims to promote equality and inclusivity within sport for LGBTQ+ people and tackle discrimination on every level to help make sport everyone’s game.
Throughout both Round 17 of Gallagher Premiership Rugby (17-19 February) and 18, the special “rainbow” Gallagher Premiership Rugby logo will once again be highly visible at matches with players wearing Rainbow Laces in their matches over the weekend. In addition, the match officials will wear specially designed Rainbow Laces shirts and the assistant referees will carry rainbow flags.
Harlequins scrum-half \*\*Danny Care\*\* said: “Wearing these laces might not seem that significant but it makes a huge difference. Our show of support helps spark conversations around the inclusion of LGBTQ+ people within rugby and raise awareness of the issues they face at all levels within the sport. Rainbow Laces might be 10 years old, but there is still work to be done to make everyone feel like they belong and we are proud to stand side by side with Stonewall.”
As part of Premiership Rugby and Gallagher’s commitment to the Rainbow Laces campaign:
- Match official shirts will carry the special rainbow version of the Gallagher Premiership Rugby logo
- All Gallagher Premiership Rugby players will be sent Rainbow Laces and invited to wear them in the matches in Rounds 17 and 18
- Branding at matches will carry Rainbow Laces messaging or be turned rainbow to celebrate the weekend. This will include the flags used by assistant referees and this season will see Gallagher update the post pads in support
- Gallagher employees from across the UK will hand out Rainbow Laces to supporters at matches in Rounds 17 and 18
- All Premiership Rugby’s social media accounts will have Rainbow branding
- LEDs pitchside will support the campaign
- Premiership Rugby have partnered with Gilbert to produce a special ball and scrum cap to celebrate Rainbow Laces
All supporters and partners are invited to get involved by purchasing and wearing their Rainbow Laces to show support. To buy Rainbow Laces click here
Five rugby lads who are out and proud
RUCK wanted to celebrate five out and proud rugby stars. Their focus? How we can collectively align to take action that drives change on and off the pitch.
1. Nigel Owens
All fans, players, and anyone who knows anything about rugby will know the name, Nigel Owens. Besides having the record for most test matches refereed, Owens has earned a reputation as one of the top rugby referees around the world.
The Welshman is also a TV personality and a devoted activist for the LGBT cause, winning “Gay Sports Personality of the Decade” at the Stonewall awards ceremony in London back in 2015.
Referee, Nigel Owens during the Heineken Champions Cup Final Match between Exeter Chiefs and Racing 92 at Ashton Gate, Bristol on the 17 Oct. PHOTO: Phil Mingo/PPAUK
2. Campbell Johnstone
The former All Blacks prop has openly come out as gay. Johnstone becomes the first former All Black to do so, and has received tremendous support for this courageous act.
This is a milestone moment for the All Blacks, who have celebrated the occasion, sharing Campbell’s story on social media.
“If I can be the first All Black that comes out as gay and take away the pressure and the stigma surrounding the whole issue then it can actually help other people. Then the public will know that there is one in amongst the All Blacks.”
“To be able to do that could possibly be one of the final pieces in the puzzle for New Zealand sport…it could be a very vital piece that just gives everyone closure.”
“If I open up that door and magically make that closet disappear, then we’re going to help a lot of people.”
Johnstone played three times for the All Blacks, all in 2005. He made his debut against Fiji, and also took on the British and Irish Lions tourists. Johnstone spent his entire Super Rugby career at the Crusaders, before moving to France in 2009 for a four year tenure at Biarritz.
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 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.
5. Jack Dunne
Out pro rugby player Jack Dunne will have a new home next season. The Exeter Chiefs, who play in rugby union’s top division, Premiership Rugby, recently signed the promising young rugger from Leinster, a club in Ireland.
Last year, 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 22 year old.
"Hopefully once there are one or two more people it will start to feel that this is something they can say and it won't be a big thing," Dunne, who identifies as bisexual, revealed exclusively to BBC Sport.
"Hopefully it would be good for other gay or bisexual men to see people like me and hopefully it'll give them a bit of confidence to be able to be who they are.
"All my team-mates back at Leinster, none of them ever had an issue with it, they were all very supportive, so it wasn't something I really worried about too much,
"I thought if people were going to give me stick for it that was their problem, not mine, so I wasn't too concerned about it.
"It was probably tougher coming out to my friends and family back in the day, I'd been OK with it for five years or so, so it wasn't really a big thing for me when I came out publicly, the personal one was probably bigger than the professional one."
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