I noticed today that Gareth Thomas the former Wales Union player came out today. Conjecture aside, have there been any openly gay players in our macho sport? news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/rugby_u ... 421956.stm

I noticed today that Gareth Thomas the former Wales Union player came out today. Conjecture aside, have there been any openly gay players in our macho sport? news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/rugby_u ... 421956.stm

Ian Roberts-Aussie international second row

There are one or two I can think of that the rumour mill would have us believe are gay. And I don't mean malicious rumours, just unofficially. But then for all we know they might be perfectly open about it but haven't felt the need to "out" themselves.

Richard Gay - former Hull and Castleford full back.

always said it was a puffs game...hohohohohooo
Nah, fair doos to him. Don't gay people lack testosterone though? how'd he amass the muscle required??

Not necessarily, despite the stereotype not all gay men are skinny, hairless and have a camp voice. Men with less testosterone may have a higher likelyhood of being gay but it isn't a set rule.

Who cares , nothing to do with any fans , unless it is involves something ilegal

Not being funny but does it matter?

Absolutely not at all.

I can't see why a) this thread was started and b) why it hasn't been closed.

RL's been going for 114 years and in all that time one player has come out. But there's no problem...

Of course there are gay players, even by the law of averages. Then there are all the rumors surrounding various players, does it matter though? Not really but it is a damn shame they can't be totally open about their sexuality.

People like Gareth, Ian Roberts and Nigel Owen are brave to make a stand.

Did an ex Hull centre not come out of have I remembered it wrongly?

I know his name but don't want to put it on here in case I'm wrong.

For contact professional sport i'd imagine those odds are reduced

What a ridiculous thread. Seriously.

I think the post above yours is far more ridiculous.

What does it matter if someone is gay or not, regardless of the sport they play or their profession in general?

Paul Eastwood ?

Being Gay has no bearing on anything.
Warrington have a player that I thought was obviously Gay who apparently isn't and what would it matter if he was? Each to their own.

I don't see why some folks are irate about this topic.

Yeah Gareth "Alfie" Thomas has come out as gay (BIIIIG Shock! Most of Wales knew it already. It was never an issue. There is AT LEAST one other seriously good member of the Welsh - and British Lions - side who is very openly gay but hasn't felt the need to publicise it).

Alfie has wrestled with this for years. He is quite an introspective and intense person (yes I've met him) yet hasn't realised that the world has moved on.

I was told that way back in the early 70s, the Welsh and Lions great Carwyn James was also openly gay.

If nothing else, this thread highlights the fact that the Rugby League community in 2009 is confident enough in its own identity and evolved enough in its outlook to not give a damn about what players do in their own time.

Statisically you would imagine that there are at least about 10-15 gay players in SL teams.

Don't care - all I'm interested in is how good they are at playing RL.

It's hardly likely the Gay players will start dressing like Bruno or acting like John Inman! I can't believe there is actually a thread on here about it.

Really?

You think the statement publically released is not worthy of ANY comment? Even a positive one?

After endless threads about new strips (I don't care what colours they play in, I only care how they play); Stadiums (I don't care where they play, only how they play); Greg Bird (I don't care who he beats up off the field I only care how he plays) etc etc etc.

Sometimes Spooner (and those who post similarly) I don't get you. I know Alfie is a Union player and that this is a league board, but FAR more trivial postings than this run to 30-40 pages and you don't feel the need to express wonderment at their existence. My how much more evolved than us you must think you are. Do you not think that by releasing his sexuality to the press Alfie doesn't WANT people to talk about it?

The problem with trying to scrabble to reach the high ground is that you are silhouetted against the sky and make a great taget.

Because there's a legitimate discussion: given that it's a statistical certainty that there have been, and are quite likely currently, gay players – who either haven't felt able, or felt it necessary, to be open about their love lives, or quite possibly loved ones: why not?

Part of the answer is no doubt evident on this thread via, eg, Dico's 'quaint' (and I'm being generous) stereotypes.


What we won't be doing though is attempting to 'out' anybody through speculation, rumour or even supposed knowledge: any individual's decision to be 'out' would be their's alone.

Never heard that one before, I'm definitely stealing it to claim as my own!



I think most players, if they ever felt the need to, would only want to "come out" after they finish playing. I remember watching a documentary on TV talking about homosexuality in football, and one of the people on that show said sure, there were gay footballers. But why would they publicise the fact that they were, when you know what sort of abuse would be sung about them, and hurled at them from the terraces.

I'd hope a player wouldn't receive the same reaction from Rugby fans, seeing as we're normally a more civilised bunch of speccies.

For me it all comes down to 1 question. Why should they out themselves? you don't see rugby players wives and girlfriends that much, because of the lack of off field news for Rugby League, so I don't see any need for a player to state that he is gay. As stated above, its of no real relevance. Yeah there will be gay players, do we need to know how many? No.





Sorry I forgot all gay people were too busy playing with feather boas, and dolls. I think you're thinking of Camp, rather than Gay. You should look up the difference.

I can't see why people are saying the thread is pointless. It merely highlights that there are no (that I can think of) openly gay rugby league players. Does this reflect the prejudice that society still holds against gay people? Compared to the dross we read on this forum I'd say it is a credible topic to discuss.