There are many amazing and personable professional rugby players. Among them are the gay rugby players. They have overcome stereotypes and regular challenges to be able to play this sport. World Rugby is taking a stand on inclusion and diversity, and there are many individuals who have paved the way for this inspiring movement. Who are they? Today we will introduce 9 of the most famous gay rugby players to you.
9 of the most famous gay rugby players
Nigel Owens
Any rugby fan, player, or knowledgeable individual will be familiar with Nigel Owens. Besides having a track record for most refereed test matches, Owens is also renowned as one of the top rugby referees worldwide. The Welsh rugby player is also a television personality and a dedicated LGBT rights activist, having won the “Gay Sports Personality of the Decade” award at the Stonewall Awards in London in 2015.
Ian Robert
The first gay rugby players to come out as gay was former Australian footballer Ian Roberts. Roberts was born in London in 1965 and moved to Australia two years later and played as a second striker, where he became one of the most respected rugby players in the country’s history. Roberts was both an actor and former professional rugby player in the 1980s and 1990s. In 1995, Roberts became Australia’s first senior sportsperson. Roberts publicly acknowledged his sexual orientation in 1995 and has since been named to the South Sydney Dream Team as well as one of New South Wales’ 25 greatest players. He was awarded the Australian Sports Medal for his great contribution to the development of rugby league.
Gareth Thomas
Gareth Thomas is considered a Welsh legend and one of the greatest rugby players in UK history, also captaining the Wales international team, and the England and Ireland lions in the mix. his career. He is also nicknamed “Alfie”, who has represented Wales in both rugby league and rugby league. With 100 appearances in test matches, he was Welsh rugby’s top scorer until being surpassed by Stephen Jones in September 2011.
He is currently ranked 13th among international test scorers and is Wales’ second-highest scorer behind Shane Williams. He has also won four rugby league caps for Wales, scoring three times. Thomas made his public debut in 2009 and has since described his experience as an undercover gay player, revealing social pressures and prejudices that pose a significant challenge to many athletes and how to get motivated today.
Craig Maxwell-Keys
Also one of the gay rugby players, Maxwell-Keys, the man in charge of the Gallagher Premiership 2020 final, has finally decided the right moment to reveal his gender to his Twickenham colleagues and the club. his local, Lichfield RFC in 2019. He currently works at Cheltenham and he aims to prove that sexual orientation should never be the thing that affects his ability to play rugby.
Sam Stanley
Sam Stanley is an English rugby league player. He played rugby for England in the 2013/14 and 2014/15 World Rugby Sevens tournaments. He can play in the center position. Sam Stanley becomes the first openly gay Rugby Union and Sevens player in the UK. in August 2015. The 26-year-old former Saracens player has played five Sevens World Series tournaments for England and belongs to one of the sport’s most famous families.
Mark Bingham
Despite never having played rugby at a professional level, Mark Bingham has become an icon for gay football players and sports lovers around the world. He is an American public relations executive as well as founded his own company called Bingham Group. During the September 11, 2001 attacks, he was a passenger on United Airlines Flight 93. Bingham was one of the passengers, along with Todd Beamer, Tom Burnett, and Jeremy Glick, planning to recapture the plane from the hijackers, and spearheading the effort that resulted in the plane crashing into a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania, blocking the plan to crash the hijacker’s plane into a building in Washington, DC, most likely the US Capitol or the White House.
The Mark Kendall Bingham Memorial Tournament, known simply as the Bingham Cup, is a biennial rugby union tournament that was first held in 2002. Named after a former rugby player. education, the Bingham Cup has become an iconic event held in many cities around the globe.
Keegan Hirst
Referring to gay rugby players, it is impossible to miss the name Keegan Hirst- a professional rugby player of the rugby union. Now a player as a prop for Wakefield Trinity, Hirst has become one of the most notable gay athletes, earning himself a starting spot after signing with the League team in 2016.
Simon Dunn
Simon Dunn is an Australian extreme skater and rugby player. He grew up in Wollongong, and was the first gay man to openly represent any country in the sport of skating, then he retired in 2016. After living in London for a few years, he now lives in Sydney and plays rugby. Dunn has also been nominated and shortlisted for the Sports Personality of the Year Award at the Australian LGBTI Awards in both 2018 and 2019.
Dan Palmer
The last name on the list of gay rugby players, Dan Palmer is a former professional rugby player for the Australian Rugby Union. He played for the Waratahs and Brumbies in Super Rugby, before playing for French club Grenoble. He also won a cap for Australia in 2012. His usual position is a prop. Palmer participated in the 2007 Australian Rugby Championship with the Melbourne Rebels. He joined the New South Wales Waratahs in 2008 and was signed to a three-year contract after making his debut against Highlanders in the third round of the Super 14 competition. Grenoble due to a persistent leg injury and then announced his retirement from rugby union at the end of 2014.
Conclusion
Above are 9 gay rugby players that we would like to introduce to you. They are the players who, in addition to their talent, are also very brave when they dare to reveal their gender in front of thousands of stigmas. The world today is gradually becoming fair to all genders, and so is a sport. Hope this article has provided you with a lot of interesting information.
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