AFL chief government Gillon McLachlan has revealed there are recognized homosexual male gamers within the competitors who’re nonetheless reluctant to come back out as a result of public stress.
While talking at a Leadership Matters lunch in Perth on Monday, McLachlan stated there have been homosexual gamers who had been recognized to theirteammates however who had not come out publicly.
“The first thing I’d say is I am very comfortable there are gay male players and I am very comfortable (in saying) they are known to their teammates.
“What they are choosing is to not be the first person.
“The pressure and the weight on that person being the first AFL player who comes out and plays as an out gay man, I thinkthat weight, frankly I can understand why they would choose not to have to carry that burden around forever,” he stated.
The AFL is without doubt one of the solely codes in Australia with none overtly homosexual gamers.
McLachlan highlighted how nobody throughout the AFLW had the “burden” of being the primary overtly homosexual participant as when the nationalwomen’s competitors launched in 2017, a plethora of girls joined who had been visibly homosexual.
“They had safety in numbers, there was no first,” he stated.
The AFLW holds a Pride Round annually, nevertheless, the AFL doesn’t.
Former NRL participant Ian Roberts got here out 27 years in the past, nevertheless, no different NRL participant has adopted go well with.
Ex-Wallabies star Dan Palmer stepped out as certainly one of Australia’s first overtly homosexual skilled rugby gamers in 2020 after hidinghis sexuality virtually destroyed him.
NBL centre Isaac Humphries and A-League’s Andy Brennan and Josh Cavallo have all additionally come out as being homosexual.
Originally printed as AFL boss says ‘pressure’ stopping queer gamers from popping out
Source: www.dailytelegraph.com.au
