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Sexuality within Sports. Gotham Rugby

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SCV: Do you feel it is easier to come out in other cultures within sports rather than our own?

Gotham: We don’t think it’d be easy to come out in lots of American sports, but most other countries don’t have these sports. It is so hard to compare cultures. We think in rugby it would be similarly difficult everywhere, whether a British player being the first pro to do so is a sign, or just chance, is still to be seen. But Gareth Thomas coming out has set a standard in sports all over the world now. It would be good to see other players come out and not keep it in.

SCV: It is said that there numerous gay athletes in professional sports. What examples do you feel they can take from not only Gareth Thomas’s situation, but your own life story/lessons within the Gotham organization?

Gotham: I think Gareth Thomas showed that if you can get the job done, people will accept you. He built up a body of work that couldn’t be denied. I hope someday a professional athlete comes out earlier in their career, takes all the negativity, and then wins awards and championships anyway, but in the meantime I think Thomas is a great role model. When you are still in the closet, you waste a lot of energy constantly worrying about the worst that could happen. I’ve seen many times with my friends in and out of Gotham that once a person accepts themselves, they’ve suddenly got a surplus of energy to devote to the things they really want to do in life.

SCV: What would be your words of wisdom to someone gay or straight wanting to join Rugby for the first time?

Gotham: Stop thinking about it and try it, that’s the only way to know if it’s the sport for you.

Sexuality amongst Gotham plays no real role when out on the pitch. Yes, the majority is gay, but it really is just a label. A label that proves to mean nothing when playing, especially when they are winning championships and carrying such bravado, such panache that people ignore the fact that a player is “gay” and accepts the fact that he is an athlete. Gareth Thomas set a standard for players who are afraid to come out, but Gotham has been doing it for years, and carries a home, a brotherhood, that is accepting and helps you not only excel on the pitch, but in life.

When writing the article, I wanted to break down individually who gave me what answers. After actually receiving everyone’s perspective I realized that that would not justify the editorial at all. They are a team, whether some of the players are gay, straight or bisexual. No one stands out.  Each man plays for the other, his friend, his teammate, his so-called brother. Thank you to the players from Gotham that allowed me to interview them. I will now leave you with a quote one player did give me that sums up the team in its entirety…“For he today who sheds his blood with me, shall be my brother” – William Shakespeare Henry V, Act 4 scene 3

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