Keegan Hirst hopes his decision to be open will help others The captain of a second-tier English rugby league side has come out, making him the third professional openly-gay player in the sport. Keegan Hirst from West Yorkshire Championship side the Batley Bulldogs follows in the boot steps of Australian league player Ian Roberts, who came out in 1995, and Welsh hardman Gareth Thomas who switched from union to league after coming out in 2009. The 27-year-old has told the Sunday Mirror that at first “I couldn’t even say ‘I’m gay’ in my head, let alone out loud. Now I feel like I’m letting out a long breath that I’ve held in for a long time.” He adds: “I had a wife and kids. I’ve been a builder, doorman, worked in factories – I play rugby. “I tick every macho box. How could I be gay? I’m from Batley for goodness sake. No one is gay in Batley.” He only told his wife a few weeks ago, and says while she was blindsided, she has been supportive. Hirst hopes his decision to be open will help others, saying on his own lowest days, he considered taking his life. "Thankfully I have friends and family I love and was able to talk myself out of it.” He’s remained faithful to his wife and says, “I haven’t been out as a gay guy on the pull yet, so that’ll be a new experience. I don’t know yet how these things work.” Meanwhile he says the support from his teammates and other players has all been positive.
Credit: GayNZ.com Daily News staff
First published: Monday, 17th August 2015 - 11:00am