An openly gay referee has been selected for this years Rugby World Cup final. The final game between the All Blacks and the Wallabies will be refereed by openly gay Welsh referee Nigel Owens. Coming out during a Wales on Sunday interview in 2007, Owens says people generally responded positively to his decision to open up about his sexuality. “It’s such a big taboo to be gay in my line of work, I had to think very hard about it because I didn’t want to jeopardise my career. “Coming out was very difficult and I tried to live with who I really was for years. I knew I was ‘different’ from my late teens, but I was just living a lie.” As he was announced as the World Cup Final referee Owens made a reference to the difficult times in his life, saying: "I want to thank my friends and family for their ongoing support and for helping me through some rough times in my life.” Owens has overseen over 65 international test matches since he was made an international referee in 2005.
Credit: GayNZ.com Daily News staff
First published: Wednesday, 28th October 2015 - 9:55am