Wales rugby legend Gareth Thomas's coming out has been warmly welcomed by David Hindley, co-chair of the 2nd AsiaPacific Outgames planned for Wellington in 2011. Out now: Gareth Thomas "There have always been gay men and lesbians at high levels of every sport – think of Martina Navratilova in tennis, Greg Louganis in diving, Ian Roberts in rugby league and John Amaechi in basketball. But there are still far too many in the closet," he tells GayNZ.com. "When you consider the challenges and pressures Gareth Thomas has dealt with, he's earned our respect. He's shown courage by coming out, and that's a quality that real sports fans place a high value on." Thomas came out as gay in a newspaper interview at the weekend, saying he feels "a sudden sense of relief after keeping it secret for so long." His coach and teammates had accepted and were supportive of his decision to come out. "Good on him" Sports commentator Kent Johns on Kiwi station Radio Sport also commended Thomas's honesty on his show this morning. "I think good on him, it can't have been an easy time for him in the last few years." In a broadcast phone interview with Johns, long-time UK sports commentator James Burridge agreed. "Let's be honest, rugby has always been a macho sport, which prides itself on its physicality and manliness. So this is a big thing for Gareth Thomas, and it's a big thing for rugby." Johns asked if there had been any homophobia in the UK press since Thomas came out. "I think if there was it'd be shot down straight away," replied Burridge, adding that anti-gay heckling from the crowd at games would not be tolerated. "If anyone did that, they'd probably get kicked straight out." On the video below: ITN interviews Gareth Thomas about his coming out.
Credit: GayNZ.com Daily News Staff
First published: Wednesday, 23rd December 2009 - 1:24pm