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Rugby Player. Photo by Alex Motoc on

10 Gay Rugby Players Who Made Their Come Out

Rugby is one of the most loved sports in the world and due to its physicality, is regarded as a 鈥渕anly鈥� sport, which makes it more difficult for gay players to publicly acknowledge their preference. However, in the recent past many great professional rugby players and personalities are breaking this barrier. These players have become a beacon of light because they overcame stereotypes and other challenges faced by homosexual athletes way too often.  

Nigel Owens, one of the best referees in the world, is openly gay and has been vocal about how the rugby world has been hugely accommodating. He has, however, also recognized that there is always going to be that one percent of people who are not accepting. It is the sport鈥檚 responsibility to positively promote anti-homophobia, and anti-bullying in general, so that the majority of people who are accepting have a louder voice than those who protest.

In this article, we鈥檒l look at 10 Gay Rugby Players and how they are shaping the game today.

1. Ian Roberts

Rugby PlayerIan Roberts 1997.Author Ssiww at English Wikipedia.

Roberts’ sexuality was, in his words. “the worst-kept secret in rugby league”. In the rugby world, he takes credit as the very first high-profile player to ever come out to the public as gay. The former Australian international who played as a second-row forward was born in London in 1965 and moved to Australia two years later where he would become one of the most respected rugby league players in the country鈥檚 history. At some point, he was also the highest-paid player in the country after moving from South Sydney Rabbitohs in a deal that earned him a reported quarter of a million dollars a year.

After his Saturday afternoon on the pitch, it is reported that Roberts would spend Saturday night on Oxford Street, Sydney’s gay quarter. Not wanting to live a double life, he publicly acknowledged his sexual orientation in 1995 and has since been named to the South Sydney Dream Team as well as one of the top 25 greatest New South Wales players. Finally, he was awarded the Australian Sports Medal for his contribution to the development of rugby league. His brave action saw other gay rugby players coming out publicly to confess their sexual orientation.

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2. Keegan Hirst

Keegan Hirst. Author Fleets.

Following in the footsteps of Ian Roberts who may have been the first high-profile player to openly admit being gay, Keegan Hirst was arguably the first ever to do it while still actively playing rugby. He was also the first British Professional player to do so. Currently a Wakefield Trinity prop, Hirst has become one of the most notable gay athletes, earning him a starting role after signing a contract with the League side in 2016. As of 2022, the respected prop is said to be in a relationship with British YouTuber Joel Wood.

In an interview with the Sunday Mirror, the now divorced father of two and self-confessed gay tells of the moment he finally found the words to explain to his wife the reason they could no longer be together. He also talked emotionally about the support he got, not only from her but also from his rugby teammates. Keegan hopes his decision to be open will help others in the sport that might be fighting with their emotions.

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3. Sam Stanley

Sam Stanley became the first openly gay Rugby Union and Sevens player in the UK in 2015. The former Saracens full-back also played with England in the World Rugby Sevens Series from 2013 to 2015 but has been sidelined from the sport due to a recurring injury. In 2017, he announced his engagement to his long-term boyfriend, (Laurence Hicks): they had met seven years previously on a dating website. He defends himself by saying, “Millions of people are in the situation, even people who have been in Laurence’s (his partner) situation and they are still married but are gay. They cannot accept it themselves鈥�.

“It is going to be an issue until more people and athletes come out until it is not an issue. It might take years but hopefully, lots of people will find the courage.”

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4. Louisa Wall

While most of the athletes on this list have earned a name on the pitch, Louisa Wall has become a prominent politician in New Zealand after completing a successful rugby career. The former Black Fern and Silver Fern were the driving force behind the legalization of same-sex marriage in New Zealand, claiming that the passing of the bill felt like winning the Rugby World Cup.

5. Andy Davies

Andrew Jacob L. Davies is a 32-year-old rugby player from England. He plays as a scrum half for Newcastle Falcons. He is one of the current crop of players who have come out openly to say that they are gay.

As a young inspired player he stated, 鈥溾��this is pretty inspiring for me as a fairly new player who happens to be gay, I had held off pursuing rugby because of it but the guys i play with give no shits whatsoever and we have good banter about it. Great to hear Andy! Shame some elite rugby players are still saying anti-gay things on social media. The majority of people in 2018 don鈥檛 care if someone is into men or women, their choice!鈥�

6. Mark Bingham

A victim of the September 11 attacks in 2001, Mark Bingham is known for his heroics during the September 11 attacks. At the time he was a passenger on board United Airlines Flight 93. From investigations, it was later confirmed that Bingham was among the passengers who, along with Todd Beamer, Tom Burnett, and Jeremy Glick, formed the plan to retake the plane from the hijackers, and led the effort that resulted in the crash of the plane into a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania, thereby, thwarting the hijackers’ plan to crash the plane into a building in Washington, D.C., most likely either the U.S. Capitol Building or the White House. 

A large athlete at 6 ft 4 in (193 cm) and 225 pounds (102 kg), Bingham was a robust second-row man who played for the gay-inclusive San Francisco Fog RFC and was a favorite for his teammates in the rugby songs that he taught them. This also made him become an iconic figure for gay rugby players and sportspeople around the world.

To honor him, The Mark Kendall Bingham Memorial Tournament, simply known as the Bingham Cup and was started in 2002, is a biennial gay rugby union tournament is named after the former rugby player. It has grown to become a symbolic event that has been hosted in multiple cities around the globe.

7. Gareth Thomas

Rugby player Gareth Thomas at an LGBT reception. Author David Cameron and Gareth Thomas.

Gareth ‘Alfie’ Thomas was a professional Welsh Rugby player who broke one of the biggest taboos in the sport when he announced his homosexuality in 2009. He also revealed his HIV status ten years later and was accused by his former wife of infecting her knowingly though this has now been settled. He is one of the greatest rugby players in the history of the UK, captaining the Welsh international side as well as the British and Irish Lions during his career. He hung up his boots in 2011 and came third in Celebrity Big Brother 2012. He was a contestant in ITV’s Dancing on Ice 2013. 

In 2010 he was voted the most influential gay person in the UK in The Independent on Sunday Pink Listand received Stonewall鈥檚 Hero of the Year. He described his experience as a secretly gay player, revealing how social pressure and stereotypes pose a significant challenge for many athletes today

8. Nigel Owens

Nigel OwenAuthor Mark Geater Licensings.

Nigel Owens, MBE is a Welsh former international rugby union referee, who retired in December 2020 after a 17-year career. He currently holds the world record for the most test matches refereed and is one of five international referees listed as professional within the Welsh Rugby Union, alongside Craig Evans, Adam Jones, Dan Jones, and Ben Whitehouse.

The Welshman is also known as a television personality, as one of the presenters of the S4C Welsh language chat shows Jonathan and Bwrw’r Bar (‘Hitting the Bar’).

He is a devoted activist for the LGBT cause, winning 鈥淕ay Sports Personality of the Decade鈥� at the Stonewall awards ceremony in London back in 2015.

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9. Jillion Potter

Jillion Paige Potter (born July 5, 1986) is an American rugby union player. She was the captain of the 2016 USA Olympic women’s rugby sevens team. She has participated in the 2013 Women鈥檚 Rugby Sevens World Cup, 2014 Women’s Rugby World Cup, and 2016 Olympics.

The 36-year-old Texas-born athlete has come a long way from the homophobia she witnessed firsthand in high school. “One of my friends got cut from the basketball team because she was gay. And the coach made a huge display of it, saying how disgusting it was, how we should be embarrassed for her… I thought, OK, this is not a safe space to think those thoughts.”

She also thinks that playing the game as a gay athlete is not really a big issue. She once stated, “I just think rugby globally is a very accepting sport because when you’re starting out, everyone plays. No matter your weight, height…anyone has a place, and it really becomes a safe place to be yourself鈥�. She has a wife called Carol Fabrizio.

10. Jen Kish

Jennifer “Jen” Kish (born July 7, 1988) is a Canadian former rugby union player. . She captained the sevens squad from 2012-2016. The retired player was awarded the Most Influential Athlete of the CAAWS Most Influential Women List of 2016.

Kish is openly lesbian. In May 2018, she was part of a group of four female athletes, including Cassie Campbell, Fran Rider, and Kerrin Lee-Gartner to publicly pledge their brains to a Canadian research center. The posthumous donation shall be made to Toronto Western Hospital’s Canadian Concussion Centre to further research the effect of trauma on women’s brains. She married two-spirit Mohawk (Six Nations of The Grand River) musician Shawnee in 2021.