Voted last year Britain’s “manliest man,” professional rugby player Sacha Harding appears naked in the Gay Times naked issue (click on image for larger view; video after the jump). And according to an interview with the Advocate, fighting for gay rights is an important part of his identity. Have you witnessed homophobia in sports? I [...]
Posts under ‘Rugby’
Gareth Thomas buys drink company Turbo Drinks
Openly gay former pro rugby player Gareth Thomas has purchased popular drink company Turbo Drinks for about £7million. He purchased the company along with his new business partner Sean Smith, with whom he operates a legal recruiting firm. So much of the popularity of these drinks are the image of the company (why you’ll see [...]
Gareth Thomas in UK’s Celebrity ‘Big Brother’
Out former rugby pro Gareth Thomas is co-starring in Britain’s latest installation of Big Brother, this time with a bunch of “celebrities.” The threw down the gauntlet in last night’s episode, according to The Mirror: He told Brian that he will “be myself and prove my family proud.” The Welshman said he was “happy to [...]
Rugby: The homosexual version of football
I wasn’t sure what to make of this story over at Christwire, until I saw the quote they use to promote their Christwire book: “I am the anti-Christwire” – Howard Stern. The site is a lampoon of organizations that promote conservative Christian doctrine. Their latest piece puts the homosexual tendencies of rugby in its crosshairs: [...]
Gareth Thomas has new business partner, with whom he founded legal recruiting firm
Note: The story from wharf.co.uk originally said Smith and Thomas were romantic partners, but Thomas said that was a confusion of the word “partner.” They are partners in business only. Sean Smith is Thomas’ business partner, as the two have co-founded Sean Smith & Associates, a legal recruitment firm. From the company’s site: Co-founded by [...]
Chris Birch, former rugger, claims a stroke turned him gay
Imagine going to bed one night straight and waking up the next morning gay. That’s essentially what Welsh former rugby player Chris Birch is claiming happened after he suffered a stroke after doing a backflip to impress friends. The rugger, who was then engaged to his girlfriend, said he awoke from the incident suddenly gay. [...]
Out 100 to feature athletes including Gareth Thomas – Exclusive photo
The Out 100 has had a smattering of athletes in the past, but this year’s list will feature the most ever. At the top of the list is Gareth Thomas, the out Welsh rugby player. Aaron Hicklin, the magazine’s editor, sent us this gorgeous exclusive photo of Gareth that will run in the table of [...]
Welsh rugby player Jed Hooper comes out after meeting someone
Jed Hooper, captain of the Bristol, England, Old Ruffians rugby club, has come out as gay. The catalyst was a man he started to see. He told the Bristol Post: “I met someone earlier this year who said he could not be with someone who was in the closet. That, basically, was the catalyst that [...]
Gareth Thomas retires from rugby
Openly gay pro rugger Gareth Thomas has retired from rugby, he announced today. Thomas said in a statement: I have listened and discussed this decision with many of my family and close friends. My mind has told me that the time to retire is now. If you can’t give 100 percent to rugby then you [...]
Gay rugby fan picks his all-hot World Cup team
The Rugby World Cup just ended in New Zealand, with the host Kiwis taking the title with a hard-fought 8-7 win over France. In honor of the event, Dean Knight, a gay fan, has put together his all-hot team from the event. His list on Facebook caught the eye of the New Zealand Herald: The [...]
MTV airs Ohio State rugby player Nevin Heard coming out to his team
MTV aired a special for National Coming Out Day yesterday that included a rugby player at Ohio State coming out to his team. The moment is pretty awkward. I’m not sure coming out to your friends or family is something you want cameras there for, it just makes the whole situation more tense. You can [...]
Aussie rugby star David Pocock won’t legally marry until gays can
Australian rugby star David Pocock has a real sense of justice, supporting equal right and the fair trade movement. He’s also passionate about the rights of gays to marry, so much so that he and his partner, Emma, won’t legally marry until gays Down Under can. In a profile in the New Zealand Herald, Pocock [...]
Ben Cohen to speak on homophobia in talk at Georgetown
Georgetown University will host a talk on homophobia in sports with rugby player Ben Cohen, Friday at 4 p.m. at the ICC Auditorium on campus (open to the public). The event is sponsored by the Athletics Dept., IDEAA, GUPride and Clun Sports. Cohen has been touring the U.S. as part of his Standup Foundation, which [...]
Moment #18: Gareth Thomas comes out
Part of Outsports’ series on our 100 most important moments in gay sports history. Rugby, 2009. Athletes at the high school, college and pro level had come out before, even in rugby. But Gareth Thomas’ coming out spoke to people in a way that many had not before. For one, he was an active pro [...]
Mark Bingham remembered
Mark Bingham was a friend of ours here at Outsports. He was, from all that I knew of him, exactly the man he’s been portrayed as by the media. While his contribution to gay rugby is well-known, it was his participation in gay flag football that we came to know Mark. He played for the [...]