First English Professional Rugby Union Player Announces He's Gay
23-year-old Sam Stanley publicly came out as gay this weekend, making him the first English professional rugby union player to do so.
"I was 10 or 11 when I realized I was different to my friends," Stanley told the Sunday Times. "I didn’t want to accept it, I felt that being different wasn’t right. I had a girlfriend and I was thinking that, like some people say, maybe it is a phase."
Batley Bulldogs prop Keegan Hirst publicly came out as gay earlier this summer, but he is a league player, not a union player.
Stanley hopes the recent reveals help move the LGBT community forward.
“It is going to be an issue until more people and athletes come out, until it is not an issue at all," he says. "It might take years, but hopefully lots of people will find the courage."
Get to know the rugby player better by enjoying this video of him casually singing and playing the guitar without any clothes on.
