First out gay All Blacks rugby player marries partner in secret ceremony

Campbell Johnstone, a former professional rugby player and the first member of the New Zealand All Blacks to publicly identify as gay, has wed his partner Ben Thomson in a mountaintop ceremony.

In an interview with Women’s Day, Johnstone revealed that they had a private wedding before celebrating with family and friends.

“Nobody knew what was happening. Even the groomspeople and our families weren’t informed,” he stated.

Thomson elaborated, “We had a day just for ourselves, with photographers capturing moments of us preparing together at a hotel. We then went to Castle Hill Station and had our ceremony atop a mountain.”

“It was just us, the two photographers, and the videographer on that hill, which was pretty cool. We didn’t even have a celebrant present.”

Johnstone added, “We felt it should be a moment just for the two of us. It was really special to simply enjoy the day together.”

Later, a video of the ceremony was shown on a big screen during a celebration with family and friends, according to ‘Star Observer’.

“We wanted it to seem like we came straight from the event on video,” Johnstone mentioned. “Some people probably thought it was happening live.”

The couple became engaged in July 2023, and they have been together since meeting at a pub in Cambridge in 2016. Johnstone publicly came out in 2023, discussing the pressure of living “a double life” during his time with the team.

“At 43, during an interview with TVNZ network’s One News, Johnstone expressed, “If I can be the first All Black to come out as gay and ease the pressure and stigma around this issue, it could help others, and the public will know there is one among the All Blacks.”

“If opening that door makes the closet disappear, we’re going to help many people.”

New Zealand’s Minister For Finance at the time, Grant Robertson, who is also openly gay, supported Johnstone’s news by congratulating him on Facebook.

“In the Black Ferns, we’ve had Rainbow community role models for some time. Now with the All Blacks, another barrier has been broken. I hope it motivates future generations to be open, happy, and comfortable. There’s still much progress to be made, but this is a significant step. And from one prop to another, nga mihi Campbell!”