Straight Men Who Play for Gay Rugby Clubs Open Up

In a recent interview in the Guardian, straight rugby players were interviewed about their experiences playing for LGBT+ teams, and what they think of it. Talking to Morgan Trainer and Jeremy Schmitz, the answers were an interesting insight into the sport.

"Why wouldn't I play for a gay team?", asks Trainer. "What's one reason why I shouldn't play for those guys? They're nice guys and they're good sportsmen." In his own words, Trainer feels connected to the gay community, he himself having been raised by gay parents. To him, not only does the team provide an outlet to get back into sport, but to give back to the community. He says its about challenging norms and stereotypes.

For Schmitz, the issue arose from personal experiences. "When I was around 16, I'd just started playing men's rugby and a guy at my rugby club had come out and this was pretty big thing", he recalls, "and the guys reacted in a way that I just didn't expect and didn't like." Schmitz eventually found his teammates' treatment of their LGBT peer so unbearable that he quit rugby all together until he was brought to a training session for the Kings Cross Steelers, the first gay-inclusive rugby club in the world. He didn't actually know it was a gay rugby club - he just really enjoyed the vibe, he says.

Both men agree that the behaviours and beliefs that led to the stigma they saw needs to be addressed early on. Talking about his own son, who is 6, Trainer describes how he is at an age where he is using "gay" to describe things negatively - he doesn't know better, but he needs to be corrected. For Schmitz, a primary school teacher, it's about challenging stereotypes that children bring in from home to help them understand that others deserve dignity and equal treatment.

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