SYDNEY, Aug 27: A former Australian Rules star on Wednesday came out as the first openly bisexual or gay player in the sport's history, a move hailed as "breaking decades of silence".
Australian Rules is the country's most popular spectator sport but it has long been marred by incidents of homophobia and racism.
Former West Coast defender Mitch Brown, who played 94 games for the Perth-based Eagles between 2007 and 2016, said his bisexuality was a "huge factor" in his retirement aged 28.
No current or former AFL player has previously said publicly that they are gay or bisexual, local media and LGBTQ advocates said.
"I played in the AFL for 10 years for the West Coast Eagles, and I'm a bisexual man," Brown, now 36, told youth-focused publication The Daily Aus.
Australian Rules, a dynamic kicking and passing game similar to Gaelic football, is played in a "hyper-masculine environment", Brown said.
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Adelaide's Izak Rankine was hit with a four-match ban last week for a homophobic slur against an opponent.
Brown said he became good at hiding parts of himself, not just his sexuality but also "my anxiety, my worries in life, I could bury them so deep".
"It was never once an opportunity to speak openly or explore your feelings or questions in a safe way," he added.
The former player said he had often seen or heard homophobic remarks but had not spoken up for fear of "people thinking that I was gay or bisexual".
He said: "I remember two people having a conversation around how they would feel having a shower next to a gay man, and one of the players said, 'I'd rather be in a cage full of lions than have a shower next to a gay man'."
"I don't believe that this is about me. It's not about Mitch Brown being the first at all. For me, it's about sharing my experience so others can feel seen," Brown said.
- 'Opens the door' -
Australian LGBTQ advocacy group Health Equity Matters praised Brown's "strength and honesty".
"For over a century of AFL competition, no male player has identified as openly bisexual or gay," said chief executive Dash Heath-Paynter.
"Mitch's announcement breaks through decades of silence and opens the door for others who may be on their own journey."
He added: "The AFL must do some deep thinking about the measures needed to make the code safe and inclusive for players, officials and volunteers."
The AFL players' union last week called for a "more effective and united approach" in tackling homophobia following Rankine's suspension.
He was the sixth player banned for similar incidents in the past 16 months.
AFL general counsel Stephen Meade has acknowledged that more work needs to be done to tackle the problem, without spelling out what was planned.
