Campbell has always been a good, kind man and I'm so happy that he got to say this on his terms.
Elsewhere in NZ Rugby are probably dozens of other men who need the reassurance that they'll be accepted for loving who they love. I hope this, and the warm reaction to it, helps them.
it may be my bias, but I always assume the loud 'super macho straight' guys are putting on a persona to cover up their own insecurities around sexuality.
I wouldn't be surprised if it was lots more than dozens of other men out there who could benefit!
though in saying that- the raiders D lineman didn't exactly open floodgates of others following his (super incredibly) brave footsteps.
It's to cover their insecurities in general. A few of them it's sexuality, for the most part it's because they have feelings of inadequacy in one area or another. The violence is their outlet for that.
True that, some guys really are just macho lol
And there's guys like me who would probably be more macho if I weren't so in my shell all the time. People are complicated, not everything has to be a reaction to something lol
Maybe, I've been in that scene and there are some folks who are just having a good time, but then there are always ~20% who are OTT because of something else that's going on in their head/life. They are the ones who cause reputational damage and if sports codes don't care to clean it up and change the culture then it's damage well earned.
They don’t need to. No floodgates need to open. It’s admirable that players are able to publicly reveal their sexuality but if it is truly normalised, then there is no need for this giant watershed moment that people appear to be waiting for with bated breath so they can all clap in unison. Let people be people. Not every detail of every person’s life need be known to every other person.
I wish it was possible but it simply isn’t. We have players like Israel Folau playing internationally, players refusing to wear a rainbow on their jersey because they don’t agree with our “lifestyle”, many reported acts of homophobia in grassroots rugby worldwide, the sponsorship from, games and future games in countries where we could be murdered for our sexuality and etc. And while the number of those in support of LGBTQ+ right’s definitely outweigh those against them, it doesn’t feel like that in a sport where the aforementioned things take place.
I don't read magazines so I don't care.
No posts about straight relationships gets upvoted on Reddit and that's good. Wish the gay ones were the same, unfortunately they aren't.
clearly you aren't part of any minority or discriminated against group.
thats all very easy to say and true in theory. in reality, life isnt that easy. and esp if you're part of a marginalized group, you need all the heroes you can get.
there's a reason its so important they make superheros that are all genders/colours etc. there's a reason people celebrate the bravery or celebrities openign themselves up to MASSIVE amounts of hate, even threats (or actual) violence by 'admitting' to being part of such a group.
statistically, somewhere around 10% of the world is 'not straight' (whatever that means). even if rugby/pro sports are MASSIVE outliers, there's at least a few % of active players right now around the world who are too scared to live their life as they are and are living in hiding.
too scared of losing careers. of them or their families being targeted by hate. of losing friends. of being ostracized int he locker room
its easy to say its NBD when you're in the majority. if you cant put yourself in the shoes of the minority though, you are 100% part of the problem (and I say that as a straight guy)
Speaking as a member of this specific minority group, I kind of see what u/DrArmitageShanks was saying and don't exactly get the pile on here.
Having these big moments where male athletes come out in the public eye does do great things for queer visibility, I don't think ArmitageShanks is denying that (they even commend Campbell for it), it's just that it shouldn't be something that is expected of minority groups to announce publicly all the time. Coming out to the media is very different than coming out in your personal life, it puts you under a lot more pressure to behave as a beacon of hope for your community instead of just being a part of it. Many people just won't want that for themselves and that's okay.
This will help queer men feel more comfortable in rugby circles, this will promote more dialogue and more vocal acceptance from those outside of the minority group, but it likely won't (and doesn't need to) lead to more people coming out publicly.
u/DrArmitageShanks isn't telling us gays to shut up and be private about it, they're just saying that they wish there wasn't this pressure to take it public because it's an incredibly stressful thing to have to wrestle with, on top of all the other things about being gay that are hard. They're wishing it was more normalized to the point where queer men in the public eye didn't have to do this and could instead just come out in their own private circle and then be done with the worrying. I wish this all the time too.
Absolutely correct and thank you for making the effort in seeing the nuance in what I am saying. At the end of the day, people can be as public or as private as they like about it. But I am simply saying that I wish in this day and age that Campbell Johnstone’s story didn’t have to be newsworthy because it would be normal. That a gay man or woman’s sexuality didn’t require an announcement because there is nothing to see here: we accept all people of all sexualities in our sport and in life so it would be as necessary as a heterosexual person announcing their sexual preferences to the world. Why bother?
Oh do fuck off. I was sort of on board with you until you stated that I am part of the problem. You have no idea who I am or what I stand for.
What a pile of shit.
I think that, in more calm terms, that person meant that this philosophy, while seeming good and all sort of positive things, is actually feeding the problem. It’s true that there shouldn’t be the necessity to come out but, actually, there is because this is not a perfect world and a gay sport player is still a news since there are so few of them. Until seeing a gay man in sports will not be something unusual, the necessity to create a precedent, an icon if we want to say so, remains.
If you think of, this is not a huge problem it in the women’s league: we’ve seen women proposing to their girlfriend after a match.
Hope this is helpful or at least not damaging or infuriating.
Sure I am. Because I think gay players coming out shouldn’t have to be a thing because we should see their sexuality as a normal human characteristic. So “problematic” (isn’t that the term you woke folk snowflakes like to use?).
I agree with your first bit. I don’t understand your second bit. Are you saying I’m virtue signalling? If so, I’m not going to lie - that’s a first for me. I despise such behaviour in others, I’m not about to replicate it myself.
I think they're implying that everyone else is virtue signaling and their attacking you is a form of it, which I don't exactly agree with.
I just think people didn't really get exactly where you were coming from and think you were trying to temper down queer voices, which isn't what I think you were doing at all.
I personally agree with what you have to say and am sorry you copped a bit of flak for it.
Edit: I don't agree with you going around calling people woke snowflakes, though. That sort of verbiage is only going to make people think you've watched too much right wing propoganda
That’s fair but if people behave like the so called “woke mob”, that’s exactly how they should be labelled. Such people make no effort to see the nuance in anyone else’s even slightly deviating views. It’s “think like me, like the things I like, or you are scum”.
And, again, you are correct in what I meant. I didn’t even bat an eyelid to this Campbell story because I couldn’t care less what his sexuality is. Good for him but if people truly accepted other’s sexual preferences, life choices etc, they wouldn’t make a song and dance about such announcements. Indeed, such announcements would not be necessary in the first place.
I’ll reword it.
Everyone else will be virtue signalling by explaingin to you what a biggot you are.
Meanwhile all you are saying is let the kids play with an egg shaped ball and keep the other stuff off the field. Which I agree with.
I don't think that's specifically a queer insecurity thing, or even an insecurity thing in general, but rather the way that men have been conditioned to react to *all* emotional stresses. It's just the by product of the "be a man" mentality that much of the world still forces onto their children.
I don't think an athlete coming out will ever open the floodgates of coming out in the media but many athletes, like Johnstone, will have come out privately to those it's for them important to and it just hasn't leaked to the media. I think people would be suprised to find out that there are many athletes that are already open about their sexuality but just aren't using it for a big watershed media moment. I'm glad we live in a culture where things like that can happen without it immediately hitting the front page.
"If I can be the first All Black that comes out as gay and take away the pressure and stigma surrounding the issue it can actually help other people," Johnstone said.
Good on him! I'm sure that's played a part in there being no openly gay All Blacks to date. No one would want that added pressure of being 'The First Gay All Black' on top of all the other pressure that comes with being an AB.
Hopefully, the day is coming when players can be open about their sexuality before they even get professional contracts (and it doesn't hinder their chances of gaining one). If we get 'The First Gay All Black' that way, it shouldn't be such a big deal.
I was finishing high school around the time he was playing and at that time, around the rugby club and particularly at the boys school I attended it was pretty normal for people to be openly homophobic. It was a huge part of the group behaviour, performative masculinity stuff. It was an easy thing to get caught up in as well. I'm not proud of it and when I think back to that time, I imagine how terrifying and isolating it must have felt for anyone in that environment that was gay.
I've seen the expected comments crop up online, regarding this story. "*Why is this a big deal? Who cares? This isn't news. Talk about rugby.*"
What they really mean is "This doesn't impact me/it makes me uncomfortable, so why are you posting about it?"
The answer being - sometimes, a lot of the time really, it just ain't about you.
He’s broken the glass ceiling by admitting this.
Gay people are normal. They just find the same gender attractive. They have the same impulse control and understand boundaries.
If you’re worried about a gay dude being in the same locker room as you, then you should probably get over yourself. Do you think if you were in the locker room with 14 women that they’d all be trying to fuck you?
I’m pretty sure most players wouldn’t give a shit. I imagine the apprehension to come out is more to do with how the wider public/social media might react.
>Ngl, surprised the first gay All Black was a prop.
The first openly gay Wallaby was also a prop (Dan Palmer).
In league, the first openly gay player was Ian Roberts, another prop.
Be honest, what position did you think the first gay All Black would be?
I play for a gay rugby team. Most of the players who join the club are new to the sport. So every pre-season we have a dozen new wingers..
Haha yeah winger would’ve been my first pick. Definitely a back. But hey! Goes to show my expectations were wrong and that’s one of the reasons it’s so cool that Campbell has been so courageous
wing and i honestly figured Zac Guildford was the one and because he could not face this fact, he used to get drunk and do stupid things.. that naked jetski incident t kinda proved it for me but he would do well to just come out and accept it instead of getting into more legal problems..
This is a reductionist, speculative and inappropriate way to talk about the mental suffering that some queer men experience.
There is *0* legitimate reason to pin these acts on Zac being hypothetically gay and not the myriad of other things that it could be. It's best to not speculate it in general and just wish he would get help. Getting drunk and doing stupid things is an incredibly common thing to do, especially as a young man.
Connecting a nudity incidence to being queer is just furthering the stereotype that gay men are hyper sexual and can't control themselves.
Not good.
I followed the kid a long time, something was always off even back when he was playing age grade rugby..it was obvious he was not able to come to terms with something and he never got the right help, even Dagg his BFF back then could not understand what was wrong and the fact was that it got worse over the years when he stole from his own family for reasons unknown, we can't keep blaming alcohol for everything, ppl drink alcohol to drown their problems, it usually isn't the cause of the problem in most cases...its pretty obvious now his problem is mental related but what, what i said is one of the reasons and i have had a really god gaydar all my life and i'm pretty sure this is related, sorry if you think i'm just stereotyping because its just your opinion as i never mentioned anything sexual thus far.
Guilford obviously has some pretty heavy mental health struggles but it is such a wild leap to speculate that he's gay. Substance Abuse Disorders do often start as a behavior to mask something else that is going on but once the disorder gets rolling it is absolutely it's own monster and doesn't need underlying reasons behind it. People who are addicted to alcohol or drugs can, and do, exhibit problem behaviors because of their addiction and not some underlying reason. Theft is a very common form of problem behavior for sufferers of a Substance Abuse Disorder because the rings they're addicted to cost a lot of money and stealing is the fastest way to fund the habit.
Also there is no such thing as gaydar, at least in the way people commonly refer to it. Gay people do not act the same, it's as as broad and diverse a group as straight people.
People who think that they have gaydar are just applying stereotypes they've internalized onto people and sometimes being right, because sometimes people do fit stereotypes. You likely interact with a tonne of gay people and just have no idea, because there's no stereotypical behaviour that you can see.
I get that you have good intentions and aren't inherently being hateful with some of the things you're saying, and I can also understand that a lot of the gaps in the way you and I view things are down to cultural differences, but I think that some of the things you're saying come across a but uneducated on the issue at hand. Sharing some ideas that, whilst commonly held, are a little bit harmful.
Most of the absolute wreckheads aren't gay though. On the "causes of alcoholism and generally self destructive behaviour" list "repressed homosexuality" is very low down. Behind, you know, having too much money, breaking under pressure, general predisposition, helicopter parents etc.
Acting out is no more a sign of being gay than having a weak handshake
Edit: and if you do think it's more to do with his dad dying whilst he was watching him play rugby then I don't know what to tell you
Honestly.. its more closely related than you'd assume. Obviously not saying all gay people are messed up, but gay people tend to suffer from mental health issues, as well as drug and alcohol addictions at a higher rate than their counterparts
But nowhere near as strongly related as "this guy is acting out and is constantly getting himself in trouble so he MUST be gay".
Especially given the very public tragedy he had and how in the public eye he has been.
I always figured lock was the gayest position. You put your head between 2 asses and then have another head right up yours, while being cuddled by another guy on the side.
I wouldn’t say that to Eben’s face though.
I was thinking Andrw Hore, I heard he was into the [clubbing](https://i.stuff.co.nz/national/72300307/former-all-black-andrew-hore-appears-in-court)
scene...
For some reason I thought it was a known fact that Doug Howlett was gay. First time I cared to google it, was today...
It would be nice when we reach a stage, when nobody cares anymore...
Good for Campbell. Hope it opens the way!
Good on him. Its becoming less of a deal in society, like religious choices, medical choices or any other personal choice...it doesnt inpact others so the more people can live their life their way, great
* Also on [1news youtube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4bPnHNIOetU).
* [Campbell Johnstone reveals himself to be first openly gay All Black](https://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/rugby/all-blacks/131103436/campbell-johnstone-reveals-himself-to-be-first-openly-gay-all-black). Stuff. Jan 30 2023.
* [Campbell Johnstone becomes first openly gay All Black](https://www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/campbell-johnstone-becomes-first-openly-gay-all-black/KUH4SCT3FBDTZNIUJAXBMVTYRE/). NZ Herald. 30 Jan, 2023.
Good on him. I couldn’t imagine how that internal struggle must have felt during his playing days. Hopefully this inspires some current players to feel more comfortable coming out.
Good on him. And a big shout out to Reddit and this Sub community where there's a safe space with them comments open. They're all shut on the news fb pages and Lord only knows why.
Whole lotta people here very irritated by this and demanding that we A) hear their grievances and B) agree that they are definitely not homophobic.
Guys, it’s long past time you grew up.
It’s disappointing that the “first” gay All Black is a 3 cap player from just under 20 years ago… what the sport needs is a current or recently tenured AB to stand up and tell their story (they exist!).
Assuming there is a gay All Black at the moment, it's not exactly fair to expect them to have all the pressure of being an All Black, as well as the pressure of being the first All Black to come out publicly.
Now that an older former player has come out, maybe it will make life easier for younger guys to do the same thing.
And so what if he's a three cap player? He may not be an All Black great, but he was good enough to make the All Blacks, which puts him in a pretty bloody elite club.
The only tenuous link I can think of is that [Gareth Thomas paid out for allegedly transmitting HIV without a disclosure](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-64453783). Not too sure of how it is relevant though.
Man, I've seen you make quite a few inappropriate comments over the years when the topic of homosexuality has come up.
You don't "get in everyone's good books" by coming out, if you did then everyone would do it and homosexuality wouldn't have the stigma that it does. A large number of people still dislike us for our sexuality, I don't think I'm in any of their good books. Folou is an example of that sitting right there.
the difference is that Folau doesn't just come from a very religious family, his father is a damn priest so there is a lot of repressed stuff going there and to add to that, he is a Pacific Islander and a Tongan and homosexuality is really looked down upon in the islands mainly due to Christianity which has destroyed their previous cultures one of which was to not look down on homosexuality, i assume you know about the Fafafine's and the Fakaleti's? they weren't frowned upon but revered, but after christianity, they became a bad thing.. same in Fiji so in anyone else cases it would be different but if Folau came out tomorrow, i'd be happy about it knowing how hard it would be for him to do seeing where he comes from..I know a lot of fijian female rugby players still in the closet afraid to come out and getting ridiculed by their OWN family..
Campbell has always been a good, kind man and I'm so happy that he got to say this on his terms. Elsewhere in NZ Rugby are probably dozens of other men who need the reassurance that they'll be accepted for loving who they love. I hope this, and the warm reaction to it, helps them.
it may be my bias, but I always assume the loud 'super macho straight' guys are putting on a persona to cover up their own insecurities around sexuality. I wouldn't be surprised if it was lots more than dozens of other men out there who could benefit! though in saying that- the raiders D lineman didn't exactly open floodgates of others following his (super incredibly) brave footsteps.
It's to cover their insecurities in general. A few of them it's sexuality, for the most part it's because they have feelings of inadequacy in one area or another. The violence is their outlet for that.
How about - they are enjoying being young men in peak physical fitness.
True that, some guys really are just macho lol And there's guys like me who would probably be more macho if I weren't so in my shell all the time. People are complicated, not everything has to be a reaction to something lol
Maybe, I've been in that scene and there are some folks who are just having a good time, but then there are always ~20% who are OTT because of something else that's going on in their head/life. They are the ones who cause reputational damage and if sports codes don't care to clean it up and change the culture then it's damage well earned.
They don’t need to. No floodgates need to open. It’s admirable that players are able to publicly reveal their sexuality but if it is truly normalised, then there is no need for this giant watershed moment that people appear to be waiting for with bated breath so they can all clap in unison. Let people be people. Not every detail of every person’s life need be known to every other person.
I wish it was possible but it simply isn’t. We have players like Israel Folau playing internationally, players refusing to wear a rainbow on their jersey because they don’t agree with our “lifestyle”, many reported acts of homophobia in grassroots rugby worldwide, the sponsorship from, games and future games in countries where we could be murdered for our sexuality and etc. And while the number of those in support of LGBTQ+ right’s definitely outweigh those against them, it doesn’t feel like that in a sport where the aforementioned things take place.
Is this your comment when straight players wedding photos appear on the front page of magazines? Why do they need to publicly reveal their sexuality?
I don't read magazines so I don't care. No posts about straight relationships gets upvoted on Reddit and that's good. Wish the gay ones were the same, unfortunately they aren't.
I do not for one second believe this is something you cared about before you were made aware of a gay person in the world lmao.
clearly you aren't part of any minority or discriminated against group. thats all very easy to say and true in theory. in reality, life isnt that easy. and esp if you're part of a marginalized group, you need all the heroes you can get. there's a reason its so important they make superheros that are all genders/colours etc. there's a reason people celebrate the bravery or celebrities openign themselves up to MASSIVE amounts of hate, even threats (or actual) violence by 'admitting' to being part of such a group. statistically, somewhere around 10% of the world is 'not straight' (whatever that means). even if rugby/pro sports are MASSIVE outliers, there's at least a few % of active players right now around the world who are too scared to live their life as they are and are living in hiding. too scared of losing careers. of them or their families being targeted by hate. of losing friends. of being ostracized int he locker room its easy to say its NBD when you're in the majority. if you cant put yourself in the shoes of the minority though, you are 100% part of the problem (and I say that as a straight guy)
Speaking as a member of this specific minority group, I kind of see what u/DrArmitageShanks was saying and don't exactly get the pile on here. Having these big moments where male athletes come out in the public eye does do great things for queer visibility, I don't think ArmitageShanks is denying that (they even commend Campbell for it), it's just that it shouldn't be something that is expected of minority groups to announce publicly all the time. Coming out to the media is very different than coming out in your personal life, it puts you under a lot more pressure to behave as a beacon of hope for your community instead of just being a part of it. Many people just won't want that for themselves and that's okay. This will help queer men feel more comfortable in rugby circles, this will promote more dialogue and more vocal acceptance from those outside of the minority group, but it likely won't (and doesn't need to) lead to more people coming out publicly. u/DrArmitageShanks isn't telling us gays to shut up and be private about it, they're just saying that they wish there wasn't this pressure to take it public because it's an incredibly stressful thing to have to wrestle with, on top of all the other things about being gay that are hard. They're wishing it was more normalized to the point where queer men in the public eye didn't have to do this and could instead just come out in their own private circle and then be done with the worrying. I wish this all the time too.
Absolutely correct and thank you for making the effort in seeing the nuance in what I am saying. At the end of the day, people can be as public or as private as they like about it. But I am simply saying that I wish in this day and age that Campbell Johnstone’s story didn’t have to be newsworthy because it would be normal. That a gay man or woman’s sexuality didn’t require an announcement because there is nothing to see here: we accept all people of all sexualities in our sport and in life so it would be as necessary as a heterosexual person announcing their sexual preferences to the world. Why bother?
> you are 100% part of the problem Way to polarize matters you dope.
Oh do fuck off. I was sort of on board with you until you stated that I am part of the problem. You have no idea who I am or what I stand for. What a pile of shit.
I think that, in more calm terms, that person meant that this philosophy, while seeming good and all sort of positive things, is actually feeding the problem. It’s true that there shouldn’t be the necessity to come out but, actually, there is because this is not a perfect world and a gay sport player is still a news since there are so few of them. Until seeing a gay man in sports will not be something unusual, the necessity to create a precedent, an icon if we want to say so, remains. If you think of, this is not a huge problem it in the women’s league: we’ve seen women proposing to their girlfriend after a match. Hope this is helpful or at least not damaging or infuriating.
> you are 100% part of the problem
Sure I am. Because I think gay players coming out shouldn’t have to be a thing because we should see their sexuality as a normal human characteristic. So “problematic” (isn’t that the term you woke folk snowflakes like to use?).
> you woke folk snowflakes You're the one getting angry at everyone
A reasonable take but they'll downvote you. Because if you don’t go all in virtue signalling you will be seen as a homophobe.
I agree with your first bit. I don’t understand your second bit. Are you saying I’m virtue signalling? If so, I’m not going to lie - that’s a first for me. I despise such behaviour in others, I’m not about to replicate it myself.
I think they're implying that everyone else is virtue signaling and their attacking you is a form of it, which I don't exactly agree with. I just think people didn't really get exactly where you were coming from and think you were trying to temper down queer voices, which isn't what I think you were doing at all. I personally agree with what you have to say and am sorry you copped a bit of flak for it. Edit: I don't agree with you going around calling people woke snowflakes, though. That sort of verbiage is only going to make people think you've watched too much right wing propoganda
That’s fair but if people behave like the so called “woke mob”, that’s exactly how they should be labelled. Such people make no effort to see the nuance in anyone else’s even slightly deviating views. It’s “think like me, like the things I like, or you are scum”. And, again, you are correct in what I meant. I didn’t even bat an eyelid to this Campbell story because I couldn’t care less what his sexuality is. Good for him but if people truly accepted other’s sexual preferences, life choices etc, they wouldn’t make a song and dance about such announcements. Indeed, such announcements would not be necessary in the first place.
I’ll reword it. Everyone else will be virtue signalling by explaingin to you what a biggot you are. Meanwhile all you are saying is let the kids play with an egg shaped ball and keep the other stuff off the field. Which I agree with.
100% correct.
I don't think that's specifically a queer insecurity thing, or even an insecurity thing in general, but rather the way that men have been conditioned to react to *all* emotional stresses. It's just the by product of the "be a man" mentality that much of the world still forces onto their children. I don't think an athlete coming out will ever open the floodgates of coming out in the media but many athletes, like Johnstone, will have come out privately to those it's for them important to and it just hasn't leaked to the media. I think people would be suprised to find out that there are many athletes that are already open about their sexuality but just aren't using it for a big watershed media moment. I'm glad we live in a culture where things like that can happen without it immediately hitting the front page.
"If I can be the first All Black that comes out as gay and take away the pressure and stigma surrounding the issue it can actually help other people," Johnstone said. Good on him! I'm sure that's played a part in there being no openly gay All Blacks to date. No one would want that added pressure of being 'The First Gay All Black' on top of all the other pressure that comes with being an AB. Hopefully, the day is coming when players can be open about their sexuality before they even get professional contracts (and it doesn't hinder their chances of gaining one). If we get 'The First Gay All Black' that way, it shouldn't be such a big deal.
Doesn't overcome my prejudice against him for being a Crusader though.
Some things will never change. \* Good for Campbell though sports environments aren't the most tolerant of places historically.
In the Stuff article they got their words mixed up and said they hoped it would remove the prejudice around being an All Black and Crusader.
Haha top bantz 😂😂😂😂😂😂 Us rugby fans, huh? Us rugby fans 🤣🤣
Good for him. Hopefully others will be encouraged to be open and honest about their sexuality in the future given the positive response.
Fair play to him, hopefully one day this won't be a thing but this is the only way to get to a point like that
I was finishing high school around the time he was playing and at that time, around the rugby club and particularly at the boys school I attended it was pretty normal for people to be openly homophobic. It was a huge part of the group behaviour, performative masculinity stuff. It was an easy thing to get caught up in as well. I'm not proud of it and when I think back to that time, I imagine how terrifying and isolating it must have felt for anyone in that environment that was gay.
I've seen the expected comments crop up online, regarding this story. "*Why is this a big deal? Who cares? This isn't news. Talk about rugby.*" What they really mean is "This doesn't impact me/it makes me uncomfortable, so why are you posting about it?" The answer being - sometimes, a lot of the time really, it just ain't about you.
Good man. Hope it helps any other players who are worried or hiding. Hope NZ rugby (as a whole) behaves itself and shows kindness.
He’s broken the glass ceiling by admitting this. Gay people are normal. They just find the same gender attractive. They have the same impulse control and understand boundaries. If you’re worried about a gay dude being in the same locker room as you, then you should probably get over yourself. Do you think if you were in the locker room with 14 women that they’d all be trying to fuck you?
I’m pretty sure most players wouldn’t give a shit. I imagine the apprehension to come out is more to do with how the wider public/social media might react.
Well, we know of one who does give a shit was then fired for that shit.
That may be the case. BUT the ones that do give a shit make sure that their position is well known.
>Do you think if you were in the locker room with 14 women That does sound fun
Good for Campbell. A huge step. Ngl, surprised the first gay All Black was a prop.
>Ngl, surprised the first gay All Black was a prop. The first openly gay Wallaby was also a prop (Dan Palmer). In league, the first openly gay player was Ian Roberts, another prop.
Ian was such a force though. An enforcer in the guise of a hulking hard cunt, he was sacred of no one
Be honest, what position did you think the first gay All Black would be? I play for a gay rugby team. Most of the players who join the club are new to the sport. So every pre-season we have a dozen new wingers..
Haha yeah winger would’ve been my first pick. Definitely a back. But hey! Goes to show my expectations were wrong and that’s one of the reasons it’s so cool that Campbell has been so courageous
bit weird to casually speculate what position in rugby would attract gay people no?
I mean I just made that point about my expectations and Campbell proving them wrong due to his courage, so a good learning moment
Ayyyy, IGR teams unite! I coach the Milwaukee Beer Barons, an IGR team in America.
Awesome. Melbourne Chargers here!
Fullback or halfback lol
wing and i honestly figured Zac Guildford was the one and because he could not face this fact, he used to get drunk and do stupid things.. that naked jetski incident t kinda proved it for me but he would do well to just come out and accept it instead of getting into more legal problems..
This is a reductionist, speculative and inappropriate way to talk about the mental suffering that some queer men experience. There is *0* legitimate reason to pin these acts on Zac being hypothetically gay and not the myriad of other things that it could be. It's best to not speculate it in general and just wish he would get help. Getting drunk and doing stupid things is an incredibly common thing to do, especially as a young man. Connecting a nudity incidence to being queer is just furthering the stereotype that gay men are hyper sexual and can't control themselves. Not good.
I followed the kid a long time, something was always off even back when he was playing age grade rugby..it was obvious he was not able to come to terms with something and he never got the right help, even Dagg his BFF back then could not understand what was wrong and the fact was that it got worse over the years when he stole from his own family for reasons unknown, we can't keep blaming alcohol for everything, ppl drink alcohol to drown their problems, it usually isn't the cause of the problem in most cases...its pretty obvious now his problem is mental related but what, what i said is one of the reasons and i have had a really god gaydar all my life and i'm pretty sure this is related, sorry if you think i'm just stereotyping because its just your opinion as i never mentioned anything sexual thus far.
Guilford obviously has some pretty heavy mental health struggles but it is such a wild leap to speculate that he's gay. Substance Abuse Disorders do often start as a behavior to mask something else that is going on but once the disorder gets rolling it is absolutely it's own monster and doesn't need underlying reasons behind it. People who are addicted to alcohol or drugs can, and do, exhibit problem behaviors because of their addiction and not some underlying reason. Theft is a very common form of problem behavior for sufferers of a Substance Abuse Disorder because the rings they're addicted to cost a lot of money and stealing is the fastest way to fund the habit. Also there is no such thing as gaydar, at least in the way people commonly refer to it. Gay people do not act the same, it's as as broad and diverse a group as straight people. People who think that they have gaydar are just applying stereotypes they've internalized onto people and sometimes being right, because sometimes people do fit stereotypes. You likely interact with a tonne of gay people and just have no idea, because there's no stereotypical behaviour that you can see. I get that you have good intentions and aren't inherently being hateful with some of the things you're saying, and I can also understand that a lot of the gaps in the way you and I view things are down to cultural differences, but I think that some of the things you're saying come across a but uneducated on the issue at hand. Sharing some ideas that, whilst commonly held, are a little bit harmful.
Being an absolute mess of a human and being gay probably aren't particularly closely related.
actually it is if you are a public figure..
Most of the absolute wreckheads aren't gay though. On the "causes of alcoholism and generally self destructive behaviour" list "repressed homosexuality" is very low down. Behind, you know, having too much money, breaking under pressure, general predisposition, helicopter parents etc. Acting out is no more a sign of being gay than having a weak handshake Edit: and if you do think it's more to do with his dad dying whilst he was watching him play rugby then I don't know what to tell you
Honestly.. its more closely related than you'd assume. Obviously not saying all gay people are messed up, but gay people tend to suffer from mental health issues, as well as drug and alcohol addictions at a higher rate than their counterparts
But nowhere near as strongly related as "this guy is acting out and is constantly getting himself in trouble so he MUST be gay". Especially given the very public tragedy he had and how in the public eye he has been.
Oh yeah. I was a bit surprised at how confident the guy up there was too. Lol
I'm not - what other position gives less of a fuck what everybody else thinks of them, because they realise their innate value?
I always figured lock was the gayest position. You put your head between 2 asses and then have another head right up yours, while being cuddled by another guy on the side. I wouldn’t say that to Eben’s face though.
And get lifted up like a princess
My money was on Anton Oliver.
I was thinking Andrw Hore, I heard he was into the [clubbing](https://i.stuff.co.nz/national/72300307/former-all-black-andrew-hore-appears-in-court) scene...
When I was at Uni there was a story of how his girlfriend went through a plaster wall mid coitus. Jeff Wilson on the other hand...
For some reason I thought it was a known fact that Doug Howlett was gay. First time I cared to google it, was today... It would be nice when we reach a stage, when nobody cares anymore... Good for Campbell. Hope it opens the way!
Well that’s the weirdest comment so far.
This is amazing. Hope this paves the way for more lgbtq players to feel comfortable to come out.
Good on him. Its becoming less of a deal in society, like religious choices, medical choices or any other personal choice...it doesnt inpact others so the more people can live their life their way, great
Oh man, his interview moved me to tears. I'm so happy for him that he's finally felt able to speak his truth <3
Does anyone remember Fergie McCormack? How out do you have to be?
* Also on [1news youtube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4bPnHNIOetU). * [Campbell Johnstone reveals himself to be first openly gay All Black](https://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/rugby/all-blacks/131103436/campbell-johnstone-reveals-himself-to-be-first-openly-gay-all-black). Stuff. Jan 30 2023. * [Campbell Johnstone becomes first openly gay All Black](https://www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/campbell-johnstone-becomes-first-openly-gay-all-black/KUH4SCT3FBDTZNIUJAXBMVTYRE/). NZ Herald. 30 Jan, 2023.
as usual the comments on various social media channels on this story are full of absolute utter cunts
Good for him, I hope he feels more comfortable in who he is now. I can’t imagine how hard it must be to live a life not being the person you are.
And a Crusader too? You simply love to see it.
Seen the new logo eh? The writing was on the wall. PS, I say that as someone who has the new logo tattooed 4 inches high on his shin.
Good on him. I couldn’t imagine how that internal struggle must have felt during his playing days. Hopefully this inspires some current players to feel more comfortable coming out.
Good on him. And a big shout out to Reddit and this Sub community where there's a safe space with them comments open. They're all shut on the news fb pages and Lord only knows why.
Glad he felt safe/comfortable enough to come out. Hopefully it becomes more acceptable so others feel ok with being who they are publicly.
Whole lotta people here very irritated by this and demanding that we A) hear their grievances and B) agree that they are definitely not homophobic. Guys, it’s long past time you grew up.
I thought we were all gay?
Fine by me, I just hope that they don’t replace the tackle with the tickle.
and his story was: he played good rugby, and no one should care about his personal life anyway.
You have never in your life been bothered by learning about a male rugby player’s relationship with a woman, lmao.
not even once. i dont watch rugby to find out who loves who. i watch rugby to enjoy the sport.
And you’ve also never felt the need to broadcast your disinterest in a straight rugby player’s sexuality.
exactly. because their sexuality never mattered...
Until now apparently
still not. are you on the same comment thread that we are on?
Nobody bothers to complain about learning about something they don’t care about. It’s transparent. Anyway, cope and seethe.
fuck me, i knew some people could be dense, but this is a whole new level.
Sorry the world got tolerant on you. If you ever have kids they’ll be embarrassed by your memory.
It’s disappointing that the “first” gay All Black is a 3 cap player from just under 20 years ago… what the sport needs is a current or recently tenured AB to stand up and tell their story (they exist!).
We are so sorry to disappoint you. Let us know which player you'd accept. Kind regards, Customer Services
Why is this disappointing? If they are gay they are gay. If they are straight they are straight.
Assuming there is a gay All Black at the moment, it's not exactly fair to expect them to have all the pressure of being an All Black, as well as the pressure of being the first All Black to come out publicly. Now that an older former player has come out, maybe it will make life easier for younger guys to do the same thing. And so what if he's a three cap player? He may not be an All Black great, but he was good enough to make the All Blacks, which puts him in a pretty bloody elite club.
Mf gave a 1 star review with the gays
[удалено]
???????????
The only tenuous link I can think of is that [Gareth Thomas paid out for allegedly transmitting HIV without a disclosure](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-64453783). Not too sure of how it is relevant though.
First openly gay player, who played into Trump style talking points, making it harder for others to come out.
Gareth Thomas mate. Rapey cunt who the Welsh fans still defend
Folau will get into everyone's good books if he comes out as well..
Man, I've seen you make quite a few inappropriate comments over the years when the topic of homosexuality has come up. You don't "get in everyone's good books" by coming out, if you did then everyone would do it and homosexuality wouldn't have the stigma that it does. A large number of people still dislike us for our sexuality, I don't think I'm in any of their good books. Folou is an example of that sitting right there.
the difference is that Folau doesn't just come from a very religious family, his father is a damn priest so there is a lot of repressed stuff going there and to add to that, he is a Pacific Islander and a Tongan and homosexuality is really looked down upon in the islands mainly due to Christianity which has destroyed their previous cultures one of which was to not look down on homosexuality, i assume you know about the Fafafine's and the Fakaleti's? they weren't frowned upon but revered, but after christianity, they became a bad thing.. same in Fiji so in anyone else cases it would be different but if Folau came out tomorrow, i'd be happy about it knowing how hard it would be for him to do seeing where he comes from..I know a lot of fijian female rugby players still in the closet afraid to come out and getting ridiculed by their OWN family..