Exeter rugby player Jack Dunne has opened up about his journey of coming out, revealing that facing his family was “probably tougher” than revealing his sexuality to his teammates.
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In a recent interview with BBC Sport, the 23-year-old athlete shared his hope that his story would inspire other players to embrace their identities.
“It would be good for other gay or bisexual men to see people like me and hopefully it’ll give them a bit of confidence to be able to be who they are,” Dunne expressed to the broadcaster.
Reflecting on his personal experience, Dunne admitted that disclosing his sexuality to his friends and family posed greater challenges compared to making it public among his teammates.
“It was probably tougher coming out to my friends and family back in the day,” he acknowledged. “I’d been OK with it for five years or so, so it wasn’t really a big thing for me when I came out publicly, the personal one was probably bigger than the professional one.”
Dunne also extended praise to fellow athlete Jake Daniels, who made headlines in May 2022 by publicly coming out as gay, becoming the lone openly gay male professional footballer in Britain.
“That was very brave of Jake as football is probably known a bit more for crowds abusing players, and not even good craic stuff, they obviously do some abuse that’s across the line, so I have a lot of respect for how brave Jake was.”
Dunne’s candid remarks come at a pivotal moment as LGBTQ+ representation in sports continues to be a significant topic, underscoring the importance of acceptance and visibility within the athletic community.
Four more out and proud rugby players, including first openly gay All Black
RUCK wanted to celebrate five out and proud rugby stars. Their focus? How we can collectively align to take action that drives change on and off the pitch.
1. Campbell Johnstone
The former All Blacks prop has openly come out as gay. Johnstone becomes the first former All Black to do so, and has received tremendous support for this courageous act.
This is a milestone moment for the All Blacks, who have celebrated the occasion, sharing Campbell’s story on social media.
“If I can be the first All Black that comes out as gay and take away the pressure and the stigma surrounding the whole issue then it can actually help other people. Then the public will know that there is one in amongst the All Blacks.”
“To be able to do that could possibly be one of the final pieces in the puzzle for New Zealand sport…it could be a very vital piece that just gives everyone closure.”
“If I open up that door and magically make that closet disappear, then we’re going to help a lot of people.”
Johnstone played three times for the All Blacks, all in 2005. He made his debut against Fiji, and also took on the British and Irish Lions tourists. Johnstone spent his entire Super Rugby career at the Crusaders, before moving to France in 2009 for a four year tenure at Biarritz.