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Gay Sports News: A leading Australian Rules footballer has said that his gay sporting colleagues should stay in the closet.
By: Nigel Robinson
Akermaris: locker room nudity wolud cause discomfort
Akermaris: locker room nudity wolud cause discomfort
Footballer: Gay Aussie Rules players should stay in the closet.
Footballer Jason Akermanis, who plays for the Western Bulldogs team, was commenting on rumours that two former stars in the Australian Football League (AFL) were about to come out as gay.
In his column in the Herald Sun newspaper, Akermanis denied being anti-gay but said that there was no place for gay players in the highly traditional and macho world of Australian football.
He said that if any AFL players were to come out as gay, it would make international news and break the “fabric” of the club.
“Football clubs are very different environments,” he wrote. “Locker room nudity is an everyday part of our lives and unlike any other work place.
“I believe it would cause discomfort in that environment should someone declare himself gay.”
Akermanis recalls playing with a gay man in the 1990s, who was a highly respected member of his team.
“The only time I noticed a difference was when I was showering with ten other players after a good win and I turned around to see all ten heading out in a second with their towels,” he recalled. “Sure enough, our gay teammate had wandered in.”
His comments have been met with anger by Australian gay swimmer Daniel Kowalski, who came out last month and who said:
“I'm disappointed, I'm mad, I'm angry, I'm sad.
"When you get comments like that from a guy of his stature, why would you come out?"
