Gay Rugby Team Founder Honoured At World Cup Ceremony
Image: Cyril Leroy. Images: Instagram
Over the weekend, the Rugby World Cup kicked off in France. On Friday night, in front of a raucous crowd of 80,000, history was made with the appearance of a gay player on the field, if only for a short amount of time.
For the official ball carrier, the French Rugby Federation (FFR) named Cyril Leroy, founder of Les Galliards, France’s first-ever gay rugby team. Leroy has also been a longstanding advocate against homophobia in the sport as well.
Named as one of the six trailblazers for the tournament, Les Galliards was founded 20 years ago in 2003 as a fully inclusive gay Rugby football club, providing a safe space for queer male rugby players in France. In 2005, they joined the International Gay Rugby competition.
Trailbrazer
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Leroy took to the opportunity to take to his Instagram to commemorate the occasion, stating that he was “incredibly honored and humbled to be named as one of the six Trailblazers”, emphasising how far attitudes in the sport have come in the last 20 years, saying it is “an incredible achievement in the growth of LGBTQI+ inclusive rugby by all of the IGR community”.
Leroy will be a common fixture during the World Cup, appearing in a commercial for the new Land Rover Defender along with the six other selected trailblazers.
He follows in the footsteps of the likes of Ian Roberts in giving visibility to gay rugby players around the world. Roberts himself became the first openly gay Rugby player in the world when he came out in 1995.
LGBTQI In Rugby
Sadly, Rugby in Australia and around the world still struggles with LGBTQI inclusion, with a number of high-profile incidents of homophobia over the past few years. Earlier this year, Sydney’s Manly Sea Eagles players refused to wear the Pride jerseys during Pride Month. Australian Rugby player Israel Folau was sacked following his homophobic behaviour on social media.
In Falou’s case, the player is yet to apologise for his actions and despite being terminated by Rugby Australia for his remarks, now represents Tonga.
However, Cyril Leroy’s inclusion is a significant step forward for representation in the Rugby Union and has come in a wave of pro-LGBTQI initiatives in French Rugby. Hopefully, this gesture can help push forward LGBTQI visibility in sports and well as continue to combat homophobia.
