The gay community has been enjoying its stronger time ever. The support is coming from almost every corner of western society. Issues like marriage have taken a lot of buzz recently, due to the Supreme Court’s ruling of Same-sex marriage, a decision that may have the power to change the world given its magnitude.

One thing that keeps strengthening the gay community is when celebrities publicly come out.


Because sexuality can be seen as a private matter most celebs opt to conceal this issue has their “own business”. Some chose to reveal their sexuality after a long career (mainly in sports), but nowadays a big number of stars like singer Sam Smith and actress Ellen Page came out to thunderous applause. 

The two newest celebrities to come out are curiously  sportsmen from two of the most macho portrayed sports: rugby and baseball. They are Keegan Hirst, the 27-year-old captain of Batley Bulldogs, and David Denson, the 20-year-old outfielder for the baseball Milwaukee Brewers. In the light of the great support that the gay community as received recently, the coming out decision that these two men took should not in any occasion diminish their credibility as professional players.

Hirst gave a courageous speech about how he viewed his sexuality given the heteronormative of our western society. “At first I couldn’t even say ‘I’m gay’ in my head, let alone out loud. Now I feel like I’m letting out a long breath that I’ve held in for a long time.

I didn’t have it right in my own head, so how could I tell anybody?” said Keegan Hirst. “Society dictates that when you’re a 16-year-old lad you have a girlfriend, you sleep with her and that’s how it is. Especially as a rugby player and a lad who grew up on a council estate. You go out, go drinking, carrying on – that’s what you do. I convinced myself, no way could I be gay, it was inconceivable.”

The rugby player positioned his sexuality behind a curtain of stereotypes and preconceptions. He thought he was not gay because he did not recognised himself with the gay community which has always been portrayed by types by all sorts of media.

David Denson happily referred to the support he had from his colleagues. "They said, 'You're still our teammate. You're still our brother. We kind of had an idea, but your sexuality has nothing to do with your ability. You're still a ballplayer at the end of the day. We don't treat you any different. We've got your back,'" said Denson.

Billy Bean is a retired sportsman himself and the Major League Baseball's first Ambassador for Inclusion. Also gay, he struggled during his years as a player and along with Denson’s teammates, he also supported the young man’s decision. “Any player who happens to be gay and is a professional and has kept that secret, they just want to be judged for their baseball or football or basketball ability. David would not be playing professional baseball if he wasn't an excellent baseball player," said Bean, "The beauty of what could come from this is he can be an example that can help change that perception and change the stereotype that there would never be a gay person on a men's professional sports team. That was something I struggled with."

Times are a changing and these 2 examples come together with other from retired professional players (like Gareth Thomas) shaping a new vision where homosexuality becomes more and more accepted in sports