Gay rugby boss says Israel Folau’s Instagram posting dangerous

Australia’s gay rugby community has been moved by the love and support the game has shown them since Israel Folau’s homophobic postings, but say that still doesn’t make up for the damage he’s caused.

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Never has Australia’s openly gay rugby community felt the love from the game more than right now.

The response from leading players, coaches and administrators to Israel Folau’s homophobic social media postings has been clear and unrepentant: rugby is a diverse and inclusive sport that does not tolerate bigotry, even if it means losing one of the best players in the game.

“I’m extraordinarily proud of the way the rugby community have called this out for what it is and for Rugby Australia and New South Wales Rugby for taking a strong stance,” Don Rose, the president of Sydney Convicts, Australia’s first gay and inclusive rugby club, told The Sunday Telegraph.

“As someone who is gay and someone who is part of the rugby community, I find Izzy’s comments extraordinarily offensive and disrespectful and inconsiderate because they have a serious and harmful impact.”

Jason Garrick, president of Queensland’s gay and inclusive rugby club, the Brisbane Hustlers, has also been moved by the support for the LGBTI community.

“I applaud people like Michael Cheika and I applaud the historical acts that people like David Pocock have championed,” Garrick said.

“Sport is for everyone and we’re seeing a lot of people strongly support that message, which is really exciting because rugby is so much bigger than the comments of one man.”

But if that’s the one positive outcome from the saga, it still doesn’t make up for the deep harm that Folau has caused to the wider LGBTI community.

Players from the Sydney Convicts gay rugby team. Picture: Chris McKeen

While Folau and his supporters argue that his postings were nothing more than an expression of his religious beliefs, the Convicts and Hustlers strongly disagree because they know the impact first-hand.

“These sorts of comments have really big and harmful implications, especially for young LGBTI kids playing rugby who look up to people like Izzy and are grappling to understand their own sexuality,” Rose said.

“There’s also the impact it has on all the other kids in that footy team who might look up to Israel.

“When they see him say homosexuality is wrong or bad, that gets normalised and impacts on how these kids act on the field, so we be setting a much better example of inclusion or tolerance for everyone, whether they’re gay or straight.”

Wallabies star Israel Folau faces having his contract torn up. Picture: AAP

Folau’s comments weren’t just offensive, but also dangerous, because they made the LGBTI community feel unwelcome in sports teams, jeopardising their mental and physical health by making them targets of hate, Garrick said.

“We are a vulnerable community so when people incite scorn on the community, that’s where it’s damaging and that’s where it’s hurtful and that’s where it impacts on individuals,” Garrick said.

“Homophobic language brings up a series of barriers for young people who identify somewhere in the gender and diverse community so when someone says things like ‘you’re going to hell’ or ‘hell awaits you’, that’s extremely condemning.

“For people who are trying to understand and navigate their path in life, that kind of language goes into their psyche.

“If you add the layer of being a young rugby player or participant in a team sport, that can be really harmful to that individual person and can make them feel less safe and make them that they should exclude themselves from sport.”