AFL boss says ‘pressure’ stopping queer players from coming out

AFL chief executive Gillon McLachlan has opened up about why he thinks gay male players in the competition are still reluctant to come out.

AFL chief executive Gillon McLachlan has revealed there are known gay male players in the competition who are still reluctantto come out due to public pressure. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Andrew Henshaw

AFL chief executive Gillon McLachlan has revealed there are known gay male players in the competition who are still reluctant to come out due to public pressure.

While speaking at a Leadership Matters lunch in Perth on Monday, McLachlan said there were gay players who were known to theirteammates but who had not come out publicly.

“The first thing I’d say is I am very comfortable there are gay male players and I am very comfortable (in saying) they are known to their teammates.

AFL Chief Executive Gillon McLachlan revealed there are known gay male players in the competition who are reluctant to come out. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Andrew Henshaw

“What they are choosing is to not be the first person.

“The pressure and the weight on that person being the first AFL player who comes out and plays as an out gay man, I thinkthat weight, frankly I can understand why they would choose not to have to carry that burden around forever,” he said.

The AFL is one of the only codes in Australia without any openly gay players.

McLachlan highlighted how no one within the AFLW had the “burden” of being the first openly gay player as when the nationalwomen’s competition launched in 2017, a plethora of women joined who were visibly gay.

“They had safety in numbers, there was no first,” he said.

The AFLW holds a Pride Round each year, however, the AFL does not.

Former NRL player Ian Roberts came out 27 years ago, however, no other NRL player has followed suit.

Ex-Wallabies star Dan Palmer stepped out as one of Australia’s first openly gay professional rugby players in 2020 after hidinghis sexuality almost destroyed him.

NBL centre Isaac Humphries and A-League’s Andy Brennan and Josh Cavallo have all also come out as being gay.