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Iris Prize Festival: Welsh Rugby Union throws full support behind LGBT short film festival

12/10/2015 By ACOMSDave Leave a Comment

Editorial:  As a devoted rugby watcher, and previous player, I am totally entranced with the current World Cup; but this story about the support for the LGBT short film festival ‘Iris Prize Festival’ creates a warm felling – and something which I have come to expect from the rugby community.

The question is will this support be equally reciprocated in Northern Ireland, and why can’t we have some kind of LGBT festival of our own?

About 50 rugby players, including sportsmen from Australia and Canada, attended the Iris opening night

  • NICK CLARK Arts Correspondent
  • Saturday 10 October 2015 22:12 BST
Former Wales captain Gareth Thomas came out as gay in 2009 Getty
As excitement about the Rugby World Cup reaches fever pitch in Cardiff, the organisers of an LGBT short film festival feare their event would be left in the shadows.
Instead they find themselves “hand in hand” with the sport’s biggest competition after the Welsh Rugby Union threw its full support behind the Iris Prize Festival, saying it was “right and proper” that the two events were celebrated in the Welsh capital at the same time.
The festival, which offers a £30,000 prize, the largest award for a short film festival, has embraced its sporting rival. It opened on Wednesday with the documentary Scrum, which is about competitors in the Bingham Cup, the international gay rugby world cup.
About 50 rugby players, including sportsmen from Australia and Canada, attended the Iris opening night. John Williams, Welsh Rugby Union’s head of communications, joined festival director Berwyn Rowlands and chairman Andrew Pierce for the start of the five-day event which closes today, when the prize is handed to one of 30 competing films.
“If feels right, it is right, it should be right and both of these events are going to be massively successful,” Mr Williams said. “We believe in the cause that’s represented by the Iris Prize Festival in Cardiff. We understand its importance; inclusivity is a must.”
Mr Pierce, a columnist and consultant editor for the Daily Mail, described Mr Williams’s address as “a very powerful, charming heartfelt” speech. He also hailed the influence of rugby role models such as referee Nigel Owens, who is gay, and former Wales captain Gareth Thomas, who came out as gay in 2009.
“Having the Welsh Rugby Union at the opening was fantastic. Here we are in our ninth prize with the blessing of the Welsh Rugby Union, and the city is full of rugby fans.”
Mr Rowlands will today also announce a £247,000 grant from the Big Lottery that will allow the organisation to expand all over Wales in a three-year project, working with local communities to fight homophobia.

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Filed Under: Anti-Bullying & Homophobia, Movie Reviews Tagged With: Iris Prize Festival, LGBT festival, rugby, Welsh rugby

USA Rugby and International Gay Rugby sign Memorandum of Understanding to eliminate homophobia in Rugby

25/09/2015 By ACOMSDave Leave a Comment

Rugby
 
 

  • In: Carousel, GLBT News
  • On: September 20, 2015
Via press release

USA Rugby signed a memorandum of understanding with International Gay Rugby (IGR) Thursday, September 10, setting forth a partnership that will see the national governing body for the sport of rugby union in the United States promote a diverse and inclusive environment in all levels of Rugby, working to end homophobia in all areas of the game.
In March 2015, IGR recently signed an agreement with World Rugby to collaborate on the promotion of equality and inclusivity in rugby around the world, actively seeking to globally remove homophobia from the game. The agreement with USA Rugby focuses mainly on the domestic side of the game in the United States to ensure registered members of USA Rugby are provided with the tools and education necessary to combat discrimination, be it based on sexual orientation, perceived sexual orientation, or identification.
USA Rugby recognizes the right of any player, official, coach, and spectator to be involved in rugby without bullying, discrimination, or exclusion of any kind, and celebrates the differences that make its members unique.
Nigel Melville, CEO of USA Rugby said “USA Rugby is thrilled to be joining IGR in the advancement of diversity and inclusion throughout the sport of rugby, as well to eliminate homophobia from the game. Following in World Rugby’s footsteps, we are steadfast in ensuring that rugby remains and continues to grow as a sport for individuals from all walks of life.”
USA Rugby will work with its own member associations, clubs, and unions to improve acceptance of LGBT members, provide educational tools to support in the elimination of perceived and institutionalized homophobia in the game, and help support IGR events.
“IGR is very proud of the leadership that USA Rugby continues to show around equality, diversity and inclusion in Rugby. The signing of this agreement is a great example of the commitment of USA Rugby to eliminating homophobia from the sport at all levels. We look forward to our continued partnership in creating a safe and homophobia free environment for all players, proving that rugby is the most inclusive sport in the United States and in the World.” Jeff Wilson, Chairman of International Gay Rugby (IGR) said.
IGR provides its 56 member clubs in fifteen countries developmental support and resources in several aspects of club organization through leadership and community engagement . Also, IGR member clubs host global, continental and regional tournaments and events celebrating the diversity and inclusion rugby community. The Mark Kendall Bingham Memorial Tournament is the flagship global event for IGR Member Clubs. Named after a gay American rugby player who died on United Flight 93 on September 11, 2001, the Bingham Cup is IGR’s World Cup of gay and inclusive rugby.
The Nashville Grizzlies RFC will host the 2016 Mark Kendall Bingham Memorial Tournament in the “Music City” of Nashville, Tennessee from Monday, May 22 through Sunday, May 29. This will be the first since 2010 that the tournament has been held in the USA and is the first time it has ever been held in the mid-south.
“The Organizing Committee is excited to partner with USA Rugby” said Jon Glassmeyer, the president of the Mark Kendall Bingham Cup 2016 Organizing Committee. “This agreement demonstrates USA Rugby’s commitment to inclusiveness and sets an example for other national unions around the world.”

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Filed Under: Anti-Bullying & Homophobia, History Tagged With: rugby, USA, world rugby

New Partnership Seeks To Promote LGBT Acceptance In U.S. Rugby

18/09/2015 By ACOMSDave Leave a Comment

thinkprogress-logo

BY LINDSAY GIBBS

SEP 16, 2015 12:55PM

CREDIT: NAM Y. HUH, AP

As the Rugby World Cup gets ready to kick off this week, USA Rugby has signed a “memorandum of understanding” with International Gay Rugby (IGR) that has a very lofty goal: To end homophobia in all areas of the sport domestically.
While several gay rugby players have come out in recent years, high-profile incidents of homophobia have colored the sport’s progress on LGBT issues. Last November, openly gay rugby official Nigel Owen was subjected to homophobic abuse by England fans when refereeing a match against New Zealand, and admitted that despite being a top referee — he will officiate in the upcoming World Cup — he had considered quitting his job due to the frequent homophobic slurs hurled at him by fans in the stands and in social media.
Here in the U.S., a recent international study on homophobia in sports, Out on the Fields, singled out America as the worst English-speaking country. According to the survey, 70 percent of Americans believed that homophobia is more common in sports than it is in the rest of society, and 84 percent have experienced or witnessed homophobia in sports.
“First and foremost, this is a huge step for the sport of rugby and the sports community in general,” Hudson Taylor, founder and executive director of Athlete Ally, said of the memorandum. “I know that this is definitely going to make it easier for LGBT people to participate in rugby in the future, and also make it easier for those who are active now to come out.”
The memorandum itself doesn’t provide any concrete rules or resources aimed at getting rid of homophobia in the sport, but Thomas Hormby, the press officer for the IGR rugby team Nashville Grizzlies, told ThinkProgress he considers the language in the memorandum — “USA Rugby recognizes the right of any player, official, coach, and spectator to be involved in rugby without bullying, discrimination, or exclusion of any kind” — strong enough to render it a significant step.
“I think that you start with changing policies, and that helps change the culture,” Hormby said.
This memorandum comes on the heels of a banner month for the rugby LGBT community, as two high-profile players, British rugby league player Keegan Hirst and English rugby union star Sam Stanley, both came out as gay and received great support from the public.

Snap 2015-09-18 at 09.05.34

In March, World Rugby signed a similar memorandum with IGR — an organization that has 56 amateur teams around the world, and hosts the gay world cup of rugby, the Bingham Cup. (Named after Mark Bingham, the gay rugby player who died on September 11, 2001 on United 93, and is believed to be one of the passengers who stormed the cockpit and overtook the hijackers.)
The popularity of International Gay Rugby has certainly helped make the rugby community at large more open to LGBT inclusion, as have other trailblazers. Ian Roberts, a popular Australian Rugby League player, came out way back in 1995; Owens came out in 2007, becoming the first active gay rugby official; and two years later, Welsh rugby union stand-out Gareth Thomas announced that he was gay.
Through it all, Ben Cohen, a huge rugby star, became a prominent LGBT and anti-bullying advocate. His voice — as such a popular and respected player, and as a representative of the straight community — was invaluable.
“When you have people in positions of power that believe it’s the right thing to do, then change starts to happen,” Taylor said. “There’s an assumption that all male athletes are straight, and that goes along with that hypermasculinity. That’s an obstacle for athletes who want to come out, but it’s an asset when allies speak out.”
The progress for LGBT inclusivity in rugby isn’t happening in a vacuum. In the U.S., gay marriage is finally legal everywhere after the Supreme Court ruled this summer that state bans on gay marriage were unconstitutional. According to Taylor, the average age of a person coming out has gone from 26 to 16 in the last 25 years, which has made schools, both K-12 and collegiate, much safer spaces for LGBT athletes. This week, Princeton offensive linemen Mason Darrow became the first active Division I football player to come out.
Darrow told Outsports that his teammates and coaches have been nothing supportive. In fact, his head coach Bob Surarce was relieved when his lineman told him the news — he was afraid that Darrow was going to tell him he was injured.
There has been some progress in prominent sports leagues in the United States, too, with athletes such as Michael Sam, Jason Collins, and Robbie Rogers publicly coming out, and organizations such as Athlete Ally and You Can Play working directly with leagues to address LGBT issues. But there is still a long way to go in the pro ranks — since the average career span of is so short, too many gay athletes get stuck weighing the risk versus the reward of coming out, and decide not to take the chance.
“As an athletic community, we haven’t done enough to take away those risks,” Taylor said. “We need more coaches, athletes, owners, sponsors, and fans to be explicitly visible about their support for LGBT athletes.”
Statements like the one that USA Rugby made this week can make a difference — if they are backed up by continued action and support to end homophobia in the sports. Words alone aren’t enough.
“We’re not at the beginning of the end, we’re at the end of the beginning,” Taylor said. “There’s a tremendous amount of education that still needs to occur if we want LGBT community to be embraced in sports.”

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Filed Under: Anti-Bullying & Homophobia Tagged With: LGBT, rugby, USA

Helping raise the profile of NZ’s gay and inclusive team

19/08/2015 By ACOMSDave Leave a Comment

Falcons_fundraiser NZFalcons

Tuesday, 11 August 2015, 8:11 pm
Press Release: NZ Falcons RFC

 
 
 
 
Rugby Royalty helping raise the profile of NZ’s gay and inclusive team
New Zealand’s only gay and inclusive men’s rugby team, the NZ Falcons RFC, are preparing for a sumptuous Gala Dinner being held Saturday 29 August 2015 at the Ellerslie Events Centre.
The Gala Dinner is one of the events the team are holding to raise funds needed to travel to America next year for the Bingham Cup, otherwise known as the World Cup of Gay Rugby.
Special guests, rugby royalty, Sir Graham Henry and Sir Peter Leitch will feature on the night and the evening will also include a performance by Anika Moa and will be compered by celebrity and politician Tamati Coffey.
Individual tickets for the dinner can be purchased on the team’s website: http://shop.nzfalcons.org.nz/for $110. Table purchases are also available.
Last year the NZ Falcons participated in the Bingham Cup held in Sydney August 2014. They won second tier of the competition taking home the Bingham Bowl. The next Bingham event is being held in Nashville, Tennessee, USA in May 2016.
To get to the USA next year the team need to come up with a fair bit of cash. Being the kind of guys who do not shy away from a challenge, the team will be hosting a few events to raise the funds required.
For those who find a dance party more enticing than a Gala Dinner, tickets are also now on sale for the Purchas after-match… The Locker Room Dance Party is being held Saturday 5 September at Galatos on K Rd. Doors open at 10pm and tickets are $25 from the website.

 Breaking down stereotypes, the NZ Falcons enable players who may have felt alienated from the sport due to their sexuality to come together to participate and enjoy rugby in an open and supportive environment, along with others who are just passionate about the game. Currently the team participates in the Auckland Presidents Grade.

It’s not just the Bingham Cup that the team are training hard for though. The gay and inclusive Trans-Tasman rugby tournament Purchas Cup is coming to New Zealand very soon, the first time the competition has taken place this side of the ditch.
Gay and inclusive rugby teams from Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane will be travelling to Auckland to take part in the competition 4 – 6 September 2015. More than 140 players, 40 support staff, hundreds of supporters, ten service providers, seven rugby teams, and five sporting organisations will be participating in five events over three days, including the day long contest at Western Springs.
Captain Jeremy Brankin is looking forward to the challenge of the up-coming tournament,
“The Purchas Cup provides us with a good opportunity to prepare for the Bingham Cup in America next year. Both Purchas and Bingham are such great environments and fantastic opportunities particularly for some of our players who are new to the game. We get to connect with a diverse range of people from across the globe and share our love for rugby.”
They might not be the All Blacks, but the NZ Falcons still share a passion for the game and a real sense of community. That passion is supported by a few inclusive, dedicated, progressive, and passionate organisations: ASB, Love Your Condom, and GABA.
Always in need of more sponsorship, if anyone is interested in getting in touch with the team they are happy to be contacted.

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Filed Under: Anti-Bullying & Homophobia Tagged With: bingham cup, NZ Falcon, rugby, World Cup of Gay Rugby

Newly Out Rugby Player Keegan Hirst Poses For Nude Photo Shoot

19/08/2015 By ACOMSDave 5 Comments

Keegan Hirstby Dan Avery
 
Just days after he publicly stepped out of the closet, newly out rugby player Keegan Hirst appears to be stepping out of his clothes. The 27-year-old British Rugby League player appears naked (save for a rugby ball tastefully covering his privates) in a photo that’s gone viral.
keegan-hirst
The source of the breathtaking image, which features one of his teammates on the Batley Bulldogs, is unknown—but could be from a charity calendar.

Emma Watson expressed her admiration for Hirst on Twitter, stating “Physical courage is courage in the face of physical pain, hardship, death or threat of death, while moral courage is the ability to act rightly in the face of popular opposition, shame, scandal or discouragement. @KeeganHirst #gotboth. @KeeganHirst what a hero. x (sic)”
In an interview with the Mirror, Hirst admitted “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.”
keegan-hirst-TH

Welcome out, Keegan. Looking good.

http://www.newnownext.com/newly-out-rugby-player-keegan-hirst-poses-for-nude-photo-shoot/08/2015/
 

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Filed Under: Anti-Bullying & Homophobia Tagged With: coming out, Keegan Hirst, rugby

London student rugby team strips naked for gay charity

12/03/2015 By David McFarlane Leave a Comment

Lads get kit off to save LGBTI domestic abuse charity Broken Rainbow, and we’ve got exclusive pics

09 MARCH 2015

King’s College London’s Men’s rugby team have released a naked calendar in an effort to help Broken Rainbow UK, a leading LGBTI and domestic violence charity.
The lads get their kits off and bear the cold in and around the famous campus on The Strand. Endorsed by King’s College London, all proceeds raised from the calendar go to Broken Rainbow UK.
A spokesperson from Broken Rainbow UK said: ‘Domestic violence and abuse within LGBT communities is often overlooked and made hidden even within the LGBT community itself.
‘We have many young LGBT callers and we hope that by buying the calendar, students will become aware of the issue and that our helpline is there for them if ever they, or someone they know, need it.’
Dulcie Lee, the editor of KCL’s student paper Roar News, added: ‘The response so far has been fantastic. Everyone at King’s has been good humoured and supportive, and the public reaction has been brilliant.
‘With naked men of such gorgeous calibre as well as Mother’s Day coming up, there really is every excuse to raise money for such a worthwhile cause!’
And Barney Lynock, the head of the men’s rugby team, said he also hopes the calendar will help tackle homophobia in sport.
‘We hope to remind people that action still needs to be taken against homophobic, prejudiced sentiments that plague the sporting world, but also to be proactive about these problems, and in doing so change the unwelcoming stereotype that is often attributed to sporting clubs, particularly at university level.’ he said.
Photos from the calendar will be posted each day this week in the run up to London Varsity Series sporting events.
The calendar can be bought here:
And if you need any convincing, we’ve got a couple of exclusive shots right here:
KCL 1
KCL 2
KCL 3

(Note: Video includes shots of men’s bums.)
– See more at: http://www.gaystarnews.com/article/london-student-rugby-team-strips-naked-gay-charity090315#sthash.yypIsTOm.dpuf

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Filed Under: Anti-Bullying & Homophobia Tagged With: Broken Rainbow, King’s College London’s Men’s rugby team, rugby, stripping

The Beautiful Game – Gay rugby world cup to be held in Tennessee

27/11/2014 By David McFarlane Leave a Comment

The Beautiful Game –

Gay rugby world cup to be held in Tennessee

The next Bingham Cup – known as the gay rugby world cup – will be held in Tennessee.
The cup – named after rugby star Mark Bingham, who died onboard a plane during the 9/11 attacks – is an inclusive gay rugby tournament, often known as the gay rugby world cup, held every two years.
This year’s event was held in Sydney, Australia – and won by home team the Sydney Convicts.
However, the event is heading somewhere not many people would have expected in 2016 – Nashville, Tennessee.

The Bingham Cup will be held in Tennessee

The Bingham Cup in Tenessee


The International Gay Rugby association announced last week that the Cup would be hosted in the southern state, which is not known for its progressive attitude to gay rights.
Tennessee does not currently recognise same-sex relationships in any way, bans gender recognition for transgender people, has no state-wide discrimination protection, and only limited hate crime laws.
The Nashville Grizzlies beat out the Chicago Dragons for the right to host the competition.
IGR chairman Jeff Wilson said: “On behalf of the IGR board and trustees, I would like to thank both clubs for their dedication and level of professionalism demonstrated in the bids and during the bidding process.
“Following in the footsteps of Bingham Cup 2014 in Sydney, both bidding organizations realized that the bar had been set even higher for the next tournament.
“Both Chicago and Nashville responded with comprehensive plans that not only provided for excellent rugby, but an opportunity to raise the visibility of our sport and our mission to another level.
“We look forward to joining with all of our rugby brethren in a city synonymous with hospitality in May 2016.”
24 teams from 15 countries around the world competed in this year’s tournament, with thousands of spectators, including US Ambassador John Berry.

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Filed Under: Anti-Bullying & Homophobia, History Tagged With: bingham cup, gay, rugby, tennessee

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