It’s time we talked about (GAY) sports shit. If you follow Cricket news (don’t lie, you don’t) then you’d have seen recently that Heath Davis came out as the first openly gay Male NZ Cricketer. Big CHEE HOO for my main man as he can finally live his truth – though the platinum blonde streaks were a telling sign, my bro. This all this comes off the ass-end of Manly Sea-Eagles players refusing to adorn the newly minted queer shirts from 2 weeks ago, all pretty apt as I dive into the world of queer athletes and representation. For the record, Davis was never going to set the world alight as a cricketer, and his declaration came decades after his playing career ended, but it was good to see.
As a sports fan, my knowledge is limited to Union rules and some basic tennis understanding but lately, I find myself being more open in conversations surrounding sports and learning more than I’d care to admit. This editorial isn’t a sports issue pre-speech but we’ve been more flippant in our conversations around sports in the past week here at Nexus. There were no defensive opinions, we all agree the Manly decision is homophobic, and we weren’t yelling at Davis for letting his queer flag fly – we’re a damn inclusive space. But what I’m getting at is we’ve got so many differing sports opinions our conversations veer off-course. References are brought into play as we discuss “sports politics”. Much like a Keegan Hirst to someone’s Carl Nassib – it’s understood but a little jagged.
One of the main issues I have with athletes coming out is it becomes reductive. You are simply the “gay cricketer” or whatever sport it is they play. Sadly this is why so many athletes hide their sexuality till long after their retirement. Are we really naive enough to believe there have been 130 years of All Black’s and not once have two players’ eyes met over a ruck? No, but we label certain sports as ‘gay’ and refuse to. This happens in almost all industries as the person is now and forever known as the gay version of the regular edition. When I came on as Editor, there was always this inherent fear of being known as the Māori gay editor of Nexus. But since I… actually, what’s the opposite of coming out? Going in? Rebuilding the closet? Fuck knows, but since I’ve struggled with my sexual identity, I’ve found that there’s less pressure on fuelling all communities I was once a part of. Sure I’ll always speak out against injustice or make sure that everyone is given a voice where they need it but now I can rest knowing that I don’t always have to be hella loud in my responses to those against my people. I’m trying on that silent warrior hat this time, and it’s algood aye.
Basically, being gay in sports is amazing, and you should never be afraid of living as you. But protecting your energy is just as important, so never let anyone make you feel like you have to be a mascot for a shitty promotional event to push their inclusive agenda. Fuck the patriarchy and anyone who benefits even a little from it.
