Another professional athlete has just come out as LGBTQ+.
Irish rugby player Jack Dunne recently came out as bisexual but says he’s been out in his personal life for a number of years. 22-year-old Dunne, who plays for the Leinster Rugby team, shared this fact about his sexuality on the BBC’s LGBT Sports Podcast.
Participating in the Leinster Rugby Pride Panel, he told host Jack Murley that he started realizing his sexuality when he was 15. But seeing all the bullying that out teens dealt with led to Dunne staying in the closet.
“When you’re bisexual it’s almost a blessing and a curse because you can hide it way easier – you can still go out with the lads on Saturday night and do all that stuff, but then at the same time it’s easier to hide it and it’s easier to not be true to yourself,” Dunne explained.
He added, “So eventually, I think it was in sixth year, and I told one or two people and they took it really well, so I was like, you know what, I’ll just tell everyone and if someone has a problem with it, that’s on them.”
For the most part, Dunne’s experience went well, but he did interact with people who tried to erase his bisexuality.
He explained further, “It went pretty well, there were one or two people who said ‘you are not bisexual, you are gay and you won’t come out’, but largely it was overwhelmingly positive so it was a massive weight off the shoulders when I did that.”
Thankfully, though, Dunne found that being out became easier as the news spread from word of mouth.
“Because I came out in sixth year, then when I went into the Leinster sub-academy, most of the people in my year in school knew, and I presumed they told the people the year ahead of them and people in the academy would find out, so by the time I was in Leinster, I presumed everyone knew. I never had to tell anyone in a professional environment.”
Thanks @jack_murley for having me on! https://t.co/qDJxbQZLRz
— Jack Dunne🤠 (@Dunners98) June 26, 2021
Thanks to everyone for all the kind messages. Apologies if I missed anyone's message, phone has been crazy #pride
— Jack Dunne🤠 (@Dunners98) June 26, 2021
Though, Dunne admitted to worrying about being known solely as the bisexual rugby player.
“It’s definitely on my mind that people could be like, he is the bisexual rugby player, instead of – he is a bisexual who plays rugby. But at the same time, maybe there are some kids across the country who could do with a role model,” Dunne said.
Thank you, Jack Dunne for sharing your story! We hope LGBTQ+ players coming up from behind you will hear your story and feel empowered by your presence.
Source: Inependent, Buzz,
