Former West Coast defender Mitch Brown has become the first openly bisexual man in AFL history.
Brown, who played 94 games for the Eagles between 2007 and 2016, said the weight of hiding his sexuality played a part in his decision to retire at 28 after being delisted by the Eagles.
Speaking to The Daily Aus, Brown described the AFL’s culture as a “hyper-masculine”, something that made questioning sexuality impossible.
“I remember two people having a conversation around how they would feel having a shower next to a gay man, and one of the players said, ‘I’d rather be in a cage full of lions than have a shower next to a gay man’,” Brown said.
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“There’s been so many times in my life that I’ve seen things or heard things and not said anything, in fear of people thinking that I was gay or bisexual.”
Brown’s announcement follows Adelaide’s Izak Rankine becoming the sixth AFL-listed player in the past 18 months to be suspended over a homophobic slur.
The 36-year-old believes there are currently gay and bisexual players playing in the AFL and he says his message to them is: “I see you and you are not alone.”
Brown said he hopes his story helps create the “safety, comfort, and space” for others to come forward.
“The reactions that I hope for are the ones I won’t hear. They’re the ones of those young men around Australia going, ‘I feel seen, I feel a little bit safer, and I have a role model — albeit just ordinary old Mitch — a role model I can now look to’,” he said.
“I don’t believe that this is about me. It’s not about Mitch Brown being the first at all. For me, it’s about sharing my experience so others can feel seen.”
In the wake of Rankine’s suspension, Brown said the focus should be on systemic change rather than the length of suspensions.
“What matters to me most is a sense of change, a movement created where you can be anyone and feel like you can be anyone and be safe in any environment here in Australia,” he said.
“My advice to the AFL would be, let’s celebrate the players who may not be the most successful, but they’re the most important players in our community, the ones who are walking down the street and portraying positive male role models all the time.”
Mitch Brown (second from right) played 10 seasons with the West Coast Eagles. (Getty Images: Paul Kane)
Brown’s announcement is a landmark moment for the AFL men’s competition and it has been praised by Health Equity Matters, the national federation for Australia’s leading HIV and LGBTIQA+ organisations.
“Mitch Brown’s story demonstrates strength and honesty. Speaking openly about his sexuality in the context of elite Australian sport is inspiring and will give confidence to many Australians confronting similar questions of identity,” Health Equity Matters CEO Dash Heath-Paynter said in a statement.
“For over a century of AFL competition, no male player has identified as openly bisexual or gay. Mitch’s announcement breaks through decades of silence and opens the door for others who may be on their own journey.
“This is a powerful statement about visibility and inclusion. For LGBTIQA+ young people watching today, Mitch is showing them that they belong in every space, including in the nation’s most followed sporting code.”