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West Coast Eagles fan Kasey Symons with Mitch Brown. (Supplied: Kasey Symons)<\/p>\n
“I am so, so proud of Mitch sharing his story and opening up a space for conversation and kindness about diverse lived experiences and identities in men’s sport,” Dr Symons said.<\/p>\n
“Mitch said we should look to celebrate those who might not be the most successful players, but who might be important to our community.<\/p>\n
“As a fan, I want to see more of those stories. That is where real hope, pride and joy come from. Victories matter, but wins are fleeting and we’re always onto the next. Feeling like you belong to a space you love is bigger than that.”<\/p>\n
Mitch Brown becomes AFL’s first openly bisexual player<\/a><\/p>\n Former AFL player Mitch Brown creates history by becoming the first person in the league’s 129-year history to reveal he is bisexual.<\/p>\n Brown’s announcement especially meant a lot to queer fans in the AFL community<\/a>, such as Rebecca Herft, who works at Minus18, an Australian charity for LGBTQIA+ youth.<\/p>\n “I was always told the first gay man wouldn’t come out, and to stop the work I do in Pride. But to see Mitch Brown come out today brought tears to my eyes and butterflies to my stomach,” Ms Herft said.<\/p>\n “I’m just so proud.”<\/p>\n AFL fan Jess Fleming said she hoped it would steer the spotlight onto more positive elements in the league.<\/p>\n Mitch Brown came out publicly in an interview with The Daily Aus. (YouTube: The Daily Aus)<\/p>\n “We need to stop talking about Izak Rankine<\/a> and start talking about this brave, beautiful man [Brown],” Fleming said.\u00a0<\/p>\n “We don’t want suspensions, we want systemic change, and this is the place to start.”<\/p>\n Amateur Aussie rules footballer Jason Ball first came out as gay in 2012.<\/p>\n He is the founder of the Pride Cup and is also a LGBTQIA+ mental health advocate.<\/p>\n Rankine’s ban pales in comparison to widespread impact of homophobia<\/a><\/p>\n Young LGBTQIA+ Australians are turning away from community sport due to\u00a0the high prevalence of homophobia, queerphobia and discrimination.<\/p>\n “Listening to Mitch Brown’s interview, my first thought was just how much familiarity I felt with his experiences \u2026 and I guess in a way you feel a little bit less alone<\/a> because it’s been 13 years since I came out,” Ball said.<\/p>\n “Since then, there have been other amateur footballers who have also come out, but I’ve never known until now what it would really be like for an AFL player at that elite level to go through those same things that I had been going through.<\/p>\n “Hearing homophobic slurs, banters, jokes \u2026 for me that was part and parcel of growing up playing football, both as a kid and as an adult.<\/p>\n “Every time I heard those words or those jokes, it just felt like a reminder that if anyone found out about my sexuality I wouldn’t be accepted.”<\/p>\n Brown told The Daily Aus he would hear slurs so often, and homophobic language frequently directed at him, it became a part of normal life in his playing days.<\/p>\n He said the homophobia was so pervasive that, during a conversation about the fact there were no openly gay players in the men’s league, one teammate said he would rather be in a cage full of lions than have to shower next to a gay man.<\/p>\n “It’s sad to hear that Mitch left the game, ultimately, partly because of this \u2014 that he wanted something different, he didn’t want to hide anymore,” Ball said.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n