\u201cI played in the AFL for 10 years for the West Coast Eagles and I\u2019m a bisexual man,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
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By continuing you agree to our Terms<\/a> and Privacy Policy<\/a>.<\/p>\n The landmark interview drew huge attention across the sport, breaking a 129-year barrier in the competition.<\/p>\n In a new social media post on Sunday, Brown revealed how much he had been processing since sharing his truth.<\/p>\n \u201cIt has been a few days since I shared my story, and I\u2019ve had space to let it all sink in. Before it went live there was a part of me that was worried about the homophobia or potential backlash I might receive,\u201d he admitted.<\/p>\n The reaction, he said, was nothing like what he had feared: \u201cWhat happened instead was that the story was met with an overwhelmingly positive response, for which I am so grateful. With that I\u2019d like to share a few thoughts.\u201d<\/p>\n At the top of his message was a tribute to the people closest to him, including his current partner Lou and former partner, Shae.<\/p>\n \u201cFirst, I want to thank my partner Lou. Her love, strength and resilience have been my anchor through all of this. I also want to thank Shae and our two boys, and my family – I could have never have done this without them.\u201d<\/p>\n The 36-year-old admitted he felt swamped with emotion as the messages began to flood in.<\/p>\n \u201cI have been overwhelmed by the kindness, encouragement, and solidarity that has poured in from people across Australia and around the world. Every message, every story shared, every word of support has meant more to me than I can say. I will carry that gratitude with me always.\u201d<\/p>\n Brown also reflected on what the overwhelmingly warm response could mean for others struggling with their identity.<\/p>\n \u201cThe fact this has been so positively received gives me hope for what this might mean for young people, especially queer young Australians, who are still finding their place in the world. If even one of them feels less alone, less afraid, or more confident to be themselves, then it has been worth it.\u201d<\/p>\n While many players, fans, and commentators praised his courage, Brown was candid last week about certain AFL clubs staying silent instead of publicly showing support.<\/p>\n \u201cCollingwood, might not pay my membership next year at this rate,\u201d he wrote on Instagram.<\/p>\n \u201cGeelong, you know my bro works with you right?<\/p>\n \u201cHey Adelaide… nah I won\u2019t even bother.<\/p>\n \u201cBrisbane Lions you\u2019re off the hook. The Taylor Swift engagement is so much bigger than this.\u201d<\/p>\n In his reflection, Brown issued a direct challenge to the AFL and its clubs to move beyond token gestures.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is also a call to action. It\u2019s time for the AFL and the clubs to commit to genuine change, embedding inclusion not just in words, but in culture, policies, and everyday actions.<\/p>\n \u201cIf we can make our game a place where everyone belongs, the ripple effect on Australian society will be profound. I look forward to joining the movement that started long before me, to create a safer, more inclusive sport, and society for everyone.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Mitch Brown, a former West Coast Eagle defender, has shared a reflection on social media since publicly coming…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":109542,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[638,43,44,588,41,39,42,40],"class_list":{"0":"post-109541","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-headlines","8":"tag-afl","9":"tag-headlines","10":"tag-news","11":"tag-sport","12":"tag-top-news","13":"tag-top-stories","14":"tag-topnews","15":"tag-topstories"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/109541","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=109541"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/109541\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/109542"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=109541"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=109541"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=109541"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"Mitch](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/0d226c749a80014dce91048ce1d6809011ea1213.jpg\")
Mitch Brown of the West Coast Eagles celebrates after the win after the 2013 AFL Round 19 match. Credit: Daniel Carson\/AFL Media<\/p>\n