SECOND CAPTAINS LIVE last night hosted a really excellent discussion on what it is to be gay in Irish sport.
Shane Horgan, Nikki Symmons and Dónal Óg Cusack shared their thoughts on why there aren’t more high-profile gay or lesbian top-level sports stars in Ireland and attitudes within dressing-room, amongst other topics.
The former Cork keeper said he’s enjoyed a hugely positive experience since coming out some years ago but revealed that there still is the odd bit of ‘ignorance or stupidity’.
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“My experience has been overwhelmingly positive,” said the Cloyne clubman. “I don’t want to downplay it and I’m conscious that there are younger people in Ireland who, every move that they make they’re weighed down by this thing.
“Yeah I got a bit of stick but genuinely, it never got to me. And I always felt it was more of a reflection on the person that was giving you the stick than it was on myself. Do I get nasty stuff now? I don’t think I get nasty stuff. The stuff I come across can be quite ignorant or stupid.
“I was at a buddy’s stag there a couple of months ago and another one of his friends came up to me and said ‘look, I want to get your advice, I’m organising the wedding and the seating and stuff like that and there’s a couple of gays coming’.
“And I said ‘there’s a couple of gays coming is there, yeah?’
“And he said ‘do you think I should put them all sitting at the one table?’
The 'pyjamas top for a shirt' prompted more comment from Des Cahill on the night. RTE
RTE
“Or after the All-Ireland final a couple of weeks ago I got a letter in the post there was this guy giving saying he was taking serious umbrage with me — what he thought — expressing my sexuality through my dress by wearing a dickie bow.
“And I thought what about George Hook and these guys and there was a thousand people at the Allstars last week; he’d have a lot of letters to be writing. And even when the nasty stuff comes, I have to say I haven’t received that much of it.”
Someone complained that Dónal Óg Cusack 'expressed his sexuality' through his dickie bow on the Sunday Game
SECOND CAPTAINS LIVE last night hosted a really excellent discussion on what it is to be gay in Irish sport.
Shane Horgan, Nikki Symmons and Dónal Óg Cusack shared their thoughts on why there aren’t more high-profile gay or lesbian top-level sports stars in Ireland and attitudes within dressing-room, amongst other topics.
The former Cork keeper said he’s enjoyed a hugely positive experience since coming out some years ago but revealed that there still is the odd bit of ‘ignorance or stupidity’.
“My experience has been overwhelmingly positive,” said the Cloyne clubman. “I don’t want to downplay it and I’m conscious that there are younger people in Ireland who, every move that they make they’re weighed down by this thing.
“Yeah I got a bit of stick but genuinely, it never got to me. And I always felt it was more of a reflection on the person that was giving you the stick than it was on myself. Do I get nasty stuff now? I don’t think I get nasty stuff. The stuff I come across can be quite ignorant or stupid.
“I was at a buddy’s stag there a couple of months ago and another one of his friends came up to me and said ‘look, I want to get your advice, I’m organising the wedding and the seating and stuff like that and there’s a couple of gays coming’.
“And I said ‘there’s a couple of gays coming is there, yeah?’
“And he said ‘do you think I should put them all sitting at the one table?’
“Or after the All-Ireland final a couple of weeks ago I got a letter in the post there was this guy giving saying he was taking serious umbrage with me — what he thought — expressing my sexuality through my dress by wearing a dickie bow.
“And I thought what about George Hook and these guys and there was a thousand people at the Allstars last week; he’d have a lot of letters to be writing. And even when the nasty stuff comes, I have to say I haven’t received that much of it.”
Watch the entire Second Captains episode here
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