Joe Marler has called on rugby to work harder to create an environment which makes it easier for players to ‘come out’.
The England prop says gay footballer Jake Daniels revealing his sexuality made him question why no active professional in English rugby had done the same.
“There is no way everyone in professional elite rugby is heterosexual. No way,” said Marler. “You can’t tell me that. The issue is, ‘why don’t they feel comfortable?’”
Premiership Rugby supports Stonewall’s Rainbow Laces campaign, aimed at promoting equality and inclusivity within sport for LGBTQ+ people and tackle discrimination on every level. But Marler says words alone are not enough.
“We’ve said all the right things about equality and sexuality in sport,” he added.
“But it's one thing saying them out loud and in the press, another actually living by those values in the corridors, in the changing rooms, with your team mates, to make people feel comfortable.
“That is the thing that needs to keep being worked on. So it’s not just words, it’s not just fluff.
“It’s about empowering your team mates or the people in rugby who do feel like they want to come out but don’t feel they can because they’re worried about the stick they’ll get or it being used against them.
“It’s about the day to day of going ‘well mate, you be whoever you want to be and I will completely respect and support that’.
“I hope we’re moving in the right direction and I hope to see someone that is currently playing set that example.”
Marler’s intervention is timely as Jack Dunne is set to become the Premiership's only 'out' player when he joins Exeter from Leinster this summer.
The 6’7 forward says he wants to normalise the conversation and hopes rugby can get to the point “where it’s not a thing for someone to come out publicly”.
Dunne reckons it will “probably take a couple more guys” before it becomes normalised and Marler hopes the courage shown by Blackpool star Daniels will give others confidence.
Despite spending much of his rugby life with his head in scrums, the Harlequins star sees the sport's bigger picture better than most.
Shaped by his own experiences with mental health, twice withdrawing from England duty, he continues to campaign for greater awareness in that area.
“There’s a lot more of a support network around me and other players these days,” said Marler, speaking during an appearance for Sports Slam, a mass participation initiative by Sports Direct to create a more active future for the nation’s children.
“But what works for me now is not saying I am definitely going to make it to, say, the World Cup. Rather staying in the here and now, enjoying it for what it is. Hopefully then the future takes care of itself.”
Sports Slam is a new nationwide initiative by Sports Direct aiming to help children discover their new favourite sport. Visit sportstartshere.com/events/sports-slam
