Welsh rugby player Gareth Thomas has officially come out of the closetmaking him one of the few openly gay athletes to reveal his sexuality while still active in his field. Thoomas plays for the Cardiff Blues.
According to Towleroad.com, Thomas told the Daily Mail, "My parents, my family and my friends all love me and accept me for who I am, and even if the public are upset by this, I know the love of those people who mean the most to me will never change. I'm not going on a crusade, but I'm proud of who I am. I feel I have achieved everything I could ever possibly have hoped to achieve out of rugby, and I did it being gay. I want to send a positive message to other gay people that they can do it, too."
Thomas is married to Jemma. ( Their divorce will be finalized next year, according to Wales Online. ) "My life seemed to be falling apart. Jemma and I were splitting up, and I was scared of the future and being single again as a gay man," Thomas said to the Daily Mail. Jemma Thomas said, "I'm incredibly proud of him for coming out and if anyone thinks any less of him because of it, then they are stupid."
Gareth Thomas added that his teammates all knowand apparently don't care.
Actor and former Australian rugby star Ian Roberts, who came out late in his career in the mid-1990s, told the Sun Herald: "It's great that the times have allowed for it. It's so bewildering to me that other people haven't allowed for that to happen to themselves. There are so many gay sportspeople ... gay people playing league."