Des Hasler Josh Aloiai Jason Saab Christian Tuipulotu Josh Schuster Australia lgbt lgbtq Des Hasler Josh Aloiai Jason Saab Christian Tuipulotu Josh Schuster Australia

Seven rugby players withdraw from match in protest over LGBT rainbow shirt

Reading now: 580
news.sky.com

Sydney, said the players - who all featured in the club's previous match - were opposed to wearing the jersey on religious and cultural grounds.It has rainbow stripes and a rainbow collar, replacing the usual white decoration in those areas.Coach Des Hasler defended the players, saying the club was at fault for not properly consulting them.The seven unavailable for selection against Sydney Roosters are Josh Aloiai, Jason Saab, Christian Tuipulotu, Josh Schuster, Haumole Olakau'atu, Tolutau Koula and Toafofoa Sipley.Under National Rugby League (NRL) rules, they cannot wear the standard jersey because match regulations require all players in a team to be in an identical strip."We accept their decision," Mr Hasler told reporters."These young men are strong in their beliefs and their convictions and we will give them the space and the support they require."The players had been unaware of the shirt until it was shown to the media, the Sydney Daily Telegraph reported."The intent of the jersey was to support the advocacy and human rights pertaining to gender, race, culture, ability and LGBTQ movements," Mr Hasler said."Sadly, the execution of what was intended to be an extremely important initiative was poor.

There was little consultation or collaboration between key stakeholders, both inside and outside the club."The withdrawals will leave the Eagles severely depleted - NRL squads contain 13 starting players and four on the interchange bench for each game.Former Manly player Ian Roberts - the first professional rugby league player to come out as gay - said the players' stance was "sad and uncomfortable".He told Sydney's Daily Telegraph: "I can promise you every young kid on the northern beaches (of Sydney) who is dealing with.

Read more on news.sky.com
The website meaws.com is an aggregator of news from open sources. The source is indicated at the beginning and at the end of the announcement. You can send a complaint on the news if you find it unreliable.

Related News

25.08 / 12:27
Trans Star Transgender Daughter Home and Away star Mat Stevenson's trans daughter hits back at troll after 'dude' jibe
Home and Away star Mat Stevenson has hit back at a vile social media troll.Mat, 53, played fan favourite Adam Cameron on the Australian soap from June 1989 - March 1994, returning to Summer Bay in an additional 1999 episode as a guest star.He is also the father of transgender rights activist and social media sensation Grace Hyland .READ MORE: Home and Away star Mat Stevenson adopts his transgender daughter's best friendThe 20-year-old has racked up an impressive 576.8K followers on TikTok and is a verified star on the social media platform.Taking to TikTok with a short clip on Sunday, Grace clapped back at a troll who labelled her a "dude".
DMCA