“I hope that I will meet others Iike myself playing a high level of rugby and hoping to inspire the next generation of proud LGBTQ rugby players.”
U.S. rugby player Devin Ibañez has beautifully come out in a heartfelt social media post.
Ibañez opened up about his coming out journey on his brand new Instagram account thegayrugger, stating: “As 2020 comes to a close I took the time to reflect on my life and what aspects I could control and make positive changes to that would impact my day to day happiness.
“It became clear to me that living my life with more transparency and openly celebrating who I love would have an immediate positive impact on me and those I care about,” he continued.
Ibañez went on to introduce the world to his boyfriend saying: “So I want to start 2021 by celebrating the love of my life and partner [Fergus Wade] who has been with me through the highs and the (very) lows of the last three years.”
He concludes: “[…] As of now I am the only openly gay rugby player to earn a contract with an MLR side. I hope that I will meet others Iike myself playing a high level of rugby and hoping to inspire the next generation of proud LGBTQ rugby players.
“So I will proudly call myself “that gay rugger” in hopes that one day it won’t sound strange in men’s rugby.
Speaking with OutSports, the rugby star discussed the reaction he received since coming out publically, stating: “Everyone has been overwhelmingly supportive and amazing. I’ve even gotten some messages from players who played on the same teams as me who told me a bit about their own stories.”
“And that’s all I really want. Just to connect with those who had similar experiences and hopefully inspire those who are going through the same things,” he continued.
Congratulations Devin!
Read his full statement below.
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