It's been kind of a mixed bag for athletes making the difficult decision to come out as gay. It helps to have Hermione on your side.
Keegan Hirst recently broke many boundaries, coming out as Britain's first openly gay rugby player. For a macho guy in a macho sport with macho teammates and macho fans, it wasn't the easiest of decisions. He's received a lot of support for the decision, marking even more how much the world has grown in a short time.
And in a beautiful and classy move, Emma Watson congratulated Hirst in a series of tweets Aug. 18.
Courage is the choice and willingness to confront agony, pain, danger, uncertainty or intimidation.
— Emma Watson (@EmWatson) August 18, 2015.... Physical courage is courage in the face of physical pain, hardship, death or threat of death,
— Emma Watson (@EmWatson) August 18, 2015while moral courage is the ability to act rightly in the face of popular opposition, shame, scandal or discouragement. @KeeganHirst #gotboth
— Emma Watson (@EmWatson) August 18, 2015Hirst spoke to the Daily Mirror about coming out Aug. 15.
Respected prop Keegan, 27, reveals the secret torment of dealing with his sexuality while carving out a career in one of the world's most macho sports.
Speaking exclusively to the Sunday Mirror, the dad of two tells of the moment he finally found the words to explain to his wife the reason they could no longer be together.
And he talks emotionally of the support he got, not only from her but also from his rugby team-mates.
The 6ft 4in captain of West Yorkshire side Batley Bulldogs said: "At first I couldn't even say 'I'm gay' in my head, let alone out loud.
"Now I feel like I'm letting out a long breath that I've held in for a long time."
Societal attitudes take a long time to evolve, but that evolution couldn't happen without people like Hirst taking initiative and influential people like Watson supporting them.
Well done, everyone.
