Meet Keegan Hirst. You're welcome.
World -- or at least those parts of the world that don’t actively follow rugby -- meet Keegan Hirst of the Batley Bulldogs, the first rugby player to come out as gay while playing in the league.
“At first I couldn’t even say ‘I’m gay’ in my head, let alone out loud,” Hirst, 27, told The Sunday Mirror. “Now I feel like I’m letting out a long breath that I’ve held in for a long time…The only time I felt free of the torment was when I stepped on the rugby pitch. Now I feel free.”
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He’s breaking down barriers. Oh, and also, just by the way, he’s gorgeous:
He’s a total DILF -- he has two kids!-- and equally important, those thighs:
Thank the rugby gods above for giving us Keegan Hirst, and thank Keegan Hirst for knowing it would be a good idea to pose naked:
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Hirst has been flooded with support online, including from other out athletes like Olympic diver Tom Daley and Welsh rugby player Gareth Thomas. But the most emotional may be these tweets from Emma Watson:
@KeeganHirst what a hero. x
— Emma Watson (@EmWatson) August 18, 2015“I'd just like to say a big thank you to everybody who's taken the time to send all these best wishes,” Hirst tweeted. “It's very humbling and much appreciated.” He also called Watson’s tweets “surreal.”
Meanwhile, singer Sam Smith has called out anti-gay slurs on Instagram:
