Australian Pro Rugby Headed for a 'Pride Round?'
Could Australian rugby be headed for a "Pride round" next year? Peter V'landys, who heads up the Rugby League, floated the possibility, even though seven players with one team, Manly, sat out a midseason game last summer rather than wear inclusive rainbow-themed jerseys, saying that the colorful kit clashed with their "religous and cultural beliefs," Yahoo! Sport Australia reported.
At least some of those players seem determined to shun the LGBTQ+ community once again in the new year if the Rugby League moves forward with a Pride round in 2023. The report detailed that Manly player Josh Aloiai has already spoken out against the idea, vowing to boycott any such games.
Australian rugby pro Toby Rudolf, on the other hand, isn't shy about saying that he regards sexuality as "very fluid." Rudolf — who EDGE noted gives off "a Jason Momoa vibe" — spoke out following the fracas last July, saying, "love is love, and I love to share it with everyone," as the Sydney Morning Herald reported at the time.
"Rudolf, a player with big hair and an even bigger personality, is one of very few NRL stars to openly speak about his same-sex experiences," reported the Herald, with whom Rudolf spoke on the subject of a Pride round. The Morning Herald noted that Rudolf identifies as heterosexual, but has no problem acknowledging that he's "been out and kissed many gay men, kissed many straight women and kissed many gay women."
Adding that he has a love of dancing at gay bars, the 26-year-old summarized: "You could say I'm open to both genders but only attracted to one of them."
Unlike those in the sport who shied away from a simple gesture of inclusion, the self-assured Rudolf, who plays for the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks, had no such qualms. The Herald noted that Rudolf said a Pride round "would be a special occasion for both rugby league and the LGBTQ community."
Rudolf comes by his acceptance as a matter of how he was raised, telling the Herald, "I was raised by quite a few gay and lesbian community members. My uncle is gay and my godmother is gay, and there's so much love in that community."