Gareth Thomas

Today, while bored at work, I checked out my Facebook page and saw that one of my friends had joined a fan page of Gareth Thomas. Having not read a newspaper or checked the internet web pages beforehand I wasn't sure why. Yes he is a great player, but not known as the best looking in the sport. My friend had just purchased a signed Ben Cohen calender so I thought he would be more his type. Then, when I checked out the fan page I realised why.
Gareth Thomas, former captain of the Welsh international rugby union team had today come "out of the closet." Thomas is an incredibly highly respected player and has been on the international scene for years. He has only retired from the international game in the last couple of years and still plays at the professional level.
Coming out while still playing at this level is an incredibly brave decision. Being so highly respected, I think that he could change the opinions of fans and players of the sport when it comes to their views on homosexuality.
I applaud his bravery in his announcement, but, like him, I long for the day when announcements like this will be unnecessary. We are coming up to the start of the second decade of the 21st century, things should be so much different now. Opinions should be less harsh, less judgemental and less violent in this "enlightened" age. Lets hope that Gareth Thomas's coming out leads to many more from all walks of life so that we can get to the point where the announcement is no longer necessary, except for when it comes to chatting up.

To round up, we have had an Irish hurler (Donal Og Cusack) come out in October and a Welsh rugby union star in December. Does this mean we can look forward to a Scottish rugby league player and an English footballer in February and April respectively? Lets hope so.