CONTACTStaffCAREER OPPORTUNITIESADVERTISE WITH USPRIVACY POLICYPRIVACY PREFERENCESTERMS OF USELEGAL NOTICE
© 2024 Pride Publishing Inc.
All Rights reserved
All Rights reserved
By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Private Policy and Terms of Use.
The captain of the Welsh rugby team, the Old Redcliffians, came out as gay after a potential suitor he met said he couldn't date someone who was closeted.
Jed Hooper, 22, told theEvening Postthat the encounter was the catalyst for his big announcement.
"Before that, I think I had already told about ten friends and their reaction was very positive so that gave me an inkling of what might happen," he said. "And I also thought if the crap really hits the fan then at least there are ten people on my side!"
Hooper texted his contacts and also made the announcement on his Facebook page. After, he said, "I then cried my eyes out as I was thinking to myself 'What have you done?,' but very quickly I must have had 40 replies and all of them were positive."
Hooper, who plays the position of back row forward, then consulted the team's chairman, Ray Massey.
"I said that if the club doesn't want a gay man as its figurehead I would understand and step down," Hooper said. "But he was brilliant and said 'you're our captain and this doesn't change anything'. That support was massive to me."
The news comes after another star of Welsh rugby, Gareth Thomas announced his retirement this week. Thomas, 37, said he could no longer commit all of his time to the sport, but a film is still in the works, shepherded by American actor Mickey Rourke.
Want more breaking equality news & trending entertainment stories?
Check out our NEW 24/7 streaming service: the Advocate Channel!
Download the Advocate Channel App for your mobile phone and your favorite streaming device!
From our Sponsors
Most Popular
Here Are Our 2024 Election Predictions. Will They Come True?
November 07 2023 1:46 PM
Meet all 37 of the queer women in this season's WNBA
April 17 2024 11:24 AM
17 Celebs Who Are Out & Proud of Their Trans & Nonbinary Kids
November 30 2023 10:41 AM
Which State Is the Queerest? These Are the States With the Most LGBTQ+ People
December 11 2023 10:00 AM
These 27 Senate Hearing Room Gay Sex Jokes Are Truly Exquisite
December 17 2023 3:33 PM
10 Cheeky and Homoerotic Photos From Bob Mizer's Nude Films
November 18 2023 10:05 PM
42 Flaming Hot Photos From 2024's Australian Firefighters Calendar
November 10 2023 6:08 PM
These Are the 5 States With the Smallest Percentage of LGBTQ+ People
December 13 2023 9:15 AM
Here are the 15 gayest travel destinations in the world: report
March 26 2024 9:23 AM
Watch Now: Advocate Channel
Trending Stories & News
For more news and videos on advocatechannel.com, click here.
Trending Stories & News
For more news and videos on advocatechannel.com, click here.
Latest Stories
Candace Parker, queer WNBA legend, is retiring 'privately with the ones I love'
April 29 2024 12:42 PM
Tennessee parents beg judge not to release school shooter’s journals publicly
April 29 2024 11:58 AM
12 photos exploring the lives of Thailand’s Ladyboy community
April 29 2024 11:55 AM
Parent arrested as Ryan Walters called 'bully and bigot' at Oklahoma meeting
April 29 2024 10:15 AM
24 NYC Passover Pregame party pics that are a total gay mitzvah
April 27 2024 7:15 PM
Like a closeted gay man, Trump lives in fear of what David Pecker knows about him
April 27 2024 7:04 PM
Conjoined twins Lori Schappell and trans man George Schappell dead at 62
April 27 2024 6:13 PM
Anti-LGBTQ+ Republican Kristi Noem brags about killing dog and goat in her new book
April 26 2024 6:58 PM
Pride
Yahoo FeedCelebrating Lesbian Visibility Day: 10 perfect gifts for the queer women in your life
April 26 2024 5:21 PM
Patricia Rozema's queer and poetic lens gets a Los Angeles retrospective
April 26 2024 5:05 PM
5 questions for the 4 new queens of 'We're Here'
April 26 2024 3:50 PM