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Knowing exactly how hard it can be, Mitch Brown hopes his historic revelation that he is bisexual will make it easier for others.
He is “strong and comfortable” about becoming the first AFL player to publicly identify as bisexual, saying it’s all about what happens next.
Brown also spoke about the culture of “hyper-masculinity” in the AFL when he played, saying he heard one West Coast teammate say he’d rather be in a cage of lions than shower with a gay man.
“I played in the AFL for 10 years for the West Coast Eagles and I’m a bisexual man,” Brown told The Daily Aus.
The declaration from the former Eagles player comes at a pivotal moment in the game, with the league determined to stamp out homophobia.
A succession of AFL bans for homophobic slurs against opponents culminated last week, with Adelaide star Izak Rankine hit with a four-game suspension.
That potentially rules him out for all of the Crows’ finals campaign.
Two years ago, then-league chief executive Gillon McLachlan said the first AFL player to reveal he is gay or bisexual would carry a “burden”.
“I remember those comments, and the conversation in the locker room just exacerbated that fear even more if you’re a gay man or a bisexual man sitting in that locker room,” Brown said.
“I’m in this position strong and comfortable to, as Gil McLachlan says, take the burden. And if someone needed to do it, I’m in the space to do it.
“I don’t believe that this is about me. It’s not about Mitch Brown being the first at all. For me, it’s about sharing my experience so others can feel seen.”
Brown said he never felt comfortable during his time at West Coast about revealing his sexuality.
“In the locker room and in the spas, the chats were all geared around ‘who did everyone pick up on the weekend’? Or, you know, ‘she’s pretty hot’,” he said.
“It was never once an opportunity to speak openly or explore your feelings or questions in a safe way.
“I recall two players discussing their feelings about showering alongside a gay teammate. One of them expressed, ‘I’d choose a cage full of lions over showering with a gay man’.
“There’s been so many times in my life that I’ve seen things or heard things and not said anything, in fear of people thinking that I was gay or bisexual.”
The Eagles were quick to praise Brown on Wednesday, posting: “We love you, Mitch! We’re proud of you and how you’re living your values to make footy and our society a better place.”
Brown added in the end his decision to go public was clear-cut.
“It wasn’t so much hours (of contemplation). It was a moment in time for me, and it was seconds,” Brown said.
“I had this feeling of peace, but more importantly, comfort and confidence.
“What matters to me most is a sense of change, a movement created where you can be anyone and feel like you can be anyone and be safe in any environment here in Australia.
“Hopefully this now provides (that) for the second person.”
He added his current and former partner, who are women, strongly back him and have praised his courage.
Brown, 36, played 94 games for the Eagles between 2007 and 2016.
His history-making comments contrast sharply with the AFLW, where sexuality has never been an issue and players speak openly about their same-sex relationships.
In 2020, former North Melbourne coach and premiership player Danielle Laidley was outed as transgender.
Laidley since has spoken at length about what she has been through.
AFL chief executive Andrew Dillon, AFL Players’ Association president and Collingwood captain Darcy Moore, and AFLW great Emma Kearney were among people who applauded Brown for his courage.
