Australian sports unite to fight homophobia

by Craig Takeuchi on April 11th, 2014 at 4:18 PM

The heads of all the Australian pro sports leagues have gathered to form a united front against homophobia.

Ahead of the Bingham Cup, the five major sports leagues—cricket, rugby union, rugby league, football, Aussie rules—made a historical move on April 9 by pledging to eliminate homophobia in sport and singing the Anti-Homophobia and Inclusion Framework for Australian Sport.

The Bingham Cup is a biennial gay rugby tournament named after the late Mark Bingham, a former University of California, Berkeley rugby star who established two gay rugby clubs. He died in the September 11 attacks on United Airlines Flight 93, and was among the group of passengers who attacked the hijackers, causing the plane to crash in a field before they reached their Washington, D.C. target.

Stars from all leagues participated in making a You Can Play video, launched by Play by the Rules, to send out a message of inclusivity for LGBT athletes.