Australian bobsledder Simon Dunn
recently said that it is selfish of the LGBT community to expect
athletes to come out.
Dunn, 29, recently retired from
bobsleigh and relocated to London, where he plays on an
LGBT-inclusive amateur rugby team, the King's Cross Steelers.
Dunn, who became the sport's first
openly gay athlete when he joined the Australia bobsleigh team, told
the London Evening Standard that professional athletes
“shouldn't feel pressured to come out” because it could affect
their careers.
“Everybody's coming out is personal
and in their own time,” Dunn
told the paper.
“It is selfish for our community to
expect someone to do it because of their public profile. Given the
sporting culture, coming out could seriously affect their career.”
“I myself was already out when I
joined the Australian team, but from my own experiences I can
understand why someone wouldn't come out, let alone someone earning
and risking millions of pounds,” he added.
Dunn has said that his rugby team
growing up didn't accept him.
“I wasn't exactly welcome within my
team growing up. It's not the easiest road to take,” Dunn said.
He added that it took him a very long
time to dispel his belief growing up that “gay men have no place in
the sporting world.”