In 1998 Roberts decided to pursue acting professional and move to the US in 2003 to increase his opportunities. Like other athletes who come out as gay, Roberts posed nude, included appearing on the of “(not only) Blue” Magazine in 2001. In 2010, Roberts publicly criticised Australian swimming star Stephanie Rice for calling the South African rugby union team “faggots” - calling her “a complete idiot”. He discussed his sexuality in magazines and on television and appeared in a poster campaign against homophobia conducted by the Lesbian and Gay Anti-Violence Project. The same year while exiting the field during halftime, a spectator assaulted him - punching Roberts in the face and calling him a “faggot”.īut Roberts used his new found fame to campaign against homophobia. He also received mail saying, “AIDS will finish you in hell. He overheard fellow teammates they were I uncomfortable rooming with him because he’s a faggot. (But) I wish I’d come out earlier… I always felt like I was protecting my family, but you can’t protect people from being who you are.”īut it wasn’t until 2021 that he revealed the negative impact of coming out. I was always comfortable growing up being gay. “I have been ‘out’ privately since I was 19 or 20. Even when I was at Souths, everyone knew I was gay.” “(It) was the worst kept secret in the rugby league.
In 1995 Roberts became the first high-profile Australian sports person and first rugby footballer in the world to come out to the public as gay. Roberts revealed in 2014 that he has suffered from brain damage after being knocked out up to a dozen times in his playing career. And in 2005, he was named one of the 25 greatest ever New South Wales players. Roberts served on the National Rugby League’s judiciary between 2000s and in 2004. In recognition of his efforts he was awarded the Australian Sports Medal for his contribution to Australia’s international standing in rugby league. Ian Roberts played professional rugby in Australia between 19. He also apologized to his fans for the “disappointment” the news might cause. He explain that their relationship had been “important and valuable”. Due to the pressures of self-isolation and social distancing, in April 2021, Asrani announced that he and Siddhant had separated. Unfortunately, Asrani’s relationship with Siddhant was a victim of Covid19. “History owes and apology to LGBT persons for ostracisation and discrimination.” He said he cried when he read Justice Indu Malhotra statement: I have lived openly as a gay man for the last few years, and while I have found much support, I have also been questioned, ridiculed and threatened for being myself. In 2018, when the five-judge Constitutional bench (equivalent to the US Supreme Court) struct down anti-homosexual laws and made same-sex relations between consenting adults legal, Asrani described the impact. They were asked to not let their neighbours know that they were a gay couple. He and his partner Siddhant had to pretend they were cousins for years to live in the same apartment, otherwise if the truth were known they could have been evicted. He described his struggles being gay in a homophobic society. Among his best known works are the human rights drama Aligarh (2016), and the courtroom drama Criminal Justice: Behind Closed Doors (2020),Īsrani came out via Twitter. Thanks to May 09, 2022Īpurva Asrani Is an award winning filmmaker living in Goa, India. NOTE: Updated with correct photo of Fouts. He died in Rome in 1948 of a heart condition at the age of 34. He spent his final year, wasting away in bed. There were rumours about his past and tales of erratic, dangerous behavior.“īy his 30s, Fouts charm was fading. Writer Michael Shelden said of Fouts, his “Deep South’ charm masked a volatile, sometimes nasty temper. Even Gore Vidal wrote about Fouts in his “A Thirsty Evil: Seven Short Stories”.įouts could be outrageous and made some people uncomfortable.Capote’s own story “Unspoiled Monsters" is inspired by Fouts as well. Capote called him the “Best-Kept Boy in the World”.Isherwood described him “the most expensive male prostitute in the world” and appears as the character Paul in his novel “Down There on a Visit”.He counted Christopher Isherwood, Truman Capote, Gore Vidal, and George Platt Lynes as friends. He was considered “ridiculously good-looking.“ and “thin as a hieroglyph, he had dark hair, light brown eyes, and a cleft chin”.įouts gained many wealthy male patrons and through them met many famous artists and literary figures of the time. The young man eventually settled in New York City where his good looks attracted attention. Originally from Jacksonville Florida, his father sent Fouts to Washington DC to get a job. Although a more polite description might be a male Courtesan. Denham Fouts’s entry in Wikipedia identifies him as an “American Prostitute”.