The decision by former NRL enforcer and Fijian international Kane Evans to detail his battles with alcohol and substance abuse and suicidal thoughts while wrestling with his sexuality is a reminder that the lack of real inclusion is the lingering elephant in the NRL’s trophy room.
The 34-year-old is just the second male player to publicly come out as gay in professional Australian rugby league, and the first to do so since pioneering former NSW Origin and Kangaroos star Ian Roberts 31 years ago.
LGBTQ+ representation is distinctly different between women’s and men’s professional sports. While female sports are inclusive, openly gay and bisexual men in Australia’s dominant football codes remain incredibly rare.
But it defies statistical probability that Evans and Roberts are the only gay players to have ever graced the NRL ranks.
Evans, who rose to prominence as a hard-hitting Roosters forward in 2014, said denying his sexuality from the age of 15 had weighed on him. His concerns were further exacerbated by attempts to blackmail or out him by those who knew of his sexuality.
Evans’ inner struggles appear to have eluded the clubs he played for. It was only after he retired six years ago and his life had spiralled into addiction and homelessness that the Rugby League Players Association picked him up and helped him into rehabilitation.
Yet, his experiences capture the persistent tension between performative corporate image and the lived reality of gay athletes in hypermasculine sporting cultures, where players feel forced to hide their identities to avoid homophobia, locker-room discomfort and potential career damage.
It is 29 years since Tasmania became the last state to repeal anti-homosexuality laws and nine years since same-sex couples were allowed to marry in Australia, but the journey to full acceptance is far from over.
The NRL once tried to address the issue, joining the AFL, Cricket Australia and the Football Federation of Australia in endorsing Pride in Diversity anti-homophobia and inclusion frameworks in 2014. The following year it participated in the Mardi Gras for the first time, but the NRL was excluded after its gay pride initiatives unravelled in 2022.
That year, Manly announced players would wear a special “Everyone in League” jersey featuring rainbow piping to support inclusivity and the LGBTQIA+ community. However, seven Sea Eagles players refused to take the field due to their Christian and personal beliefs. The following year, amid calls for a Gay Pride round, club executives objected. The NRL put it in the too hard basket.
Evans’ remarks about the cost of his career as a gay man belatedly shifts the onus onto NRL clubs to ensure that players understand that there must be room and acceptance for all.
As things stand, young gay NRL players could not be blamed for thinking there was little room for them in the code. LGBTQ+ people deserve respect, recognition and safety. They should never feel that they need to hide their sexuality.
For their sake, we need to get better at practicing acceptance. The NRL can no longer take shelter in a past long gone.
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