Kevin Penrose, an active Gaelic football (GAA) player, who publicly came out in February, has urged other sports people to come out
Kevin Penrose, an active Gaelic football (GAA) player, who publicly came out in February, has urged other sports people to come out. Kevin, who also works as a travel blog influencer, is among a small cohort of openly gay sportsmen – a small list, which includes Jake Daniels and Donal og Cusack. Kev
Kevin Penrose, an active Gaelic football (GAA) player, who publicly came out in February, has urged other sports people to come out.
Kevin, who also works as a travel blog influencer, is among a small cohort of openly gay sportsmen – a small list, which includes Jake Daniels and Donal og Cusack.
Kevin quit playing for his club when he came out, but he has since returned after his clubmate convinced him that he would be welcomed back to the squad.
Kevin said: “The reaction has been positive, no negativity whatsoever. The messages that I am getting from people who are in similar positions to me are good and it is good to see that this resonates with them.
“I tell them what I went through. You don’t feel comfortable, so either get away from your hometown, you don’t play football, you just leave.
“A lot of people travel abroad or Dublin or Belfast, especially from the rural communities, and they come out then.
“Previously, I wasn’t fully there, mentally. That was me at club level. I can only imagine what it would be like at county level.
“There is a fear for them, I guess. Hopefully this [coming out] will be able to change [people’s] mindset.
“I think, 100%, it would help if county players came out. They are basically celebrities in people’s eyes, especially in GAA.
“For younger people coming up, it is good to have those as role models in the public eye. I didn’t have someone like me when I was growing up,” he said.
LGBTQ+ group ShoutOut’s executive director Ruadhán Ó Críodáin told Irish Mirror/ Star: “We want to congratulate Kevin Penrose for his bravery as the only openly gay footballer currently playing in Ireland.
“A fear of rejection is unfortunately common for LGBTQ+ people and drives so many of our community out of sport for good.”
Ruadhán added: “We hope that Kevin’s story will show LGBTQI+ people that they deserve safe spaces to play, and remind coaches and teammates of how powerful their voices can be as allies.”
