In a provocative column in the Herald Sun he says "locker room nudity and homoerotic activities are normal inside footy clubs", but tells young gay players who are "thinking of telling the world about their sexual orientation to forget it."
"The homoeroticism around football clubs ... what workplace would you be able to see 20 men nude all the time if you wanted to?," Akermanis said in a wekeend TV interview. "When you're slapping blokes on the bum and just having a bit of fun, what would that do to a man in there when you actually work out, 'Oh wait a second, wait a second. I don't know if I can handle that guy'"
Akermanis has subsequently said he wasn't homophobic, but believed that "it would cause discomfort in that environment should someone declare himself gay."
A heap of AFL figures publically distanced themselves from Akermanis' statements, including Western Bulldogs coach Rodney Eade, Paul Roos from Sydney Swans, and AFL Players Association Pippa Grange, as did the CEO of the AFL, Andrew Demetriou.
Here's some of Akermanis wisdom...
- "If a player wants to out himself, then I say good luck. But I believe the world of AFL footy is not ready for it. To come out is unnecessary for a lot of reasons.
Imagine the publicity associated with a current player admitting he's gay. It would be international news and could break the fabric of a club. Football clubs are very different environments. Locker room nudity is an everyday part of our lives and unlike any other work place.
Really? Rather profound stuff Jason. He says it would be "international news and could break the fabric of a club." What a lot of bullshit. What happens when one comes out as a wife-beater or an adulter, or is involved in one of the many AFL groups sex rings whilst on tour? Would that break the fabric of a club?
- I believe it would cause discomfort in that environment should someone declare himself gay.
I have played with a gay player in the twos for Mayne in Queensland in the mid-1990s who was happy to admit his sexual persuasion. He was a great guy who played his heart out and was respected by everyone in the team. The only time I noticed a difference was when I was showering with 10 other players after a good win and I turned around to see all 10 heading out in a second with their towels. Sure enough, our gay teammate had wandered in.
For some reason I felt uncomfortable, so I left. I am sure most players these days would do the same. I know he wasn't about to try and convert me to his way of thinking, but I was uncomfortable all the same. What I should have done was to sit down and talk with him in an attempt to understand his life.
Well, it's rather easy to see who has the problem, and it's not the single player from Mayne.
- If you thought suicide was bad among young men, it is four to six times higher for people who are attracted to the same sex. It clearly can be a difficult and lonely road, one that hopefully can be made easier. Now try being the first AFL player to come out. That is too big a burden for any player.
I know there are many who think a public AFL outing would break down homophobia, but they don't live in football clubs. It's not the job of the minority to make the environment safer. Not now, anyway.
We have made massive steps in other areas of society and in time I hope the environment changes to a degree where coming out isn't a big deal.
In women's sport - tennis, golf, cricket, hockey and soccer - being gay carries no stigma. But men's sport is well behind in acceptance.
In an athletic environment the rules are different from the cultural rules for men.
Never in a mall will you see two straight men hugging, a--- slapping and jumping around like kids after an important goal.
Locker room nudity and homoerotic activities are normal inside footy clubs. Young people from the ages 15-24 are the main participants in organised sport in Victoria. Some of them must be gay and I hope they thoroughly enjoy their sporting lives without having to experience any form of prejudice. But if they are thinking of telling the world, my advice would be forget it.
Cairns Regional Councillor Kirsten has joined the Facebook group supporting AFL players coming out.
Welcome to Red Neck AFL, aka Akermanis style. Here's his TV interview...
5 comments:
Outstanding! How can we get this outstanding man as a candidate for the North Qld Party here in Leichhardt! Thank god that loser Beatrice hasn't yet locked in the nomination!
Dennis! Harder mate!!
HAHA.. i actually found that hilarious. What a douchebag. He should have been drug-tested after that interview!
Jason Akermanis egged for saying gay players should not come out
From: Herald Sun May 25, 2010 11:33am
A LEADING Australian Rules footballer who wrote a newspaper column saying that gay players who are thinking of coming out should stay in the closet has had his home and car attacked by egg-throwers.
Jason Akermanis, who suggested in his column that the world of Australian football wasn't ready for openly gay men, said it was terrifying to have missiles thrown in the darkness at his house and car, the Herald Sun reported.
"I'm not happy and I didn't get a wink of sleep after it happened," Akermanis said.
"It was pretty terrifying, to be honest, to hear all that noise coming because it's such a quiet neighbourhood we live in."
It's the second time in a month the Western Bulldogs footballer has been egged.
Akermanis, whose comments in the Herald Sun on homosexual footballers sparked a controversy last week, said about 20 eggs had been thrown.
He said his comments could have provoked the latest attack, but he was not sure.
The incident came at a sad time for Akermanis and his wife Megan, who was in Brisbane with their children following the death of her grandfather Sid Legge early on Saturday morning.
In his column last week for the Herald Sun, Akermanis said the sport simply couldn't deal with a gay player publicly outing himself.
He also said being the first person to come out in the sport would prove to be too much of a burden for any player.
"I believe the world of AFL (Australian Football League) footy is not ready for it. To come out is unnecessary for a lot of reasons," he wrote.
"Football clubs are very different environments. Locker room nudity is an everyday part of our lives and unlike any other work place.
"I believe it would cause discomfort in that environment should someone declare himself gay."
Akermanis was severely criticised last week by gay rights groups following the publication of his comments on Thursday in the Herald-Sun.
Senthorun Raj, policy and development co-ordinator for the Gay & Lesbian Rights Lobby, said rugby league team the Penrith Panthers had signed up to This is Oz, a campaign which celebrates diversity and challenges homophobia, proving that football codes are able to accept gay players.
Mr Raj said the idea that gay players are “somehow undisciplined, anti-masculine and unsportsmanlike” promoted sexual shame and invisibility.
“People’s sexual orientation shouldn’t be considered a meaningful indicator of someone’s ability to play sport,” he said.
Akemanis said he was all for initiatives which helped lessen public bias against homosexuality but added football was not one of them.
SLAP ON THE BUM ! HAVING FUN ! 20 NUDE BLOKES ! LUCKY BOY AKERMANIS!
Akermanis with his bleach blond hair looks like a gay stereotype anyway, so he's a bit of a hypocrite.
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