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Cairns manager Adam Forde has defended his club for not taking part in the NBL pride round as opposition mentor Simon Mitchell said he hoped the players would be “educated enough” in future to understand how important it is to support the LGBTQI+ community.
The Taipans fell 85-80 to Mitchell’s South East Melbourne Phoenix on Wednesday night, with several Cairn players opting not to wear a unique rainbow logo jersey for religious reasons.
So all the players decided that none of them would wear the special uniform as “protection from our brothers who are being tricked into being vilified”.
The decision drew strong public criticism and Forde remained defiant, insisting that he was supporting his players using their own “freedom of choice”.
Cairns manager Adam Forde defended his players, who refused to go along with the NBL’s pride round lead.
Cairns Taipan players refused to wear this small rainbow logo from apparel manufacturer Champion for the NBL pride round.
Speaking after the team’s five-point loss, the Taipans coach said that while he supported the league’s gay pride initiative, he was most proud of his players for standing up for themselves.
‘We (Taipan people) support the NBL initiative and the message of what this round stands for; individuality, unity and love, right?’ he said.
And unfortunately we were not recipients of it, for some unknown reason.
We are doing this (not wearing the rainbow shirt) because we surround ourselves with our brothers and we want to protect each other.
“Instead of feeling like they single us out for any particular reason, it’s us and I’m proud of them for that,” Forde said.
The drama unfolded just two months after Melbourne United center Isaac Humphries became the first openly gay active player in NBL history in an emotional speech to his teammates.
Melbourne United star Isaac Humphries became the league’s first openly gay player when he came out in an emotional video last year.
‘It’s a truth about me that I’ve wanted to deny for a long time, but now I feel comfortable telling you everything. That truth is that I am gay,’ she said in the video, which was released on Wednesday.
I have been through some extremely dark times during this journey, but I have experienced tremendous growth and am now happy with who I am.
“I think it’s definitely time to make a change and set an example for the next generation that they can be whatever they want while still being true to themselves.”
Phoenix coach Simon Mitchell referenced Humphries’ courageous decision to come out as he applauded the league for showing support for the LGBTQI+ community.
Phoenix coach Simon Mitchell, pictured during the win against Cairns, supported the round of league pride, saying he hoped players would be better informed in future about why initiatives like this are so important.
“We’ve had this thing with Isaac coming out and talking about the issues that he’s been through and some of the depths of despair that he’s been through,” he said after his team’s win.
“If that doesn’t hurt everyone in our league to some degree…it’s like, ‘Man, I want to pick up a brother.’
“To know that there are people who feel that way, we have to open our arms to them, to make sure that they know that we are a safe place, an ally and we are friends and that your sexual orientation or how you identify us does not matter to us,” he said. Mitchell.
Mitchell said he and his players didn’t realize the Taipans weren’t wearing pride jerseys, but they were eager to support the initiative.
Phoenix star, Boomer and former NBA player Mitchell Creek wore rainbow-colored shoes and was one of the initiators of the pride drive concept, which helps bring inclusion to the continually marginalized gay community.
Phoenix star Mitchell Creek wore rainbow shoes during his team’s win over Cairns during the NBL pride round
The champion’s pride logo is seen on the court in Phoenix’s loss to the Taipans on Wednesday.
Mitchell was keen to point out what to criticize for the Cairns side but, in a strong statement that will please many gay pride supporters, he said he wanted players to understand in future how important it was to support the LGBTQI+ community.
“(Just) because you see things differently, you don’t need persecution,” he said.
‘They know they’ll be willing to point fingers a bit, they already have been. Pointing fingers doesn’t help, ostracizing doesn’t help. It’s about talking and educating yourself.
“This round opens the dialogue and I think we leave Cairns alone…hopefully whoever feels they can’t hold this round can educate themselves enough to realize that we’re just reaching out to our brothers and sisters and looking after our community,’ Mitchell said.
It’s the simplest of things, but it can literally save lives.
Unfortunately, gay men and women often don’t feel safe or supported.
LGBTIQ+ Australia’s 2021 report on mental health and suicide prevention found that 16-27 year olds were five times more likely to attempt suicide than heterosexual people.
That reared its ugly head last year, when seven Manly Sea Eagles players refused to wear the club’s rainbow inclusion shirt because of their religious beliefs.
Seven Manly players refused to wear the club’s rainbow inclusion shirt because of their religious beliefs, sparking national outrage on both sides of the debate.
Much to the dismay of former Manly star Ian Roberts, the first football player to come out, who highlighted how many young gay football players, and people in general, struggle with suicidal thoughts and feel like they are not the same.
‘Manly Seven’ member Josh Aloiai recently referred to homosexuality as a ‘lifestyle choice’, rather than the biological basis for sexuality that has been accepted by scientists for a decade.
So when Humphries became the second active male player in one of Australia’s major sports leagues to come out as gay, along with A-League player Josh Cavallo, there was a pretty obvious motivation.
“All I want to do is play football and be treated equally,” Cavallo said in an emotional video presentation last October.
A simple enough request, but ignored by far too many people.