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Toby Rudolf, the NRL’s unabashedly ‘fluid’ cult hero, has revealed his desperation to secure a spot on a Mardi Gras float after the league went backwards in the wake of last year’s pride jersey fiasco.
The Sharks enforcer, 27, has done his best to be a spokesperson for the gay community in and around rugby league after drama surrounding seven Manly players refusing to wear a jersey. de rainbow rocked the NRL last year.
The league, which has participated in the Mardi Gras parade seven of the past eight years, had its request to march again turned down by organizers, who did not say whether the pride shirt saga affected their decision.
That remains Rudolf, who revealed last year that he “loves going to all the gay bars in Sydney” and “has kissed a lot of gay men”, without a place on a float, much to the star’s disappointment.
But he’s determined to find his way in the parade and show his support for the gay community after the T-shirt saga.
NRL cult hero Toby Rudolf has revealed that he is desperately looking for a spot on a Mardi Gras float for Saturday’s parade.
Rudolf (right, pictured enjoying a carefree night out with Sharks teammate Nicho Hynes) hopes by taking part in the parade that the gay community will know that not all NRL players hold the same beliefs that the ‘Manly Seven’ boycotters
The 27-year-old Sharks star said the club is helping him find a float.
‘I was really disappointed that the NRL didn’t have a float this year. He desperately wanted to continue with it. I hope I can find another float to go on, and I’ve been looking at the lifeguard float because I was a junior lifeguard at Maroubra beach. I hope it works out,” Rudolf told the Sydney Morning Herald.
The NRL descended into one of its most controversial sagas last year over the ‘Manly Seven’ boycott of the club’s rainbow jersey.
Josh Aloiai, Jason Saab, Christian Tuipulotu, Josh Schuster, Haumole Olakau’atu, Tolutau Koula and Toafofoa Sipley all refused to wear the club’s rainbow inclusion jersey because of their religious beliefs.
It ignited a firestorm of controversy, with ex-Manly gay legend Ian Roberts expressing sadness multiple times that gay youth were committing suicide at a dizzying rate because they didn’t feel comfortable being who they are, particularly in sport.
Aloiai, the most outspoken of the septet, referred to homosexuality as a “lifestyle choice,” saying he and the other boycotters could not “live that way or support it,” adamant that “there was no possibility’ of going backwards. from his position.
Rudolf, who is 190cm tall and weighs 106kg, has spoken about wanting the gay community to feel loved and supported, while the debate veered from both sides over the rainbow jersey.
He even held a ‘Love is Love’ celebration after scoring a try in the wake of the scandal, and gave an interview after the match to show his support for the gay community.
Last season, Toby Rudolf held a ‘Love is Love’ celebration after scoring an essay to show his support for the gay community who had been dragged through the mud by Manly’s rainbow jersey boycott.
All seven Manly players refused to wear this rainbow jersey last season because of their religious beliefs, sparking a storm of controversy.
Rudolf (second from right) on a night out with his teammates Blayke Brailey, Connor Tracey and Teig Wilton
He revealed that his sexuality was ‘fluid’ and became the first active player to admit to kissing gay men, while imploring society to support the LGBTQI+ community.
“I wanted to give my support to the community that has been there my whole life,” Rudolf told Fox Sports last year, revealing that he was raised by some members of the gay community and has several gay relatives.
“The main thing is that the LGBTQI+ community got dragged through the mud a bit that week and I just wanted to give them a little boost.
‘There’s always going to be a stigma around it, especially with us playing such a tough man’s sport. We just have to get over it, I think.
‘I’m not a one-stop shop. Love is love, and I love sharing it with everyone. This is probably why I also love going to all the gay bars in Sydney – I love dancing shirtless and going down Universal on Oxford St until 2am,” laughed the cult hero.
In the aftermath of the T-shirt saga and his outspoken revelations about his own sexuality, Rudolf expressed his desire to march at Mardi Gras, which is celebrating its 45th year and is part of the many celebrations in Sydney for WorldPride.
He hopes the gay community knows that most NRL players support LGBTQI+ people and their rights to live the same life as straight people.
Referring to the ‘Seven Men’ as the ‘minority vision’, Rudolf took pains to point out that most players welcome people of all sexualities.
Mardi Gras, turning 45, returns to iconic Oxford Street route this year after Covid forced it to move to SCG
Toby Rudolf (right) takes a cheeky photo of Santa Claus with his teammate Nicho Hynes
Sydney Opera House sails lit up in rainbow colors to celebrate Sydney WorldPride
“I really hope NRL players in general aren’t affected by what happened with the Manly (pride jersey) situation, because I think in general NRL players are very receptive and open to all kinds of of situations and hatred for a minority opinion to be one that is widely accepted,’ he said.
‘I’m not trying to make this the focus of what I’m doing. I am not trying to say that my point of view is correct and theirs is not. It’s important to me because I have a lot of family and friends in the LGBTQ community.
“I just wanted to have fun getting on a float at Mardi Gras, because it looks like a great time on Oxford Street. I had a lot of support and got support from the Sharks to try to help me find a floater to go on.
“I just wanted it to be known that most players are very welcoming to all people and all sexualities. I will continue to speak in that area,” Rudolf said.