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Gay groups hail Cusack’s courage in coming out

CORK legend Dónal Óg Cusack’s decision to come out has been hailed by gay support groups as courageous and hugely positive for young gay men, particularly those involved in sport.

The GAA star revealed his sexual orientation in his autobiography, Come What May.

“It’s very brave of Dónal Óg to come out,” said Michael Barron of gay, lesbian and bisexual support group BeLonG.

“It’s a real landmark in Irish culture for someone of his standing to come out. He’s the first major sports star and that will have a positive impact.”

Sandra Gowran, education policy director of the Gay and Lesbian Equality Network (GLEN), said: “This is fantastic, particularly as he’s a sport hero, this is hugely significant.

“It is courageous for that kind of figure in male sport to take that stance, to come out and say ‘this is who I am, I’m happy with it’. It will give courage to young gay people, in sport or not.”

Mr Barron said Dónal Óg’s decision would also help combat homophobic bullying, particularly in schools. “For Irish young people, in this case young men particularly, there is a lot of homophobic bullying of young gays – that gays behave in a certain way, they can’t be into sport,” he said.

“There is no typical young gay man. There are gay people in all walks of life, including sport.”

Ms Gowran agreed and said only last week GLEN had published guidelines on sexual orientation for school principals.

“Sports, whether GAA, rugby or soccer, are a very significant part of a lot of schools. This bucks the stereotype that gay men are effeminate, into fashion and not into sport,” she said.

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