Stuart Andrew: Those sports stars who have come out throw the spotlight on our footballers

Olympic boxing champion Nicola Adams is a role model for gay athletes.

WE have made great progress when it comes to addressing homophobia in sport. There are great examples of some of our leading athletes who have felt able to come out.

I am proud to mention two from my county. The boxer Nicola Adams, whom I am proud of, said at the time that she was worried about how everyone would react, so she used to say that she was single rather than that she was with a girl. She felt like she was lying all the time, and she did not like having to do that, so, in the end, she thought, “Well, this is who I am. And if there is nothing I can do about it, why should I hide it?”

Keegan Hirst, the rugby player from Batley, said: “I tick every macho box. How could I be gay? I’m from Batley for goodness’ sake. No one is gay in Batley.”

Those are two brave individuals who have come out and brought a bit of a spotlight on to the issue.

We notice most sharply that we have a problem when one of our nation’s most successful athletes thinks that sexism and homophobia are still huge problems in sport, and that they are inextricably linked.

Sue Day, the former women’s rugby captain, said: “If she has got physical strength or something that is not perceived to be feminine, then she must be a lesbian. If a man is gay, people think ‘He can’t possibly be good at sport because he is not masculine enough’.”

She went on to say: “There is a huge amount of sexism in sport. The men have been allowed to play sport for many years whereas the women haven’t. Sexism and homophobia are so inextricably linked.”