• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Advertise
  • Contact Us
  • About Towleroad
  • Towleroad on Social Media
  • Privacy Policy

Towleroad Gay News

Gay Blog Towleroad: More than gay news | gay men

  • Body
  • Daily Resist
  • POLITICS
  • Travel
  • Music
  • Theatre
  • Film
  • TV
  • Sports
  • Business
  • Men
  • Marriage Equality
  • Space
  • Trans Rights
  • Books
  • Science
  • Gay Iconography
  • TowleREAD

Pro Rugby Player Devin Ibañez Comes Out as Gay

December 30, 2020 by Andy Towle Leave a Comment

Devin Ibañez

Devin Ibañez, a pro rugby player who played with the New England Skipjacks in 2019 and hopes to play in England to be closer to his boyfriend Fergus (pictured above in his arms) according to Outsports, came out as gay on social media in a newly-created Instagram account bearing the handle @thatgayrugger.

Wrote Ibañez: “As 2020 comes to a close I took the time to reflect on my life and what aspects I could control and make positive changes to that would impact my day to day life and happiness. It became clear to me that living my life with more transparency and openly celebrating who I love would have an immediate positive impact on me and those I care about. So I want to start 2021 by celebrating the love of my life and my partner @ferguswade who has been with me through the highs and the (very) lows of the last three years. “

“I am openly gay, Ibañez continued. “This is something that is not a secret to those close to me and even several people not close to me. But I always felt a need to keep it separate from my rugby career. I always came up with a reason why being more vocal would be a distraction, detrimental, or unnecessary.”


As the years went by no level of success was enough to justify potentially losing opportunities within the sport, jeopardizing relationships, or making myself a target on the pitch,” Ibañez continued. “The final goal became ‘Once I sign a pro contract I will be more vocal and become the first openly gay MLR player’. As the day came and went that I signed a contract with the @usmlr , I moved the goalposts even further. This was largely fueled by a narrative I told myself that unless I left no doubt about deserving my spot that I would be viewed as a token and not a true professional. But what I considered as casting a shadow I’ve slowly realized can also act as a beacon. So I have decided to embrace what I once felt embarrassed of and be proudly and shamelessly myself. I have met some incredibly talented LGBTQ rugby players over the years, many of whom were blackballed from playing a high level solely due to being gay.”

“As of now I am the only openly gay rugby player to earn a contract with an MLR side,” Ibañez noted. “I hope that I will meet others Iike myself playing a high level of rugby and hoping to inspire the next generation of proud LGBTQ rugby players. So I will proudly call myself ‘that gay rugger’ in hopes that one day it won’t sound strange in men’s rugby.”

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Devin Ibañez (@thatgayrugger)

Filed Under: Featured, towleroad Tagged With: Devin Ibañez, I'm Gay, Rugby, Sports

Recent Posts

  • James Charles, Dancing Robot, Louie Gohmert, Josh Hawley, La Scala, Hilaria Baldwin, Blackwater Pardons: HOT LINKS

    James Charles, Dancing Robot, Louie Gohmert, Josh Hawley, La Scala, Hilaria Baldwin, Blackwater Pardons: HOT LINKS

    16 hours ago
  • Trump DOJ Sparks Outrage, Clearing Cleveland Cop Who Killed 12-Year-Old Tamir Rice

    Trump DOJ Sparks Outrage, Clearing Cleveland Cop Who Killed 12-Year-Old Tamir Rice

    21 hours ago
  • Maskless COVIDiot Mob Assails L.A. Supermarket Over Restrictions: ‘We’re Not Here Coughing Everything, Smearing Everything!’ — WATCH

    Maskless COVIDiot Mob Assails L.A. Supermarket Over Restrictions: ‘We’re Not Here Coughing Everything, Smearing Everything!’ — WATCH

    21 hours ago
  • Rio Shuts Down Gay Circuit Party Over Violation of COVID Rules: ‘Now Go Home Queens, and Quarantine’ — WATCH

    Rio Shuts Down Gay Circuit Party Over Violation of COVID Rules: ‘Now Go Home Queens, and Quarantine’ — WATCH

    22 hours ago
Previous Post: « James Charles, Dancing Robot, Louie Gohmert, Josh Hawley, La Scala, Hilaria Baldwin, Blackwater Pardons: HOT LINKS

Primary Sidebar

  • James Charles, Dancing Robot, Louie Gohmert, Josh Hawley, La Scala, Hilaria Baldwin, Blackwater Pardons: HOT LINKS

  • Trump DOJ Sparks Outrage, Clearing Cleveland Cop Who Killed 12-Year-Old Tamir Rice

  • Maskless COVIDiot Mob Assails L.A. Supermarket Over Restrictions: ‘We’re Not Here Coughing Everything, Smearing Everything!’ — WATCH

Recent Posts

  • James Charles, Dancing Robot, Louie Gohmert, Josh Hawley, La Scala, Hilaria Baldwin, Blackwater Pardons: HOT LINKS

    James Charles, Dancing Robot, Louie Gohmert, Josh Hawley, La Scala, Hilaria Baldwin, Blackwater Pardons: HOT LINKS

    16 hours ago
  • Trump DOJ Sparks Outrage, Clearing Cleveland Cop Who Killed 12-Year-Old Tamir Rice

    Trump DOJ Sparks Outrage, Clearing Cleveland Cop Who Killed 12-Year-Old Tamir Rice

    21 hours ago
  • Maskless COVIDiot Mob Assails L.A. Supermarket Over Restrictions: ‘We’re Not Here Coughing Everything, Smearing Everything!’ — WATCH

    Maskless COVIDiot Mob Assails L.A. Supermarket Over Restrictions: ‘We’re Not Here Coughing Everything, Smearing Everything!’ — WATCH

    21 hours ago
  • Rio Shuts Down Gay Circuit Party Over Violation of COVID Rules: ‘Now Go Home Queens, and Quarantine’ — WATCH

    Rio Shuts Down Gay Circuit Party Over Violation of COVID Rules: ‘Now Go Home Queens, and Quarantine’ — WATCH

    22 hours ago
  • Nashville Bomber’s Girlfriend Told Police a Year Ago That He Was ‘Building Bombs in the RV’

    Nashville Bomber’s Girlfriend Told Police a Year Ago That He Was ‘Building Bombs in the RV’

    23 hours ago
  • GOP Congressman-Elect Luke Letlow Dies of COVID at 41, Had No Underlying Conditions

    GOP Congressman-Elect Luke Letlow Dies of COVID at 41, Had No Underlying Conditions

    23 hours ago
  • Britain Approves Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID Vaccine, Sees ‘Way Out of the Pandemic’ with Mass Vaccinations Imminent: WATCH

    Britain Approves Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID Vaccine, Sees ‘Way Out of the Pandemic’ with Mass Vaccinations Imminent: WATCH

    24 hours ago
  • Marcus D’Amico, Tales of the City’s Original ‘Mouse’, Dead at 55

    Marcus D’Amico, Tales of the City’s Original ‘Mouse’, Dead at 55

    2 days ago
  • Pierre Cardin, Anwar Hadid Anti-Vaxxing, Melissa Carone, Lil Pump, Tom Mountain, Bruce Kring, Harry Styles: HOT LINKS

    Pierre Cardin, Anwar Hadid Anti-Vaxxing, Melissa Carone, Lil Pump, Tom Mountain, Bruce Kring, Harry Styles: HOT LINKS

    2 days ago
  • RuPaul Drops a Big Twist on the First Competing Queens in ‘Drag Race’ Season 13 10-Minute Preview: WATCH

    RuPaul Drops a Big Twist on the First Competing Queens in ‘Drag Race’ Season 13 10-Minute Preview: WATCH

    2 days ago

Most Commented

  • Advertise
  • Contact Us
  • About Towleroad
  • Towleroad on Social Media
  • Privacy Policy

Footer

Copyright © 2020 · Log in