He is not the first to do so.
He won't be the last either.
Campbell Johnstone, a former All Blaks player, revealed that he is gay
in an interview he gave to the
Seven Sharp
program of the New Zealand television channel TVNZ.
And the reactions he received from that moment do not stop surprising him.
"If I can be the first All Black to come out of the closet and help remove the pressure and stigma surrounding the issue, I can actually help a lot of other people,"
said the man who played 38 Super Rugby matches in the shirt .
of Crusaders
Campbell Johnstone, the first All Black to come out as gay.
Photo: Photosports.
Johnstone, 43, was the victim of a very macho environment such as rugby and hid his truth for many years.
Tied to the stereotypes imposed by this sport, he lived a "double life."
Ten years after his retirement, the former pillar opened up to the world and said what he had kept for so long.
His dream was to play for the All Blacks and he achieved it, making three appearances for the world's most powerful team in 2005, but he paid the price of developing in an environment in which
he was never "really comfortable with the whole concept. "
, that is, with everything that surrounded the world of the oval ball.
It is imposed that the rugby player must be
"manly, strong, possibly with a wife and children",
which led him to
"live in a lie",
according to himself.
"I pushed that side of me deeper and deeper," he said.
And he freed himself from a heavy burden.
A few days later, seeing the repercussion of his recent statements, he was pleasantly surprised: "I thought it would reach the public in New Zealand and possibly Australia.
Not in my wildest imagination did I think it would be that far-reaching.
It's a real sign how powerful the All Black and New Zealand brand is around the world," he reflected.
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All Blacks support
Mark Robinson,
Chief Executive of
New Zealand Rugby,
was one of the first to show his support: "Johnstone's strength and visibility will pave the way for others.
Rugby is a sport that welcomes everyone and a place where people should feel safe in being who they are. We want to be clear, no matter who you love, rugby has your back."
The
official account of the New Zealand national team on Instagram, for its part, also expressed itself in this regard:
"Much love and support for the All Black #1056 @campbelljonstone.nz for having the courage to share his story and help create a game more inclusive"
, says the text of the post.
Also Crusaders, one of the clubs of his career, Highlanders and the official account of the Rugby World Cup 2023 left messages of support for rugbier.
"Thank you", "Congratulations", "Inspirational" and "Respect" are some of the words that appear the most in the more than 200 comments that the publication has.
