Irish Hurling Player Comes Out As Gay; Makes Interesting Test Case for U.S. Players

Sports pundits forever salivate over the prospect of the freakout that would follow in the U.S. if a professional athlete ever came out as gay while playing in a team sport. They may want to train their gaze on Ireland, where a star athlete came out in a memoir published last year. Donal Og Cusack, who revealed his sexuality in “Come What May”, is a top goalie in hurling, Ireland’s beloved sport, which combines elements of field hockey and lacrosse (because soccer is an undesirable import of the hated British).↵↵Despite American images of a more socially liberal Europe, Ireland is one of the exceptions. It was only 17 years ago that the country decriminalized homosexuality, making it the last country in Western Europe to do so. But an economic boom that has taken place over the last generation has loosened the grip of the Catholic Church on socials norms.↵

↵↵⇥“I was never going to write a book and not write about my personal situation. . . . I had a duty to speak about that,” he said, sipping a soft drink at a hotel here in Cork, in southern Ireland. But “it would’ve had less of an impact if I retired and spoke about it than if I wrote about it when I was still a player.”↵⇥↵⇥Since then, he’s had to endure homophobic slurs shouted from the stands, some of it venomous enough to reduce his sister to tears. Despite the abuse, his father still attends his games, even though Cusack says he’s not “jumping up and down with joy” about his son’s sexuality.↵⇥

↵↵↵Not a scenario that sounds dissimilar to what an American star player might expect if he or she came out. Cusack said his hand was forced in 2005 when a newspaper reporter confronted him about rumors of his homosexuality. He then confirmed what was said to his family and teammates, who were generally supportive, except for his father, who suggested he “get fixed.” While commentators in this country speculate that an openly gay player would throw off the dynamic of a locker room, it’s good to know that, at least in one case, the team is one of the more supportive sets of people in that outed athlete’s life.↵

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