Players’ support ‘a very big deal’
When All Blacks halfback TJ Perenara took a stand against Israel Folau this week, he threw his support behind the NZ Falcons, an Auckland-based gay and inclusive rugby team who are raising funds to help with travel to a tournament in June.
Perenara kicked things off with a $500 donation to their Givealittle campaign on Wednesday night, and in the 36 hours since, $2400 more followed, money that shows his message has been heard.
Falcons secretary Alex Cairns said it was ‘‘a very big deal’’ to have someone such as Perenara supporting the LGBT+ community.
‘‘It’s pretty overwhelming actually, the amount of support that’s coming through, and even just seeing the notes attached to the donations, it’s a real boost to morale.
‘‘He’s put himself in a position of being a spokesperson for people who have that view of inclusivity and that’s why people are probably getting on board with it, because they’ve got someone who is high profile, who’s got a view that they can identify with.
’’Especially coming from someone as renowned and well-known internationally as TJ, it’s pretty awesome. It’s been a long time coming, having this kind of exposure, and that’s not to undermine any of the work that New Zealand Rugby or any other corporations have done in the past.’’
Perenara followed Chiefs halfback Brad Weber in speaking out against Folau, who two weeks ago wrote on social media that gay people are going to ‘‘hell, if they don’t repent of their sins,’’ and has been under heavy scrutiny since.
Weber wrote on Tuesday that he ‘‘can’t stand that I have to play this game that I love with people, like Folau, who say what he’s saying’’. Perenara wrote on Wednesday that he was 100 per cent ‘‘against the comments that were made by Israel. It was not ok to say that. It’s not an attitude I want to see in the game I love’’.
Folau has avoided punishment from his Super Rugby team, the Waratahs, and Rugby Australia but has not been so lucky in the court of public opinion.
Cairns said it was a shame there hadn’t been more people of Perenara and Weber’s stature speaking up across the Tasman.
‘‘The three Australian gay and inclusive teams are trying to push for a similar effect to happen but we can only do what we can in New Zealand. These incidents that happen, especially on the stage that Israel Folau has, where he’s seen globally, it doesn’t only affect Australians, which is why we’re seeing it in New Zealand, and also Nigel Owens from over in the UK.
‘‘TJ, Brad, Nigel Owens, even [Labour MPs] Louisa Wall and Grant Robertson – those have been people who have have stood up and said homophobia is not okay, and it’s got no place in sport. Someone probably just needs to do that on the Australian side as well, and keep that message consistent. It is a worldwide thing, and it’s just unfortunate that it has happened close to home for us.’’
The tournament the Falcons are raising money to help send players to is the Bingham Cup, which will be held in Amsterdam in the Netherlands in June, and describes itself as ‘‘the premier global event promoting rugby union as an inclusive, nondiscriminatory sport’’.
Formed in 2002, it was named after Mark Bingham, a gay rugby player who died during the September 11 attacks in the United States the previous year, where he was one of the passengers who fought back against the hijackers on United Airlines Flight 93, which led to the plane crashing into a field, rather than its intended target.