Give ’em hell
It’s been weeks since Israel Folau made a big noise about gay people. Why, asks Fiona Barber, has it taken his peers so long to find their voices?
As public service announcements go, it was a doozy. Repent or you’ll wind up in hell. No ifs, buts or maybes; not a skerrick of room for misinterpretation. This was Australian rugby player Israel Folau’s attempt to save gay folk from wery damnation and any other nasties on a one-way trip to Hades.
It was an act of selyessness. He knew his comment on Instagram wouldn’t be popular and that he’d be subjected to an unheavenly backlash, but Folau did it anyway because, as he explained in a self-penned article: “You see someone who is about to walk into a hole and have the chance to save him.” Bless.
I’m pretty sure arguing with someone who so rigidly adheres to such a narrow, punitive version of religion and life won’t be productive (though I pray he’ll take note of what rugby great – and fellow Christian – Sir Michael Jones had to say: “…In terms of my faith, it’s very much a faith built on love and grace. There are members of my family in those communities and we love them”). So how do you engage with those determined to tell fellow human beings they’ll go to hell because of their sexuality? Rugby halfbacks Brad Weber (Māori All Black, one All Black cap) and TJ Perenara (42 caps) tackled Israel and his screwy missive using the cyber-saviour’s own weapon of choice – social media.
Tweeted Perenara: “To anyone, young Māori/ Pasiwka people especially, who may be struggling with their identity – please know that it is OK to be you.” Weber, who was wrst out of the blocks with his condemnation, also wondered why players were “staying quiet on some of this stuff”.
He had a point. Commentators also noted the silence, the lack of outrage from some of the sport’s other leading lights. It’s nothing new for rugby players to make a stand for or against something they believe in. As Kevin Norquay noted in a recent Stuff piece, All Blacks Ken Gray, Bruce Robertson, Graham Mourie, David Kirk and John Kirwan refused to tour South Africa or play Springbok sides selected on racial grounds, and Josh Kronfeld had an open anti-nukes stance. “These men in black provided lightbulb moments – ‘racism, bad’, ‘nuclear bombs, bad’,” wrote Norquay.
Yes they did. So wouldn’t it have been great to see a whole bunch of current stars of the game follow Weber and Perenara’s lead? Yes, the All Blacks and the Black Ferns have just released a video featuring rainbow yags and messages about diversity. But, it would mean a lot to see someone like Richie McCaw ONZ take time out from his advertising commitments to make a case for inclusiveness, understanding and humanity. Expecting too much? Maybe. It’d just be nice if someone held up as such a role model did some front-line role modelling. Now that really would be a public service.