Former Australian Football League (AFL) player Mitch Brown has come out as bisexual, speaking openly about the toll of living in a homophobic and hypermasculine sporting culture.
The 36-year-old played professionally for the Perth-based West Coast Eagles from 2007 to 2016. Australian rules football is widely regarded as the country’s biggest sporting code.
In an emotional interview with The Daily Aus this week, Brown became the first past or present player in the AFL’s 128-year history to come out as gay or bisexual.
“I played in the AFL for 10 years for the West Coast Eagles, and I’m a bisexual man,” Brown said on the podcast, letting out a huge sigh of relief and admitting nervously that he was anxious. “It feels amazing now [to say it],” he added.
“Something you’d keep inside…”
Brown reached out to The Daily Aus after a previous episode explored whether the AFL “had a homophobia problem.”
“It’s been years of emotions, feelings, trapped in my head, in my soul, my heart, for so long,” said Brown, expressing sadness that it has taken so long for an AFL player to come out as queer.
He reflected that “as a male here in Australia, most of us are in environments of hypermasculinity.” He explained that his experience was of “suppressing [questions about his sexuality] for so long” and that “there was never once the opportunity to speak openly or to explore your feelings or questions in a safe way.”
“It was always something that you’d keep inside… you learn very quickly to say nothing,” he said of the AFL environment.
The Strain of Suppression
At one point in the interview, Brown became emotional and paused the conversation as he reflected on the weight of the emotions and feelings he had suppressed over the years.
“There’s been so many times in my life that I’ve seen things or heard things and not said anything, in fear of people thinking that I was gay or bisexual,” he admitted.
He also revealed that homophobia in Australian rules football played a “huge” role in his decision to retire. One of the reasons he left the sport, he said, was so that he could choose who he wanted to be around rather than having to “fit in.”
AFL Responds
In a statement, AFL CEO Andrew Dillon praised Brown for his “great courage today in sharing his story and personal journey,” adding: “This is an important moment for him, and for our entire game.”
Dillon expressed hope that Brown’s openness would inspire others to “feel encouraged to be their authentic selves and share their own journeys, and that these stories are met with support from teammates, clubs and the wider football community.”
He further committed “to keep making football an inclusive and welcoming environment for everyone to thrive — and that work never stops.”
