University Blacks say “Gay? That’s OK!”

Posted on - Latest News, Featured, University Blacks

By Nick Armistead

Lachlan and Charles Beaton are taking significant strides in regards to promoting acceptance.

In conjunction with University Blacks, the Beaton twins are using their self-established initiative, Gay? That’s OK!, as a vehicle for social change and to encourage society to promote  “tolerance, acceptance and safe environments for same-sex attracted people”.

“The initiative is really designed to allow community leaders to stand up and shout from the rooftops their acceptance of gay people,” Lachlan says.

“From my understanding, the broader community absolutely accepts gay people but it’s not often they actually talk about gay people and the issues that they face.”

In the final round of the William Buck Premier home and away fixture, University Blacks will wear a specifically-designed rainbow coloured football jumper against Collegians in a bid to showcase their support of the initiative and communicate their acceptance to the wider community.

“Our strong view is that if there are more people talking about gay people and the issues they face, or the fact they will accept them, then it will be much easier for young people to be themselves from an earlier age,” Lachlan says.

Lachlan can relate to the struggles young same-sex attracted Australians go through better than most. Realising he was gay at the age of 14, Lachlan chose to conceal his feelings from family and friends until he was 27-years-old for fear of being “disowned”.

“It was that period that was most dangerous time in his life,” Charles says of his brother.

“He was just holding his secret and it gets to the point where the secret is so big he was just thinking he was going to lose everything. If there were role models for him to look up to he probably would’ve come out when he was 19.”

With hindsight at their disposal, Lachlan and Charles understand the value of sporting clubs and the role models they produce in the push for social change.

“I’ve got a very strong view on the fact that I think sporting clubs have a really big role to play when it comes to acceptance of something like homosexuality,” Lachlan says.

“When you were growing up you wanted to be Nathan Buckley or Tony Liberatore – that’s all you wanted to be. You want to be a local sports star so whatever they say or do you live and die by.

“I think if you’re seeing sporting clubs or sportsmen at any level come out and send a message of acceptance, the ramifications are enormous.”

The support University Blacks have offered the Gay? That’s OK! initiative is unparalleled in the world of community football. On the day of the match against Collegians, the club will be hosting a pre-match luncheon which will serve to launch the initiative in conjunction with the 10-year anniversary celebration of the 2005 Senior C Grade premiership.

Guest speakers will include Hawthorn FC premiership player and anti-homophobia campaigner Russell Greene and Victoria’s first Gender and Sexuality Commissioner Rowena Allen.

“Everyone at the Blacks has got around it (the initiative) and knowing how hard some things are to organise, this all happened in less than a month,” Charles says.

“Everyone is just jumping over themselves because they want to do something here and they know it’s an important issue.”

Lachlan reiterated the support shown from various organisations as one of the most important facets of Gay? That’s OK!.

“I just think for the VAFA and Uni Blacks to actually come out and just give some airtime to the issue, there will be thousands of kids who will look at it and feel like they’re going to be more accepted than they normally would,” he says.

“If a photo of a footballer wearing a rainbow jumper makes it to rural Victoria it will have changed a life; maybe even saved a life.”

In their mission to educate sporting clubs, business groups and the community to promote safe environments for same-sex attracted people, the brothers are dedicated to “creating an online community to allow sharing, collaboration and insights for those same-sex attracted youth doing it tough”.

“If nothing else, it will open up a conversation,” Lachlan says.

The Gay? That’s OK! football match between University Blacks and Collegians will be held at Melbourne University Oval on Saturday 29 August.