Outing in rugby: ex-rugby pro Ellia Green is trans
More and more former and active professional athletes are finding the courage to come out. Now former rugby player Ellia Green is also speaking out about his transsexuality. He used to help Australia score points in the Olympic women's rugby team. Now he leads an open life, can stand by himself and his sexuality and enjoys spending time with his family. Thanks to the outing.
Why he decided to take this step only after his career ended has a good reason for the Olympic champion. Unfortunately, in professional sports, especially in official leagues, male and female athletes are often excluded because of transsexuality. Also, the question of whether trans men or women are allowed to play on a team that consists of biological, male or female members is still current and far from settled. Here the most different opinions meet.
Ellia Green: Spectacular outing at a summit meeting
Ellia Green has come out as transgender at an LGBTQIA+ summit of the Bingham Cup rugby championship. Among other things, the event was supposed to be about the fight against homophobia and transphobia. Green explained the comparatively late outing with the fact that he still wanted to finish his rugby career as a woman before he would then retire to lead a carefree life.
For him, he said, it was important to live in the body for which he was intended.
Already in childhood he seemed to know that he was born "with the wrong biological sex". Whenever his mother dressed him in girl's clothes, he wore them not because he liked them, but only to please his mother.
The biggest problem of the sports federations is that transsexual male and female athletes are still excluded from the team. Instead, a solution for integration would not be sought.
Fight against bullying and discrimination
Green has had a positive experience with his outing. Most of the people around him support him. For many other people, however, it is still difficult to come out publicly. Especially on TV and in social media, homosexual and transsexual people are still often victims of bullying, discrimination and insults.
As long as this doesn't change, it's only understandable that many people will continue to actively campaign against discrimination against the LGBTQIA+ community ... And that's what Ellie Green wants to do, too. With his outing, he wants to encourage other people to also live a free life. The credo: The main thing is that the person concerned feels comfortable and stands by himself.
Who is Ellia Green?
Anyone who is not actively and passionately involved in rugby may have asked themselves this very question.
Therefore: In 2019, Green officially ended his rugby career and retired from the sport. Instead of playing rugby professionally, he prefers to enjoy time with his girlfriend Vanessa Turnbull-Roberts and their daughter together.
Currently, the family lives in Sidney and enjoys their newfound freedom. Green plans to continue fighting for equal rights for the LGBTQIA+ community in the sports world.
Unfortunately, it will probably take a long time before all the necessary bridges are built and prejudices are completely eliminated. But: Every outing counts ... And could ultimately also be the "stone of impetus" for further outings.