“If this helps even one person it will have been worth it.” – Mitch Brown an interview with The Daily Aus (TDA).

Mitch Brown—who played 94 games for the West Coast Eagles—has become the only player in men’s V/AFL history to come out as gay or bisexual after coming out as bisexual in an interview with TDA on 27 August. 

The CEO of the AFL, Andrew Dillon, said Brown’s coming out was an “important moment for him, and for our game.”

The AFL Players Association (AFLPA) president, Darcy Moore, posted, “I applaud Mitch’s courage and candour in sharing his identity … To any young people in the LGBTQIA+ community out there who dream of playing in the AFL or AFLW, you deserve a safer and more respectful industry. As the AFLPA, we are committed to working towards that.”

“Representation matters, and Mitch’s bravery will help create a more inclusive and supportive environment, not only in AFL and AFLW, but across all levels of sport,” Chloe Molloy, AFLPA Board Member, continued in the same post.

“But Mitch’s experience also reiterates that more work must be done to make our industry truly safe and inclusive for all,” Ben Smith, Interim AFLPA CEO, added.

Brown’s announcement occurred in the midst of discussions within the media about homophobia in the AFL, which was ignited by Adelaide Crows player, Izak Rankine’s, use of a homophobic slur to a Collingwood player at Adelaide Oval during their round 23 game on 16 August. 

Having received compounding media pressure to combat homophobia, the AFL issued Rankine a four-match suspension and must complete Pride in Sport training.  

Rankine broke his two week silence with a written apology, saying he “take[s] full responsibility” and that the word he used has “no place in our game.”

The AFL, in their statement regarding the incident, said, “We know people in the LGBTQI+ community and allies hurt when an incident like this happens. One incident of this nature is too many, and the fact there have been multiple this year shows we still have more work to do and we are committed to that.”

“The AFL will continue to partner with our clubs, our Pride and Allies groups and the LGBTQI+ community to celebrate inclusion across both our AFL and AFLW competitions.”

In the past year, there have been five other instances of players using homophobic language against another player. Yet, Rankine’s incident, which resulted in Brown coming out, marks a large turning point in how we continue to talk about not only homophobia, but also toxic masculinity in the AFL.

While Brown has received a lot of positive responses, he has also spoken out about hateful comments from footy fans claiming he is “attention seeking” and “narcissistic,” and exposes the lack of support from four football clubs on his Instagram story. 

After Brown posted the story post, Geelong and Collingwood issued statements of support. Meanwhile, Brisbane and Adelaide, Rankine’s team, have remained silent. 

Brown’s interview with TDA highlighted many of the issues discussed by the media on homophobia and toxic masculinity in the AFL. 

Brown connected what he calls “Australian man’s problem” to the “primitive” environment on the field in games, suggesting that the AFL’s environmental issue stems from Australian male culture as a whole. 

He explained that the pressure to display masculinity and strength results in opponents often physically and verbally belittling each other on field, “and you hear that on the field every single week, every single game.”

He also exposed how homophobia pervaded off field in locker rooms, where queerness was made taboo. He acknowledged how this created an internalised hatred which prevented him from speaking out. 

He attributed his silence to the AFL’s “high performance environment.” “It’s so clear, your task, and that is to train hard, get better, win games, win a premiership; so it is really easy to not bring your personal life into things, to stay quiet, to not share too much of yourself.”

It was not until after his career as a footballer that he was able to start deconstructing his identity. He acknowledged why current players may have argued that it was  not worth speaking out while working for the  AFL.

When asked about Rankine’s four game suspension, Brown expressed he was more concerned about creating a “sense of change” and “movement” in the AFL rather than focusing on punishment and match bans.

He advocated for the AFL to celebrate players that were “positive male role models” who “may not be the most successful [career wise] but the most important players in our community.”

While the competitive nature of the AFL is intrinsic to any sport, toxicity can be avoided. By coming out, Mitch Brown has created a space for others like him to be able to express themselves while creating an avenue to discuss the issues of homophobia and toxic masculinity that not only pervade the AFL but Australia as well.