After sharing a picture with a friend and mother on Instagram, Australia all-rounder James Faulkner was considered as gay because of the caption “boyfriend”. However, he cleared the air, saying it was a “misunderstanding” and he is not gay. He further added that he got support from the LGBT community as well.
He took to Instagram and shared, “There seems to be a misunderstanding about my post from last night, I am not gay, however it has been fantastic to see the support from and for the LBGT community. Let’s never forget love is love, however @robjubbsta is just a great friend. Last night marked five years of being house mates! Good on everyone for being so supportive.”
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bw2-aefB63J/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
Meanwhile, Cricket Australia also confirmed the news and said, it “does not consider the social commentary this morning from James Faulkner to be a joke, nor does James. His comment was made as a genuine reflection of his relationship with his business partner, best friend and house mate of five years,” a statement from CA, read. “He was not contacted for clarification before some outlets reported his Instagram post as an announcement of a homosexual relationship.”
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“James and CA are supportive of the LGBQTI community and recognises coming out can be an incredibly emotional time. The post was not in any way meant to make light of this and, though the support from the community was overwhelming and positive. Cricket Australia apologises for any unintended offence.,” added further.
Faulknerone has played one Test, 69 ODIs and 24 T20 internationals so far. He had last played for the country in a T20 match against Sri Lanka at the Adelaide on February 22, 2017. He was the Man of the Match in the 2015 World Cup final which Australia had won by beating New Zealand by 7 wickets.
However, this is not the first time that sportspersons have come out in the open about their sexual orientation. In 2011, former International player of England, Steven Davies became the first player to announce that he is gay. The wicketkeeper-batsman, who played 8 ODIs and 5 T20Is for England, revealed in a newspaper interview with The Daily Telegraph.
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That is not the end. There are women cricketers also who have come out openly about their relationships. On July 9, 2018, South Africa women’s cricket team captain Dane van Niekerk married her teammate Marizanne Kapp and became the second pair among the current international cricketers to tie the knot after New Zealand’s Amy Satterthwaite and Lea Tahuhu. After four years of courtship, New Zealand captain Satterthwaite and Tahuhu got engaged in 2014 before getting married in March 2017. However, on April 19, New Zealand cricketer Hayley Jensen married uncapped Australian cricketer Nicola Hancock.
