A leading English referee has spoken for the first time about coming out as gay and the inspiration he drew from Welshman Nigel Owens in declaring his sexuality.
Maxwell-Keys, who has also taken charge of European and international games, eventually decided the time was right to reveal his sexuality to colleagues at Twickenham as well as his local club, Lichfield RFC.
“You could say it’s modern day,” said the 29-year-old, speaking to the BBC’s LGBT Sports Podcast. “I sent a WhatsApp message at 6am before I was due to go on a family holiday to Greece.
“If it helps one person, it’s worth it”.
Premiership Rugby referee Craig Maxwell-Keys hasn’t spoken publicly about his sexuality before.
So, we’re properly proud he’s decided to share his story on a new episode of the BBC’s #LGBT Sport Podcast.
Listen: https://t.co/7ZJmiI9rxC pic.twitter.com/g7NMYrAraO
— Jack Murley (@jack_murley) December 5, 2019
“I then turned the phone off and didn’t turn it on again for a good couple of hours. Then after a few too many wines in Greece, I read the messages back.
“It shouldn’t have been a surprise, but all the messages were really positive and supportive.
“When I got a contract offer from Twickenham, I hadn’t fully accepted my sexuality myself. It was another two years working in rugby that opened my eyes to the fact that everyone is really supportive.
“It’s just an extension of my family and my support network, and the guys at Twickenham made it really simple for me to come out. The limiting factor was me and whether I was ready.”
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- Ranked! The experience at every Premiership ground
- LIST: 5 epic rugby union spats on Twitter
- 20 things we miss about rugby in the 90s
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