Davis Atkin, first openly gay player in Australian hockey, embraces pressure of spotlight
Davis Atkin, 22, who made his debut in the FIH Pro League in Rourkela, is remarkably calm in acknowledging a topic many squirm just to discuss.
Uthra Ganesan
Atkin, one of the two openly gay players in men’s hockey, says he doesn’t see himself as much of a trailblazer as a figurehead for the LGBTQ+ community. | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
International sport at the highest level is brutal and unforgiving. It is also governed by strict rules, written and assumed, of gender identity and sexual orientation that forces a certain machoism among the men – more so in team sports, which is still considered a ‘brotherhood’. And for all the claims by sports administrations across the world, homosexuality remains a forbidden subject.