Rugby player and former bobsledder
Simon Dunn used a victory kiss with his boyfriend to send a message
to Australian rugby star Israel Folau.
Folau, who plays for the Wallabies, has
defended homophobic remarks he made on Instagram.
The 29-year-old Folau, a devout
Christian who regularly posts religious messages, posted a meme
earlier this month on Instagram about God's plan. When a follower
asked, “What was God's plan for gay people?” Folau replied:
“HELL.. Unless they repent of their sins and turn to God.”
According to the BBC, Folau has since
deleted the comment.
Folau later said that he was only
speaking “from the heart.”
Dunn, who gained notoriety when he
became the first openly gay man to join Australia's bobsleigh team in
2014, and his boyfriend, Felix, play for London LGBT rugby club
King's Cross Steelers.
Dunn tweeted to Folau a photo of
himself and his boyfriend sharing a kiss after their team's victory
on Saturday.
“My way of showing @IzzyFolau that
homophobia has no place in sport,” he captioned the photo.
Speaking to DNA, Dunn explained that
the photo “not only shows the love for my partner but also that a
person's sexuality truly has zero impact on their ability to perform
as an athlete.”
“I've been lucky enough to play many
sports at different levels, including representing my country. One
thing I learned was homophobia has no place in the sporting world and
it's comments like those from Israel truly are outdated.”
“We as LGBT athletes need to continue
to champion the cause of inclusion!” Dunn
added.