“Coming out” is not an easy task in any sport, including cricket. Many players tend to hide their leanings toward the LGBTQ+ community from teammates and even family members. However, some cricket stars have been bold enough to declare information about their sexual orientation to the public.
One of these cricketers is Steve Davies, the first player to “come out” in professional cricket. After that time, many male and female cricketers have come out as gay. But no country has seen a mass revelation of LGBT cricketers like Australia, at least not publicly.
That’s why this list focuses on some top gay Australian cricketers you may not know about. These cricketers are at the top of their game, but many commentators point out their LGBT status before anything else.
Megan Schutt
Megan Schutt is an Aussie women’s cricket international and a reliable team bowler since 2021. She announced her gay status before her call-up to the senior team and married long-time girlfriend, Jess Holyoake, in March 2019.
The couple first met at a cricket center in Brisbane and announced their marriage and subsequent childbirth on social media. Megan posted on her IG handle about expecting a first child with Jess. The couple welcomed Rylee, their daughter, by C-section in August 2021.
Sarah Coyte
Sarah Coyte features for the Adelaide Strikers and currently plays in the Women Big Bash League. She battled and survived a battle with anorexia nervosa whilst being active in competitive cricket games.
She married Bec Cady, her then-fiancé in 2019 and the relationship has grown over the years to become a happy family. Sarah and Bec adopted an eight-year-old shortly after their wedding, consolidating their family ties.
Coyte also works as a personal trainer in her Campbell. She and Bec currently live in Camden, NSW, Australia.
Jess Jonassen
Jess Jonassen is an established cricketer and has captained teams like the Brisbane Heat and Queensland Fire throughout her career. She hails from Emerald, Queensland, and started playing cricket in her pre-teen years.
She studied Law and graduated in 2015. Jess made her international debut for Australia in January 2012 against New Zealand in a T20I match.
She is currently one of Australia’s most popular cricketers to have come out openly as gay.
Courtney Winfield-Hill
Courtney Winfield-Hill was once a cricketer before switching sports to feature as a Rugby League player. She also worked as a schoolteacher before taking part in professional cricket.
Courtney Winfield-Hill got married to Lauren Winfield, an English cricketer, and an openly gay sportswoman. The couple got married in Australia during the COVID-19 pandemic and had several teammates and family members in attendance.
Bonus: List of Some Openly Gay Cricketers
| Sarah Coyte | Alan Hansford | Marizanne Kapp | Nat Sciver-Brunt | Lauren Winfield-Hill |
| Piepa Cleary | Nicola Hancock | Amy Jones | Katherine Sciver-Brunt | Courtney Winfield-Hill |
| Maxine Blythin | Heather Graham | Hayley Jensen | Amy Satterthwaite | Sunette Viljoen |
| Lynsey Askew | Annette Drummond | Rachael Haynes | Linda Mienzer | Lea Tahuhu |
| Kelly Applebee | Heath Davis | Algernon Haskett-Smith | Lizelle Lee | Nikki Symmons |
| Erin Burns | Maddy Green | Jess Jonassen | Megan Schutt | Elyse Villani |
| Alex Blackwell | Georgia Elwiss | George Cecil Ives | Liz Perry | Dane van Niekerk |
| Abbi Aitken-Drummond | Steven Davies | Laura Harris | Delissa Kimmince | Emily Smith |
FAQs
Which popular cricketer is gay?
Steve Davis is one of the game’s most popular cricketers and he has openly come out as gay. He also hopes the revelation will encourage other cricketers to announce their status in the LGBTQ+ community.
Who is the first openly gay cricketer?
Steve Davis is on record as the first professional cricketer to come out as gay. He made the revelation about his sexual status in an interview on February 27, 2011. Some cricketers in Australia and European countries have openly come out as gay since Davies’ revelation.
Does cricket support LGBT?
The ICC has an active partnership with an LGBT campaign to form strategies that promote the inclusion of gay cricketers and other stakeholders in the game. Other national cricket organizations in some European countries and elsewhere also have similar policies to integrate LGBT cricketers into the sport.
Final Word
There’s a huge possibility that more professional cricketers will reveal their LGBT status as the game evolves. Support from the ICC and other cricket governing bodies should be a strong boost to encourage more players to come out. Growth in cricket to promote inclusivity isn’t a negative development; however, we’re yet to see the effect of such inclusion policies in the long run. Many stakeholders have their reservations about LGBT in cricket, but it’s too early to call how fans and players will react to teammates or opponents ‘coming out
