Former West Coast player Mitch Brown has become the first openly bisexual male player in the AFL’s 129-year history, saying going public would be worth it if it meant helping just one person.
Brown, who played 94 games with the Eagles before hanging up the boots in 2016, revealed his sexuality in an interview with The Daily Aus on Wednesday, following up with a message shared on his Instagram page.
Mitch Brown (left) when playing for the West Coast Eagles. Credit: Sebastian Costanzo
Brown said it was a “very weird feeling … knowing this is out in the world”. But: “This isn’t about me. The world needs more positive male role models and I hope I can step up and be one.”
There are no currently openly gay or bisexual male players in the AFL, and none had come out publicly before Brown. Danielle Laidley, a former coach and player with North Melbourne, was outed as transgender in 2020 when police revealed pictures of her after she was arrested for stalking an ex-partner and drug possession and put in a holding cell (no conviction was recorded when she agreed to be of good behaviour and complete a drug rehabilitation program).
In his interview with The Daily Aus, Brown described a culture of “hypermasculinity” during his football career that made questioning his sexuality impossible.
He recalled sitting in a massage room next to six teammates when the topic of gay players came up.
“I remember two people having a conversation around how they would feel having a shower next to a gay m
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