First AFL player to come out as gay says he was stunned by his dad’s reaction
Former Brisbane Lions player Leigh Ryswyk has become the first AFL player, past or present, to speak publicly about being a gay man. The post First AFL player to come out as gay says he was stunned by his dad’s reaction appeared first on Outsports.
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Seven months after Mitch Brown became the first player in AFL history to come out as bisexual, Australia’s biggest pro sports league has learned of its first out gay footballer.
Leigh Ryswyk, who played for the Brisbane Lions in 2005, has spoken publicly about being gay in an interview with LGBTQ radio station JOY 94.9’s “GayFL” show.
Now 41, Geelong-born Ryswyk may have only made one AFL appearance during his career, but he had a long and successful career as a professional one level below the elite.
His moment of visibility two decades later marks another significant step forward for men’s Australian rules.
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Ryswyk, a half forward, spent the majority of his playing days with North Adelaide, more commonly known as the Roosters, in the second-tier South Australian National Football League (SANFL).
Over a career spanning more than a decade, he became a household name for Roosters fans and SANFL supporters in general, racking up over 200 games and kicking more than 150 goals.
However, while he was celebrated for his speed and skill on the field, Ryswyk spent those years hiding a major part of his identity.
He hung up his boots in 2018, and explained he had come out to friends and family about three years later. He has two children aged 14 and 11 from a previous relationship.
Asked on air why he made the decision to come out at this time, he replied: “Why not?”
He added: “To people who know me, my closest friends, this is not new; I’ve been out for five years now.
“There will be people though, if they do listen to this, it will be the first time they know about this; I’m a very private person, so it’s not all over my social media, and things like that, and that’s fine.
“It can be a bit of a shock to some people, they might not know what, but that’s life right? In the end, the people who are nearest and closest to me know, and that’s what’s most important.”
There’s already been a substantial response to Ryswyk’s story across national media and social media.
Brown, who has become an influential advocate for LGBTQ inclusion in Australian sports since August 2025, congratulated Ryswyk on Instagram and wrote: “Representation matters. Visibility matters. Stories like this change lives.”
Brown is also a father, and added in his post: “As a dad, this is particularly special for me. To show your kids that you can be yourself, love who you love, and still belong to the game you care about – that you don’t have to choose.
“Leigh’s kids are so lucky to have a role model in him.”
Leigh Ryswyk’s father reassured his son when he came out as gay
Telling his parents that he is gay, while in his mid-30s, was naturally a daunting prospect for Ryswyk.
“When you come out to your family, it’s always a massive experience, there’s a lot of things going on in your head,” he explained.
“It took me a little while where I was comfortable enough to do this, probably a three-year period to be honest, so there was a lot of the mental side of things going through at the same time.
“I had the opportunity to sit down with mum and talk to her about it, and let her know, which was massive. She obviously was crying, I was crying, and she goes ‘I still love you’, so for me, that was a wow moment.
“Then opening up to your dad… now that experience was one of the biggest things for me, but his reaction was something that blew me away, to be honest.
“I really didn’t know what to expect, but he was like, ‘I love you, it doesn’t matter, as long as you’re happy, I’m happy for you’, that blew me away, to be honest.”
Australian men’s team sports producing more gay and bi role models
Ryswyk’s story arrives in Australia two months after former pro basketball star AJ Ogilvy spoke for the first time about being gay, in an interview with history-making out athlete and fellow NBL baller, Isaac Humphries.
Other athletes in Australian men’s pro team sports to have come out in recent years include soccer players Andy Brennan and Josh Cavallo, and international field hockey player Davis Atkin.
The high-profile, hyper-masculine environment of AFL football, which dominates the Australian sporting landscape, has had long-standing issues with homophobic language and behavior which continue to this day.
In its current form, the AFL dates back to 1990, but the league has around a century of history that predates this. In all that time, there has never been an out gay player, either active or retired.
Brown, who played nearly 100 games for Perth’s West Coast Eagles from 2007 to 2016, broke the barrier for bi men last year, while former North Melbourne half-back Dani Laidley came out as a trans woman in 2020.
Ryswyk says he is optimistic that an active gay or bi player would be well supported in the AFL, if they ever decided to go public.
“I think the AFL, and the community, will wrap their arms around that player… I think the community itself, obviously the queer community, the fan base, I think in the whole they will celebrate that when the time comes.”
Later on Wednesday, Ryswyk unlocked his personal Instagram account, which had previously been set to private. Also on the grid was an older post that had his partner, Pete, tagged in.
“For a long time, I kept a big part of who I am to myself,” wrote Ryswyk. “Opening up hasn’t been easy, but it’s been incredibly freeing. Footy has given me so much and I want to help make sure it’s a space where everyone feels safe to be themselves.
“If sharing my journey helps break down barriers, start conversations, or lets someone know they’re not alone, then that means everything to me.
“I’m proud of who I am, proud to be part of this game and hopeful for what’s ahead.”
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The post First AFL player to come out as gay says he was stunned by his dad’s reaction appeared first on Outsports.
