That’s true for anybody, and especially those working in a heteronormative industry such as sports TV. “Some people might not think it’s a big deal in this day and age, but it still is no one knows what you suffered when you were younger and talking about your sexuality is such a private, personal piece of you.” “No one should ever be forced to come out before they’re ready it can be dangerous,” she said, via Pink News.
“Fortunately, I am at a place in my life where I am comfortable with who I am and I can handle something deeply personal becoming public,” she wrote.Ī post shared by Megan Barnard a new interview, Barnard spoke more at length about the impact of being outed. He was fired following an internal investigation.īarnard addressed the episode on her Instagram shortly thereafter. “Unfortunately, she’s a lesbian, lads,” Morris said. Audio of that conversation was leaked, and as a result, Barnard was outed. One of her colleagues, Tom Morris, was making crude comments about her physical appearance and sexuality to other people (presumably other men at Fox Sports Australia). The dearth of representation breeds a silencing effect.īarnard’s story is horrible. Barnard’s story illustrates the challenging landscape that out LGBTQ sports broadcasters face. Yet, she wasn’t ready to publicly come out as gay, until a now-fired colleague outed her. She’s a famous sports broadcaster who covers cricket for Fox Sports Australia, serving as one of the game’s leading voices.