BEING gay doesn't make you less masculine.
They are the words of brilliant young sports broadcaster Corbin Middlemas, who on this week's In The Game with Damian Barrett, reveals an overwhelmingly and industry-wide positive reaction to his decision last year to publicly reveal he was gay.
"I felt an obligation to do it, it's something I've grown up with all my life … and once I got a job in the public eye, I thought this is going to be a platform for me to be able to tell my story, and I guess to show other people out there similar to me that there are other people like that," Middlemas said.
"In most other elements of my life, I am a very straight-acting kind of guy. A lot of my mates would describe me as very blokey, yet this is the one thing that doesn't really fit the stereotype.
"I probably felt, how many other guys are out there like me? That feel the exact same way. That don't fit into a stereotype. You look, and when you have a perception of gay people, and I was the same, when I was a kid, I thought, well, I'm gay, but I don’t want to be on a float at mardi gras, or whatever else goes on with the stereotype of being a gay man.
"… as a bit of an obligation, I thought I should come forward and tell my story, because if I was that 12 or 13 year-old kid, which I was, and going to footy training, and not seeing myself reflected in the industry, it would have done a lot for my self-esteem at that age to know this is a game that is very welcoming, and that it's not a big deal."
Find In the Game on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts or Spotify
In his In The Game interview, Middlemas also reveals that in an ever-changing media industry, the base requirements, for him, will never deviate when broadcasting a live game.
"The basic principles that I would look at are who's got the ball, where is at, what team do they play for, what’s the score, what time is it … just try to nail the basics," Middlemas said.
"… (ABC broadcaster) Quentin Hull always talks about it as being the tree. You've got the trunk, you've got to get the basics right, and all the leaves and the branches are the colour that comes around it."
Middlemas has strong views on the actions of cricketer James Faulkner and Cricket Australia over the content of a recent social media post.
He also queries the Sydney Swans' commercial arrangements with Qatar Airways, a state-owned airline of Qatar, where homosexuality is viewed as illegal.
Episode guide
1:29 – Broadcasting both AFL and NRL codes
2:47 – 'In the most part, I'm your typical sports junkie … except I'm gay'
4:48 – Accepting the obligation of coming out
7:44 – The 'don't care' factor in a positive way
9:20 – Fascination of an openly gay footballer
10:49 – The first example of a gay player going public should be done as a group
14:41 – Do you consider yourself to be brave? I almost felt like a 'coward'
16:39 – A 'beautiful' reaction to telling the truth
19:16 – 'Overwhelming' day when he went public
20:50 – Commentating the Pride game
24:41 – Hypocrisy of Qatar sponsorship on an event supporting homosexuality
30:06 – James Faulkner and the 'hot' issue
34:56 – Has there been any backlash to your outing article?
36:10 – Working with the likes of Drew Morphett and Gerard Whateley at the ABC
38:40 – The basic principles of calling a football game
40:47 – Tree analogy to explain the important aspects of commentary
41:23 – Offering help to those wanting to reach out
42:16 – 'Astronomical' suicide statistics for young gay people
43:40 – 'Really mate, do you need to say that?'
