Irish Rugby Player Jack Dunne Comes Out as Bisexual: Kids Can Use a 'Role Model'

Irish rugby player Jack Dunne came out publicly as bisexual, the Irish newspaper The Independent reports.

Dunne is an�Irish�rugby union�player who is currently a member of the�Leinster�team.

The athlete spoke publicly about his sexuality last Saturday as part of a Leinster Rugby panel discussion, "Building Allies with Pride," as well as appearing on BBC's LGBT Sport Podcast, where he discussed how he first told team-mates in school.

The Dunne, 22, expressed that "maybe there are some kids across the country who could do with a role model."

"I've been out as bisexual for four or five years now - but not out in the media," he explained.

He explained how peer pressure kept him in the closet.

"I kind of realized when I was 15 or 16, but you are in a school full of of teenage boys. A lot of them would say things that they wouldn't even be thinking about, but they are just doing it out of ignorance," he said. "So when you hear that you kind of just want to keep it to yourself."

He added how he feels that, "[b]eing bisexual is almost a blessing and a curse. You can hide it way easier. You can go out with the lads and do all that stuff, but it is easier to not be true to yourself."

As time passed, Dunne found himself more comfortable with his sexuality and began to open up during his schooling.

"Eventually, in sixth year I told one or two people and they took it really well so I decided to tell everyone and if someone has a problem with it, that's on them," he said. "It went pretty well, there were one or two people who said 'you are not bisexual, you are gay and you won't come out', but largely it was overwhelmingly positive so it was a massive weight off the shoulders when I did that."

But he admits he doesn't want to be pigeonholed as "the bisexual rugby player," though feels it is important to be a role model.

"It's definitely on my mind that people could be like, he is the bisexual rugby player, instead of - he is a bisexual who plays rugby. But at the same time, maybe there are some kids across the country who could do with a role model," Dunne said.