Casey Conway

Casey Conway is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer of Aboriginal Australian descent.[1] After his retirement in 2005 due to a shoulder injury, he came out as gay. He speaks against the lack of acceptance of homosexuality in Aboriginal culture and is a youth worker performing outreach for homeless kids. He is also well known as a male model for the Australian swimwear brand aussieBum.

Casey Conway
Personal information
EthnicityAboriginal Australian
ResidenceSydney, New South Wales, Australia
OccupationRugby league player, youth worker, model

Early life and sporting career

Conway grew up in Bluff in Central Queensland as one of five boys.[1] He went to boarding school in Yeppoon at St. Brendan's College, which had a specialised rugby league programme and is where he was discovered by Arthur Beetson[2] for the National Rugby League team the Sydney Roosters.[1][2]

Conway joined the Sydney Roosters' Jersey Flegg Cup team in 2003.[1] At the time, he was still uncertain about his sexuality and was socialising covertly on Sydney's gay scene, where he has described facing "casual racism".[1] After discussion with club officials, Conway decided not to come out — publicly or to his team-mates — until after leaving the club in 2005.[1] His retirement at the age of 22 was the result of a shoulder injury.[2]

After retirement

After retiring from professional sport, and after a brief spell in fitness, Conway moved to work in youth work on Queensland's Gold Coast.[1][2]

In a 2015 interview with NITV when Conway did come out, he expressed disappointment that fellow Aboriginal rugby league player Anthony Mundine had claimed, two years previously, that homosexuality was not an acceptable part of Aboriginal culture.[1][3] He did describe a perception of change in professional sport, however:

There's not too many [professional athletes] who have come forward, but I definitely think there's been a change. There are lots of different sporting identities, clubs and codes that are saying, "we're for equality". I think that's really great. It's really positive.[1]

As well as youth work, Conway has become noted as a prominent Aboriginal male model.[1] Having been discovered by a talent scout in Paddington, New South Wales,[2] he has modelled for Australian swimwear brands aussieBum[1][4] and Sluggers.[1][2][5]

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References
  1. Drew Sheldrick (23 October 2015). "Casey Conway bares all: being a gay Aboriginal man in professional sport". National Indigenous Television. Retrieved 23 October 2015.
  2. "Casey Conway". Williamson Management. 5 September 2015. Archived from the original on 11 September 2015. Retrieved 26 October 2015.
  3. "Anthony Mundine says homosexuality and Indigenous culture don't mix after watching Redfern Now". ABC News and Current Affairs. 1 November 2013. Retrieved 23 October 2015.
  4. "Casey's proud to be Aussie Bum". The Daily Telegraph. news.com.au. 26 July 2007. Retrieved 26 October 2015.
  5. "Bring on Summer!". Sluggers. Facebook. 4 September 2015. Retrieved 26 October 2015.
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