Posts made by leatherbear

posted by Georgia Toomey - Tue Nov 2 2010, 4:28 PM PDT

In this day and age, where pretty much every interview is publicist-approved, where celebrities guard their words so they can't be misconstrued, and rarely say what's really on their minds for fear of alienating their fans, Cher is a breath of fresh air. In a hilariously candid interview with Vanity Fair, the iconic, award-winning singer and actress has absolutely no fear when it comes to divulging her opinions on everything from her marriage to Sonny Bono, her daughter-turned-son Chaz's sex change, and her thoughts on aging gracefully … or not.

In the feature, Cher reveals that she's still coming to terms with her daughter Chastity's new persona after she underwent gender reassignment surgery to become a man last year. "If I woke up tomorrow in a guy's body, I would just kick and scream and cry and f------ rob a bank, because I cannot see myself as anything but who I am -- a girl. I would not take it as well as Chaz has. I couldn't imagine it." While Cher is a proud mom, she admits to Vanity Fair that she still gets confused: "She's a very smart girl -- boy! This is where I get into trouble. My pronouns are f-----. I still don't remember to call her 'him.'"

She also confesses that even though they had a tumultuous relationship, she never would have left her former husband, the late Sonny Bono, if he had treated her less like a valuable commodity, and more like a wife. "I forgive him, I think," says the Oscar winner, adding, "He hurt me in so many ways, but there was something. He was so much more than a husband -- a terrible husband, but a great mentor, a great teacher... If he had agreed to just disband Cher Enterprises and start all over again, I would have never ever left. Just split it down the middle, 50-50."

Norman Jean Roy/Vanity Fair Well known for her occasional trips to the plastic surgeon's office, the 64-year-old star still looks remarkably well preserved for her age, but thinks that her "Silkwood" co-star has her beat when it comes to aging gracefully. "I think Meryl [Streep] is doing it great," praises Cher, adding with a laugh, "The stupid b–-- is doing it better than all of us! But I don't like it. It's getting in my way. I have a job to do, and it's making my job harder. I've been screaming at the top of my lungs at my family, 'Work out! Work out! Old age is coming!' At some point you will need the strength. Who would have ever thought you would get this old?"

When it comes to her family, the "Believe" singer is honest about her shortcomings as a parent to both Chaz, 41, and Elijah Blue, 34, saying that her kids still harbor some anger toward her for choosing her career over them when they were young. "I think Chaz is pretty much finished with it, and I think Elijah has a little longer to go, but they both really love me a lot. But it's hard," says Cher reflectively, adding, "One time, when Chaz was little, we were on a field trip, and she said, 'I'm so pissed off, Mom. You can never not be Cher -- we can never just do something.' So your kids pay," she concludes. "I did the best I could do, and yet it was definitely lacking."

~ By Mary Meehan

A nationwide outreach to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender youth after a number of well-publicized suicides tied to bullying has prompted several Central Kentucky advocacy groups to hold a vigil.

"We need to raise awareness so those kinds of drastic things don't happen," said Sandy Linville, president of the Lexington chapter of Parents, Family and Friends of Lesbians and Gays.

The vigil, planned for 7 p.m. Friday at Phoenix Park in downtown Lexington, will include several speakers from the gay community. But, Linville said, she hopes it is also an opportunity for other people to show support and learn how serious bullying can be.

The suicides that made headlines are "not a fluke," Linville said. Studies have shown that gay teens are at a much higher risk of suicide than their straight peers.

The Gay and Lesbian Services Organization and Lexington's Gay-Straight Alliance are helping organize the vigil. Afterward, a champagne toast at Soundbar will serve as a fund-raiser for the Trevor Project, a national suicide hotline for teens.

Scott Rollins, a Frankfort minister and PFLAG member, said he is involved in the group because he saw how a friend was treated after she came out as an adult.

Rollins, pastor at Highland Christian Church, said he wants to help send the message to the gay community that "there are people who love you in the church and I'm sorry you don't see it more often."

He also said he hopes to help Christians see that even if they consider homosexuality a sin, they should love the sinner.

"Jesus didn't teach us to tolerate people, he told us to love people and we are not anywhere near that in our culture," when it comes to dealing with issues of sexual orientation, he said.

Taylor Cunningham, a freshman at the University of Kentucky, said that although many more young people are coming out, it can still be hard on parents. Cunningham, whose mother is gay and who is doing a research project on PFLAG for school, hopes the vigil will shed light on what he calls "the modern-day civil rights movement."

Linville, the PFLAG president, said that as a parent she went through a range of emotions when her daughter, Audrey, came out two years ago. She said she wondered how her friends would accept the news, whether her family would think that she had somehow "caused" her daughter to be gay, and worried about how her child would fare at school.

But, she said, the support of others in PFLAG proved invaluable. It's important for friends and family of take a stand against bullying, she said. "If we don't make an issue of it, nobody is going to," she said.

In addition to the vigil, Lexington residents are offering support as part of the It Gets Better Project, an online effort started by Seattle columnist Dan Savage. Scores of videos have been posted on YouTube encouraging gay and lesbian teens to hold on through tough times. Amanda Fallin, a nursing graduate student at UK, has created a Facebook page to collect local videos and has posted a handful (search for "it gets better Lexington" on Facebook).

"When the 'It Gets Better Project' started nationally," Fallin said, "I thought it was something that I could do to help out."
Reach Mary Meehan at (859) 231-3261 or 1-800-950-6397, Ext. 3261.

IF YOU GO

It Gets Better Lexington vigil

When: 7 p.m. Nov. 5

Where: Phoenix Park, Limestone and Main St.

Learn more: (859) 259-1072. GLSO.org.

After-party: It Gets Better Lexington: A Toast in Support of Bullied LGBT Youth. 9-10:30 p.m. Nov. 5. Soundbar, 208 S. Limestone. 100 percent of proceeds from champagne toast will go to the Trevor Project, organizers say. Learn more on the It Gets Better Lexington page on Facebook by searching for "it gets better Lexington."

I met Rob in Lexington,Ky. and they have one of the strongest Hate Crimes Laws in the nation. It is truly a Gay Friendly city.

For me and the BF our preference is for sci/fi and fantasy books. Ones that have gay characters whether main character or not. Books that portray Gay as normal or just another lifestyle that is accepted and not even thought about as being different.

Like the Pern Novels you so graciously uploaded for us :jaj:

The system at GT.ru will only allow 15 connections regardless of how many torrents are available to seed in any users list.

Perhaps a polite PM asking him to suspend some of the other uploads would work in your favor. He can only seed at his max whether 1 torrent or 15 are seeding.

By Nicole Perlroth and Michael Noer, Forbes.com

There are 6.8 billion people on the planet. These are the 68 who matter.

We are fascinated by power. We stand in awe of those who apply it adroitly – and in fear of those who abuse it. We lust for power. Everyone would rather be a hammer than a nail.

The people on this list were chosen because, in various ways, they bend the world to their will. They are heads of state, major religious figures, entrepreneurs and outlaws. Comparing the relative power of such a diverse group is slippery business. To do it, we defined power in four dimensions. First, we asked if a person has influence over a lot of people? For heads-of-state we looked at population, for religious figures we measured the size of their flocks, for CEOs we counted their employees and for media figures we considered the size of their audience.

Second, we checked to see if they have significant financial resources relative to their peers. This meant comparing GDP for political leaders, net worth for billionaires and their ranking on the Forbes Global 2000 for CEOs. The Global 2000 lists the largest companies in the world based on a composite of market capitalization, assets, sales and profits.

[Scroll down to see the list of the 10 Most Powerful People in the World.]

Then we determined if they were powerful in multiple spheres, awarding bonus points for those who can project their power many ways. Silvio Berlusconi (No. 14), for instance, got a big boost for not only being the prime minister of Italy, but because he is also a billionaire media mogul who owns soccer team, AC Milan.

Finally we insisted that they actively wield their power. This eliminated some the richest people in the world, including Ingvar Kamprad, the billionaire founder of Ikea and the descendants of Wal-Mart founder Sam Walton.

We culled an initial suspect list of over 100 names to 75 and then asked seven Forbes editors to rank them in all four categories. Those ranks were averaged to produce the final list. Obviously our rankings are not intended to be definitive; they are meant to spark a conversation, even an argument or two.

They certainly produced some surprises. The editors picked Hu Jintao, the president of the People's Republic of China as the world's most powerful man, ahead of U.S. President Barack Obama (No. 2). Julian Assange (No. 68), the editor-in-chief of WikiLeaks, snuck onto the list in last place, while many traditional media types, including Mark Thompson, the Director-General of the BBC, fell off all together. In a clear sign of the times, Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg (No. 40) ranked a full ten spots higher than Bill Keller (No. 50), the Executive Editor of the New York Times.

Power can be used for good or ill and three criminals made the list this year: al-Qaeda founder Osama bin Laden (No. 57), Joaquín Guzmán (No. 60), the billionaire drug trafficker who heads Mexico's Sinaloa Cartel and Dawood Ibrahim Kaskar (No. 63), who runs a vast criminal enterprise in India and who is thought to have a hand in the 2008 terror attacks on Mumbai which killed 174. These rankings are not meant to justify or glorify these odious men. They simply reflect reality.

Top Ten Most Powerful People In The World:

1. Jintao Hu
Age: 67
Title: President
Residence: Beijing
Country of citizenship: China

2. Barack Obama
Age: 49
Title: President
Residence: Washington, DC
Country of citizenship: United States

3. Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz al Saud
Age: 86
Title: King
Residence: Riyadh
Country of citizenship: Saudi Arabia

4. Vladimir Putin
Age: 57
Title: Prime Minister
Residence: Moscow
Country of citizenship: Russia

5. Pope Benedict XVI
Age: 83
Title: Pope
Residence: Vatican City
Country of citizenship: Germany

6. Angela Merkel
Age: 56
Title: Chancellor
Residence: Berlin
Country of citizenship: Germany

7. David Cameron
Age: 43
Title: Prime Minister
Residence: London
Country of citizenship: Great Britain

8. Ben Bernanke
Age: 56
Title: Chairman
Residence: Washington, DC
Country of citizenship: United States

9. Sonia Gandhi
Age: 63
Title: President
Residence: New Delhi
Country of citizenship: India

10. Bill Gates
Age: 54
Title: Co-Chair, Microsoft
Residence: Medina, WA
Country of citizenship: United States

Want to see more?  hXXp://www.forbes.com/wealth/powerful-people/gallery/jintao-hu?partner=aolmoney

Lisa Flam Contributor
AOL News

(Nov. 3) – George W. Bush says one of the "most disgusting moments" of his presidency came when Kanye West said Bush didn't care about black people in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.

"He called me a racist," the former president told NBC News for the "Matt Lauer Reports" program that will air Monday night, according to excerpts released by the network.

"And I didn't appreciate it then. I don't appreciate it now," Bush, 64, told Lauer. "It's one thing to say, 'I don't appreciate the way he's handled his business.' It's another thing to say, 'This man's a racist.' I resent it. It's not true. And it was one of the most disgusting moments in my presidency."

Bush was responding to West's comment during a live telethon in the wake of the devastating storm that struck Louisiana and Mississippi in 2005. "George Bush doesn't care about black people," said the 33-year-old black hip-hop artist.

Lauer read from Bush's soon-to-be-released book, "Decision Points": "I faced a lot of criticism as president. I didn't like hearing people claim that I lied about Iraq's weapons of mass destruction or cut taxes to benefit the rich. But the suggestion that I was racist because of the response to Katrina represented an all-time low."

"Yeah. I still feel that way as you read those words," Bush said. "I felt 'em when I heard 'em, felt 'em when I wrote 'em, and I felt 'em when I'm listening to 'em.

Lauer notes that Bush told his wife, Laura, at the time that it was the worst moment of his presidency.

"Yes," Bush said. "My record was strong, I felt, when it came to race relations and giving people a chance. And it was a disgusting moment."

President George W. Bush tours a devastated neighborhood in Biloxi, Miss., with Kim Bassier, left, and her sister Bronwynne Bassier on Sept. 2, 2005.

Lauer says to Bush: "You're not saying that the worst moment in your presidency was watching the misery in Louisiana. You're saying it was when someone insulted you because of that."

"No, and I also make it clear that the misery in Louisiana affected me deeply as well," Bush responds. "There's a lot of tough moments in the book. And it was a disgusting moment, pure and simple."

In another passage from the book, according to The New York Times, Bush wrote that he considered dropping Dick Cheney from his 2004 re-election bid to dispel the vice president's image as the "Darth Vader" of the White House and to "demonstrate that I was in charge."

The book is due out next week, but the Times obtained a copy on Tuesday.

Kye Allums

By Matt Norlander

Kye Allums is showing more guts, more bravery, than any player on any college basketball court this season.

The George Washington junior —who used to be known as Kay-Kay — is referred to on the school’s website as a "male member of George Washington's women’s basketball team."

Allums wants to be identified as a male, though he will not begin any medical or drug protocols until he graduates in order to preserve his eligibility on George Washington's women's basketball team. OutSports.com reported Allums will be the first publicly transgender person to play Division I college basketball.

Allums let his story be known to the masses when he spoke with the gay-and-lesbian-oriented website. The piece went up Tuesday and received a lot of (very positive) reaction. This is already one of the best, most intriguing stories in college basketball we'll see all year. As fascinating as it is inspiring.

"I've always felt most comfortable dressing like a boy, but my mom would take all of my clothes from me and she'd force me to wear girl clothes," Allums said. "I'd bring sweats and basketball shorts and put them in my backpack. I'd just change every day when I got to school, and I had to change back before I went home. It was annoying, but it was the only way I could go to school."

At a time when many college athletes feel uncomfortable publicly revealing that they are gay or lesbian for fear or backlash or repercussions, Allums should be lauded, cheered, propped up and respected for being brave enough to announce his differences without shame. Credit also should go to George Washington's administration, coaching staff and players for standing behind Allums in the wake of his decision.

This is no doubt an awkward situation, but it seems to be getting handled terrifically by everyone surrounding it.

"GW has been supportive during this transition," Allums said in a statement released Tuesday by the university. "I told my teammates first, and they, including my coaches, have supported me. My teammates have embraced me as the big brother of the team. They have been my family, and I love them all."

Given GW's low-profile, Allums, hopefully, will avoid any backlash and bigotry from opposing teams' fans. Not that any demeaning signs or shouts would be tolerated in any arena, but the fact he plays on a team like this probably makes it a tad less stressful on the coaches and players as a whole. Imagine a Tennessee player doing this? The circumstances would likely be even tougher, given Pat Summitt and the Volunteers' place in women's college basketball.

But just because Allums attends a relatively small D-I school doesn't mean this shouldn't be taken and spread widely around. His story is a groundbreaking one, and hopefully can be the next big step in sexual acceptance across the board in sports.

Jeff Eisenberg contributed to this post.

Me too!!!! Nice pics!!! :thankyou:

Google rarely contacts Gmail users via email, but we are making an exception to let you know that we've reached a settlement in a lawsuit regarding Google Buzz (hppp://buzz.google.com), a service we launched within Gmail in February of this year.

Shortly after its launch, we heard from a number of people who were concerned about privacy. In addition, we were sued by a group of Buzz users and recently reached a settlement in this case.

The settlement acknowledges that we quickly changed the service to address users' concerns. In addition, Google has committed $8.5 million to an independent fund, most of which will support organizations promoting privacy education and policy on the web. We will also do more to educate people about privacy controls specific to Buzz. The more people know about privacy online, the better their online experience will be.

Just to be clear, this is not a settlement in which people who use Gmail can file to receive compensation. Everyone in the U.S. who uses Gmail is included in the settlement, unless you personally decide to opt out before December 6, 2010. The Court will consider final approval of the agreement on January 31, 2011. This email is a summary of the settlement, and more detailed information and instructions approved by the court, including instructions about how to opt out, object, or comment, are available at hppp://www.BuzzClassAction.com.

–------------------------------------------------------------------
This mandatory announcement was sent to all Gmail users in the United States as part of a legal settlement and was authorized by the United States District Court for the Northern District of California.

Google Inc. | 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway | Mountain View, CA 94043

F00F: No live links. (Credits to Mazda)

 I assume this is food but for all I know we could talking about some Korean Kinky Sex Acts. :rotfl:


  leatherbear

This picture is just begging for a witty comment/tag line. I dare you to post them as a reply…....

For now yes  :ok1:

Maybe he will out himself  :pleasant:

I made this post for a single reason to be honest  >:D and these as well http://forum.gaytorrent.ru/index.php?topic=12999.0  http://forum.gaytorrent.ru/index.php?topic=12996.0

We have a member  :whistle: who is an avid Rugby Fan. I am blatantly trying to coerce him (gently of course) to start a new Special Interest Group here at GT.ru. :whistle:

Sean Lamont

If you're familiar with rugby, chances are you've seen the Evans brothers, Max and Thom, in action. Thom Evans played for Scotland, and his brother Max still plays for the Glasgow Warriors and the Scottish national team. The brothers are only 18 months apart, and Max got his chance when substituting for Thom in 2008. It should go without saying that both are very athletic, totally hot, and these pics from Rugger Bugger show off their sixpack abs, muscled bodies, firm legs and great asses. We even get a peek at Max and Thom's uncut cocks! I know you're going to appreciate that, whether you're a rugby fan or not

cumeaternc edit: corrected the spelling of brothers. I hope you don't mind.

Castleford furious at fine for fans' homophobic abuse of Gareth Thomas

• Tigers fined £40,000 for failing to control supporters
• Club 'refutes' reasoning behind tribunal verdict

Castleford has been fined £40,000 after some of their fans directed homophobic taunts at Gareth Thomas

Castleford have reacted furiously after being fined £40,000 for allowing their supporters to direct homophobic abuse at Gareth Thomas in his second Super League appearance for the Crusaders in March.

A Rugby Football League tribunal chaired by his Honour Rodney Grant found the Tigers guilty of breaching the governing body's Respect policy, of misconduct by their supporters and of conduct prejudicial to the interests of the sport.

Thomas responded to the ruling through his agent, Emanuele Paladino, who said: "Gareth Thomas is all about positive messages and positive changes, and to that end today was a huge step forward for Gareth and the world of sport.

"It is not about the fine, but rather recognition that this behaviour from a small section of the Castleford fans is not acceptable in 2010. Unfortunately what happened at Castleford could not be ignored. We are delighted that the RFL have taken action against what is a serious and upsetting incident for all parties."

Castleford, however, who were fined £20,000 last year for their supporters' misbehaviour during a home defeat by the Catalans Dragons, revealed they are taking legal advice and considering an appeal.

"To say we are disappointed and shocked is an understatement," said their chief executive, Richard Wright. "The evidence does not support the decision and does not in any way support the scale of the penalty. We totally refute the outcome of the hearing."

They have engaged Rod Findlay, formerly the RFL's own legal adviser, who said: "There was some chanting on the day, we agreed this with the tribunal panel, there were three incidents lasting only a few moments, two of which were drowned out by public address announcements.

"The club condemns any person who makes or chants obscene remarks towards players or officials. But the charges against the club are not that there was chanting, they are that the club failed to take its best endeavours to prevent or stop any chanting. This the club refutes totally. The club has a well-established system for dealing with chanting and could not have done any more on the day.

"This season the club has been one of the most proactive in Super League when it comes to promoting a family friendly environment at the stadium, working hard all season to create an atmosphere within the stadium that is inclusive for all sections of the community."

Half of the £40,000 fine has been suspended, but the Tigers will still have to pay £40,000 immediately because a suspended fine of £20,000 following last year's incident – in which their supporters threw beer bottles on to the pitch and abused the match officials – will now be activated.

That will make a serious impact given the difficult financial times that the Tigers, like the majority of the Super League clubs, are currently experiencing. That in turn offers further evidence of the RFL's commitment to challenging homophobia and embracing diversity, after they were singled out for praise by the Stonewall charity earlier this year.

Thomas has encountered no problems in any of his eight other Super League appearances since joining the Crusaders from Cardiff in March. He has been out for two weeks with a groin problem, which is expected to rule him out again for Sunday's home game against Warrington in Wrexham. His former Wales team-mate Andy Powell, who has been considering a six-figure offer to join him in league next season, is reportedly leaning towards a move to the French union club Agen instead.

Gay rugby player hosts coming-out party

It’s just a few months since Welsh rugger Gareth Thomas announced he was gay, shortly on the heels of Irish hurler Donal Og Cusack. The decision was a tough one. Thomas’ marriage had already broken down. In the macho world of rugby, homosexuality is taboo, and he was the first-ever rugby player in Britain to publicly come out.

But on Thursday, Thomas, who captained the British and Irish Lions tour to New Zealand in 2005 held a glamorous party at a London club, Movida – a venue whose walls are decorated bright pink.

"Everybody here tonight is celebrating that the world is changing," Thomas said, according to the Independent. "We are here to send the message that it's OK to be a sportsman and it is also OK to be gay."

In a show of solidarity, Thomas’ rugby teammates and supporters joined him at the party. Stars like Will Young and Graham Norton were also present.

British gay activist Peter Tatchell praised Thomas and said he hoped other sportsmen would follow his example. "If more top-class professional sportspeople came out as Gareth has done they would win huge amounts of public respect for their honesty and courage," he said.

Tatchell continued, "It would boost their public standing and provide a very powerful and positive role model for young lesbian, gay and bisexual people who are coming to terms with their sexuality for the first time."

Coming out has certainly not done Thomas any harm. He’s had an overwhelmingly positive reaction, and the public response has encouraged him to start campaigning for gay rights.

Gareth Thomas

Rugby legend Gareth Thomas came out in December

The shock decision by rugby union player Gareth Thomas to announce that he is gay has triggered speculation that other sports stars might come out. Thomas is Wales's most-capped player and a former British and Irish Lions captain. The fact that he has confirmed his sexuality while still playing the game has been praised by gay rights campaigners.

Yesterday the 6ft 3in, 16-stone rugby star said he hoped he could make a difference to others struggling with their sexuality. "I just want to thank everyone for the amazing response I have received, on behalf of me, my family and friends," Thomas said. "I hope that by saying this I can make a big difference to others in my situation."

But he said he did not want to be known as a "gay rugby player" and hoped people would treat his sexuality as "irrelevant" to his career. "What I choose to do when I close the door at home has nothing to do with what I have achieved in rugby," he said. "I'd love for it, in 10 years' time, not to even be an issue in sport, and for people to say: 'So what?'"

Thomas, who came on as a substitute for his team Cardiff Blues as they lost 23-7 to Toulouse in the Heineken Cup quarter-final yesterday, said the secret of his sexuality was like a "ticking bomb" which he had tried to suppress. "I just couldn't ignore it any more," he told the Daily Mail.

"It is very positive Gareth has come out while he is still an active player," said gay rights campaigner Peter Tatchell. "Many of the sports people who have declared their homosexuality have tended to do so after their careers are over.

"Rugby is a very macho sport and has traditionally had a very robust he-man, heterosexual image so it is really great that he has had the guts to be honest with himself and his fans. Hopefully this will ease the way for other gay and bisexual players to also come out."

There was overwhelming support for Thomas on internet fan sites and in online chatrooms. Many said they were not surprised. In the Welsh rugby community, Thomas's sexuality has been the subject of gossip for more than a decade.

Delme Parfitt, who co-wrote Thomas's autobiography, predicted the player would endure catcalls at matches. "Thomas is almost certainly going to have to turn a deaf ear to the odd wolf-whistle, or worse, homophobic insult," Parfitt wrote in the Western Mail. "But the truth is, those barbs were already coming his way long before he decided to go public."

Yesterday Thomas received the full backing of both the Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) and Cardiff.

"He is most probably one of the most popular players among his peers," said Roger Lewis, WRU group chief executive. "While Gareth's private life is entirely irrelevant to his career as an international sportsman it would be remiss of the WRU not to remind him of the high esteem in which he is held in the game in Wales at a time when he has decided to bring such personal reflections to public notice."

Robert Norster, Cardiff Blues chief executive, said: "Gareth Thomas is a credit to Cardiff Blues who has truly brought honour to the jersey as a formidable player and a strong leader. His private life is his own concern and we will continue to acknowledge him for the qualities he brings to the squad as a player and an individual who exemplifies the values of commitment, determination and fair play we expect from our team."

Thomas said he decided to go public about his sexuality to "send a positive message" to other gay people, especially young people considering a career in sport. "It has been really tough for me, hiding who I really am, and I don't want it to be like that for the next young person who wants to play rugby, or some frightened young kid," he said.

A supporter of the children's charity NSPCC, Thomas added: "I don't know if my life is going to be easier because I'm out, but if it helps someone else, if it makes one young lad pick up the phone to Childline, then it will have been worth it."

He said he knew from the age of 16 or 17 that he was gay but could not accept it and feared his sexuality would affect his playing career. He made up stories about girls to fit in with his male friends and felt he was sometimes overly aggressive as he played the straight man.

Thomas, who said he was never attracted to a team-mate, said rugby was his "saviour" as playing allowed him to escape from his personal confusion.

But he realised in summer 2006 that he could no longer live a lie. He told his wife, Jemma, that he was gay and felt as if his life was "falling apart" as his four-year marriage broke down. He recalled how he broke down in tears in the changing rooms of the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff, after playing for Wales in November 2006 and confided his secret to coach Scott Johnson. Thomas said: "After keeping it secret for so long, I felt a huge rush of relief. Scott said: 'Right, I've got to speak now to three or four players in the Welsh team because you need the boys to surround you and support you. You can't cope with this on your own,' and he was right.

"He told two of my team-mates, Stephen Jones and Martyn Williams, and as I sat in the bar waiting for them, I was absolutely terrified, wondering what they were going to say. But they came in, patted me on the back and said: 'We don't care. Why didn't you tell us before?'"

He admitted cheating on Jemma with male partners and said he considered suicide as he felt so "horrible and guilty". He said he still loved his estranged wife, who he describes as "the nicest person in the world".

Thomas's decision to come out as a gay man is unusual but not unprecedented. Earlier this year Irish hurling star Dónal Óg Cusack, 32, announced he was gay. Welsh rugby Referee Nigel Owens came out in 2007. The same year, after his retirement from the US NBA basketball league, John Amaechi confirmed that he was gay in his memoir, Man In The Middle.

However, homosexuality is still considered taboo in many sports. Tatchell drew a comparison between rugby and football. "It is interesting that a couple of rugby and ex-rugby players have come out in recent years but still not a single professional football player," Tatchell said. "However, given there are 500 professional football players, statistically about 50 of them are probably gay or bisexual yet none have felt able to be open about their sexuality. Quite a few fear negative reactions from team-mates and fans and others are anxious they might lose sponsorship. Others feel their clubs would not be supportive."