When Private Lives Become Headlines
An AFL player comes out as bisexual, but should sexuality still be headline news? True equality comes when private lives remain private.
An AFL player recently announced he is bisexual, and within minutes the news was splashed across every media outlet. The headlines, the social commentary, the talkback radio chatter, all of it centred on who he chooses to sleep with. Which begs the question: why is this anyone else’s business?
Sexual preference is deeply personal. It has no bearing on someone’s talent, their character, or their contribution to the community. It doesn’t affect, fans, or the scoreboard on Saturday. Yet, we keep turning it into a spectacle, holding it up as if it’s some defining revelation about a person’s worth.
We’re told that celebrating such announcements is a step forward. Yes, visibility has mattered in breaking down prejudice. but there comes a point where the constant spotlight creates the very divide we claim to be erasing. As long as we keep singling people out by sexuality, by label, by declaration, they will never be able to simply be part of the community. They will remain set apart, defined not by who they are, but by what box they tick.
Isn’t the whole point of equality that we stop seeing people through a single lens? True inclusion means no longer having to announce it, defend it, or wear it like a badge. It means being just another teammate, neighbour, or mate at the pub, not “the bisexual footballer” or “the gay colleague.”
What most people want is simple: to live peacefully, to love who they love, to be treated like any other member of the community. When every private relationship is turned into a headline, it makes that normality harder, not easier, to achieve.
Australia prides itself on being a fair and welcoming society. Fairness isn’t about labels or declarations, it’s about respect. Respect for the fact that what happens in someone else’s bedroom has nothing to do with us. Respect for the idea that a person’s identity is richer than one headline word about sexuality.
It’s time we moved past the stage of “big reveals” and let people get on with their lives. True acceptance isn’t found in endless press conferences or front-page spreads, it’s found in the quiet, unremarkable truth that who you love is your business, and nobody else’s.
That’s the Australia worth striving for. One where every individual – regardless of orientation – is simply free to be part of the team, part of the community, and part of the everyday fabric of our lives.