If you don’t follow rugby you might have missed some of the heat stirred up over the past few weeks. One of Australia’s best players, Israel Folau, had his contract terminated by Rugby Australia in April just a few months from the World Cup. Having requested a hearing, a three-person panel today found him guilty of a “high level breach” of their code of conduct and will now decide on his punishment.
It all began with an Instagram post from Folau which stated:
WARNING. Drunks, Homosexuals, Adulterers, Liars, Fornicators, Thieves, Atheists, Idolaters. HELL AWAITS YOU. REPENT! ONLY JESUS SAVES
It wasn’t the first time Folau had found himself in trouble over his social media. In 2018, he answered a commenter on his Instagram telling them God’s plan for gay people was “HELL…Unless they repent of their sins and turn to God”. For these comments, Rugby Australia decided not to sanction the player and in fact, offered him a $4million dollar contract extension after the event took place. They claim conversations were had regarding his online profile and the need to be respectful of people. Specifically, they claim it was made clear both verbally and in writing that “any social media posts or commentary that in any way were disrespectful to people because of their sexuality would result in disciplinary action”.
Pete Nicholas, a Trustee of Christians In Sport, wrote in relation to the story here In his article, he suggests that this incident proves how intolerant people are of Christian beliefs and that a “New Colonialism” now holds sway in society. He chooses to primarily focus on Billy Vunipola. an English rugby international who supported Folau on Instagram. Vunipola himself was formally warned by his club and the RFU. Interestingly while the article quotes Vunipola’s comment in full (because the writer finds it interesting that so few outlets have done it) it doesn’t actually repeat what Folau’s post said, only referring to it as “provocative”.
It’s an interesting take on the story. Two openly Christian athletes being “punished for their beliefs”. It’s a take many Christians will want to rally behind, it’s a seemingly attractive narrative. Maybe that’s why so many Christians get giddy about airline workers being asked to take their cross necklaces off, or bakers and their unwillingness to bake. Sadly, this case, like many others, has nothing to do with belief.
Israel Folau is entitled to believe anything he wants to. He can believe the earth is flat, he can believe that aliens are out there, he can believe that the moon landings were faked. He is free to believe in God the Father, Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit, the crucifixion, the resurrection, the virgin birth and the second coming.
He is even free to believe that drunks, homosexuals, adulterers, liars, fornicators, thieves, atheists and idolaters are destined for Hell.
What he isn’t free to believe, is that the $4million dollars from Rugby Australia comes with zero accountability for how he uses the public profile that gives him, or the responsibility that comes with it.
Rugby Australia is a Foundation Member of Pride in Sport, a program which helps sporting organisations and clubs with the inclusion of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Intersex (LGBTI) employees, players, volunteers and spectators. According to their website this means “improving all aspects of LGBTI inclusion, achieving best practice as bench-marked by the Pride in Sport Index and creating better health outcomes for LGBTI workers, players, coaches, referees, volunteers and fans through creating inclusive spaces which remove homophobia, stigma and discrimination.”
This isn’t something that happened the day after Folau signed the contract. He wasn’t duped into it. In fact, in 2014, Folau appeared on the cover of an Australian gay magazine supporting The Bingham Cup, the biennial world championships of gay and inclusive rugby. It appears he got the inclusive memo.
No one is asking him to do that now, in fact, he faced no sanctions for sharing on Twitter that he would vote against the 2017 Australian Marriage Law Postal Survey about a law change to allow same-sex couples to marry. Israel Folau is free to believe that marriage should be between a man and a woman (just like 61.6% of those who voted were free to believe it was time to change the law).
Israel Folau is free not to wear rainbow laces like other players did in solidarity with former Welsh international Gareth Thomas after he was the victim of a homophobic attack last November (over 13,000 hate crimes were reported against members of the LGBT community in the UK in 2017/18).
Israel Folau is simply expected to work in tandem with Rugby Australia whose aim is to improve “all aspects of LGBTI inclusion” and remove “homophobia, stigma and discrimination.” And there is good reason for this, according to the Australian National LGBTI Health Alliance:
LGBTI young people aged 16 to 27 are five times more likely to attempt suicide than the general population.
Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual people aged 16 and over are over six times more likely to have thoughts of suicide.
LGBT young people are nearly twice as likely to engage in self-injury.
And crucially, all of these stats go up if the young person has experienced abuse or harassment.
So yes, Israel Folau is free to believe whatever he wants. But when he takes to social media and suggests that by their very existence, homosexuals are destined for hell, he has to face the consequences. Because, all over the world, people are facing the consequences of words like his.
Matt White 