Gay rugby league referee lifts lid on how coming out affected officiating career

01 February 2023 , 16:15

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James Child became the first Super League referee to announce he was gay in 2021 (Image: Magi Haroun/REX/Shutterstock)

Retired rugby league referee James Child claims he 'felt more respect' from players he officiated after revealing his sexuality.

Child, 39, became the first Super League referee to announce publicly that he was gay in February 2021.

The Yorkshireman, a leading official who hung up the whistle after the Rugby League World Cup last autumn, said the reaction was 'overwhelming positive' after addressing his sexuality on the BBC's LGBT Sport podcast.

He is one of the highest-profile figures to openly discuss his sexuality to the wider rugby league community. NRL star Ian Roberts had been the first player to come out in 1995 and Batley Bulldogs captain Keegan Hirst followed in 2015.

Child admitted he was 'wrestling' with his decision to come out for a long period as he acknowledged it was his 'own private issue' that 'shouldn't need' to be addressed.

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And in another candid interview on the same podcast, Child has now explained how coming out impacted his final two years officiating at the top level.

"It was just tremendously positive and, in many ways, life just carried on as normal," he said about the reaction. "Maybe I imagined it, but I felt I got a bit more respect from players on the field. Perhaps I was just a little more comfortable in myself, although I don't think I changed!"

Child married his partner Steven in June last year, shortly after taking charge of the Challenge Cup final at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Child officiated the Challenge Cup final in 2022 (PA)

The couple's adopted young son Harris witnessed Child officiating the showpiece event in North London before his retirement.

And Child, who is now pursuing a full-time career as a chartered surveyor, was taken aback by the responses he received when he first opened up on his sexuality.

"I thought it would get some traction, but I didn't anticipate the impact it had," he said. "To receive messages from across the game was tremendous, and it shows the impact of people being open and talking about their sexuality.

"It certainly would have helped me as a young boy growing up to see somebody out in rugby league circles - a sport that I had enjoyed and admired, but probably felt that I never would be able to play a part in."

Ben Parsons