The campaign required multiple creative ideas integrated together, early ideas supported later ideas

Host the “World Cup of Gay Rugby”

- Boost visibility

- Also, gay athletes have no power

- Powerful allies were needed to influence people in sport, few were willing to support “anti-homophobia campaign” (stigma)

- Australians LOVE international tournaments

- Tournament was used as ‘honeypot’ to engage/attract powerful supporters

First International Study

- Needed proof of widespread homophobia

- Created coalition: 7 universities, 3 multinationals, government, Gay Games

- Conducted Pro Bono

Mardi Gras

- Australia’s largest protest march

- Convinced organisers to make homophobia in sport the focus

Report Slurs

- With no gay athletes, we asked ‘straight’ professional ambassadors to report homophobic slurs during matches

- We prepared our response in advance to maximise effect: Influencers would help motivate media coverage, study results would prove not isolated incident, gay community would demand strong action

- Hosting world cup worked far better than expected

- First supporters: Australia’s Prime Minister and John Eales (most respected rugby player!)

- Both supported after reading Convict’s personal stories sent through official channels

- Attracted many others leveraging credibility from their support

- Eales arranged a meeting with new Rugby CEO

- Dramatically different outcome than first meeting: Rugby would adopt an ‘inclusion policy.’

- CEO publicly challenged 4 other professional sports to do same

- We used various tactics, including study results and government pressure, to convince the other sports to follow Rugby

Slurs

- stopped being ignored after a rugby ambassador reported player using ‘faggot’ in a match

- created weeks of public discussion. Media allies supported our call for strong response

- The player was fined $20,000, enforcement supported by public

Alarming Proof

- Soon after, we released study results, generating weeks of international media coverage

1

- 7 Australian sports committed to eliminate homophobia. Government measuring/reporting annually

- 5 countries working on similar

- First international study (9500 participants) proved widespread homophobia

- Media, players, officials stopped ignoring homophobia (front page, huge fines)

- Public supports enforcement (100,000 wore Rainbow Laces)

- World Rugby committed to international leadership on homophobia – athletes lobbying FIFA, ICC

2

- 500M+ reach

- Multiple stories in 12/15 world’s most popular news sites (Guardian: 10 athlete profiles)

- Australia’s most read paper: 100+ stories (22 profiles, Chief Sports Writer came out)

- Wide social sharing of infographic of statistics on homophobia from study

- Media stories supporting ending homophobia in countries gays outlawed: Kenya, Bangladesh, Pakistan

3

- Undeniable statistics now easy for international activists, media to find online

- 2 Australian companies require anti-homophobia policies before sport sponsorship

- 2 Professional Rugby Players Came Out

- Rainbow Laces Round: 100,000 participants