Hustling in Tennessee - Brisbane's Rugby Union stars head overseas - Australia Gay News Network

QP's Lloyd Copper spoke with members of the Brisbane Hustlers Rugby Union Football Club as they prepare to compete in the international Bingham Cup in the US... The boys from the Brisbane Hustlers are excited! Brisbane’s gay and inclusive rugby union club are taking their capable selves over to Nashville, Tennessee to compete in the international Bingham Cup, and with any luck, the guys’ ever-increasing skills will see them bring home the trophy, currently held by the Sydney Convicts.

Club president Martin Tebbutt played in his first Bingham Cup in Sydney in 2014 – the event is held every two years – and reflects on the necessity for teams like the Hustlers.

“When I was in school, there was certainly a message that rugby players can’t be soft,” says Tebbutt. “It was a conundrum because it was like I felt like this, but I want to be like that.” Thirteen years later, he discovered the Hustlers but it stemmed from more than a desire to fit in.

“I was extremely overweight and was dealing with coming out. I heard about the Hustlers and I thought I’d reach out. Now it’s like these are my people.”

Brisbane Hustlers (from left) Martin Tebbutt, Allen Park and Steve Grace. Photo: Dale Napier

The Hustlers play in the Queensland Suburban Rugby Union Division 1’s Pegg Cup against local teams, last month beating the Springfield Lakes Hawks 12–8 in the first match of the official season. (Update: they won their next match, too!)

But there are bigger goals on the horizon: the Hustlers are gearing up to play the Bingham Cup in Nashville, Tennessee, and despite the South’s reputation as being a little behind on certain social issues, homophobia isn’t a problem Tebbutt is expecting to encounter.

“I suppose we haven’t thought of it as a concern because the tournament itself brings so much to the community in terms of the economy. I’ll be very surprised if anything negative comes from it.”

Warm welcomes aside, Tebbutt doesn’t expect the game will be any easier in Nashville.

“We’ve played some tough games,” Tebbutt says. “When we played in Sydney the conditions were horrendous. We played in knee deep mud! But it can’t be postponed, so you just have to go on.

“So much with rugby can be a grind. You have to mentally stay strong through the game because two or three tries can lose it for you. So having the person next to you keeping you positive and focused can be the difference between winning and losing that match.”

Allen Park is relatively new to the team, but he's a prime example of why an LGBTI inclusive club exists. He came out at 17 to a less than enthusiastic response from his club at the time.

“My coach wasn’t very approving and I got put on the bench a lot after I came out so I stopped playing,” Park says. “Some of the players were cool, but I could feel that people weren’t comfortable. Everyone was a teenager, so I don’t blame them for it.”

Fast forward eight years and Park couldn’t be more excited about the upcoming trip to Nashville. “I’m ecstatic. I’ve seen the movie The Player, which the Bingham Cup is based on, and it will be great to see so many international teams.”

A trip to Nashville isn’t cheap, and team members have been doing extensive fundraising to make it happen. Their weekly raffle at The Wickham Hotel helps things along, and speaking of meat, the lads will be stripping at the same venue on Saturday, May 14 for their Rugger Bugger fundraising event.

While the majority of the club are gay, Steve Grace is one of the straight guys on the team and says he feels more than comfortable about being there.

“For me, being a straight player, I found it really welcoming and inclusive regardless of preference. And when you’re actually at the game, sexual orientation goes out the window and it’s just about rugby. It’s only after the game and you’re at The Wickham or The Beat that it really shows through that you’re in a gay and inclusive team.”

Occasionally, though, Grace does have to have words with people who aren’t as open minded. “It’s disappointing when you hear family or friends fall back on those stereotypes, where they refer to them as 'poofs' or as not being masculine enough. I enjoy having a conversation about it. I’ve been involved with a lot of rugby teams and I probably enjoy my rugby with these guys more than any of the other clubs I’ve played with.”

Regardless of whether the team wins or not, there is one attraction the guys won’t be missing in the U.S. of A.

“I’m super excited for Dollywood!” Allen Park says. “It’s the Dolly Parton theme park. It’s like: ‘What’s in Nashville?’ Dollywood!”

For more on the Brisbane Hustlers, you can check them out at www.brisbanehustlers.org

More on the Bingham Cup here .

Follow the Hustlers' progress in the local Pegg Cup here .

Author Lloyd Copper