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"Not alone": Brown becomes AFL's first openly bisexual player
SENZ • August 27th, 2025 2:44 pm
Former West Coast star Mitch Brown has bravely come out as the first openly bisexual man in the history of the AFL.
The 36-year-old, who played 94 games for the Eagles between 2007 and 2016, described the AFL’s culture as “hyper masculine” which in turn made questioning his own sexuality difficult.
“I played in the AFL for 10 years and I’m a bisexual man,” Brown told the Daily Aus podcast.
“I’m not speaking on behalf of the queer community but from my own experiences.
“On the field you’re trying to beat your opponent and the best way to do that is show your strength. One way you do that is to belittle your opponent – bring them down.
“Physically and you can do it verbally as well. You hear that on the field every week every game.
"I remember two people having a conversation around how they would feel having a shower next to a gay man, and one of the players said, 'I'd rather be in a cage full of lions than have a shower next to a gay man.
"There's been so many times in my life that I've seen things or heard things and not said anything, in fear of people thinking that I was gay or bisexual."
Brown believes there are gay and bisexual players currently playing in the league and he had a clear message for them; "I see you and you are not alone."
Weeks after Izak Rankine was suspended for four weeks for using a homophobic slur, Brown’s message to the AFL was to create a safe space.
"What matters to me most is a sense of change, a movement created where you can be anyone and feel like you can be anyone and be safe in any environment here in Australia," he said.
"My advice to the AFL would be, let's celebrate the players who may not be the most successful, but they're the most important players in our community, the ones who are walking down the street and portraying positive male role models all the time."
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