“I’m Not A One-Stop Shop”: Cronulla Sharks Player Toby Rudolf Discusses Sexual Fluidity
“Sexuality is very fluid. I’ve been out and kissed many gay men, kissed many straight women and kissed many gay women."
Cronulla Sharks prop Toby Rudolf has publicly backed the idea of introducing an NRL Pride Round in what can only be described as a wholesome end to an otherwise not-so-great week in sporting news.
In an interview with the Herald published after seven Manly players boycotted this week’s game in protest of the pride jerseys, Rudolf spoke candidly about his own sexuality and the idea of sexual fluidity — a hugely important conversation to be having in a sport that has never been particularly LGBTIQ+ friendly.
While he identifies as a heterosexual man, Rudolf explained that he has shared same-sex experiences because “love is love, and I love to share it with everyone”.
“I haven’t got caught up in the Manly situation,” said Rudolf in the interview. “What I will say is I was raised by quite a few gay and lesbian community members. My uncle is gay and my godmother is gay, and there’s so much love in that community.”
Throughout the interview, Rudolf also stressed that sexuality is fluid, adding that he is “not a one-stop shop.”
“Sexuality is very fluid. I’ve been out and kissed many gay men, kissed many straight women and kissed many gay women,” he said. “I’m not a one-stop shop. Love is love, and I love to share it with everyone.
“That’s probably why I love going to all the gay bars in Sydney as well – I love dancing with my shirt off and getting down Universal on Oxford St until 2am.
“You could say I’m open to both genders but only attracted to one of them.”
The interview comes after Rudolf landed himself in hot water last year for saying he was going to “try and pull something; anything will do” at the pub. While the comment was called out for being sexist at the time, he has since pointed out that he never actually said women.
“At the time of that interview I never said ‘women’,” said Rudolf.
The support for a pride round, and the candid comments on sexuality from Rudolf are particularly important for inclusivity and acceptance in NRL following the recent Manly Sea Eagles jersey saga.
Josh Aloiai, Jason Saab, Christian Tuipulotu, Josh Schuster, Haumole Olakau’atu, Tolu Koula and Toafofoa Sipley all pulled out of Thursday night’s game against the Roosters in protest of the pride jersey. None of the men attended the game under advice given by the club about potential crowd backlash.
The pride jersey sold out within hours of release.