Leinster lock Jack Dunne has spoken about his experience as a bisexual man in sport, to coincide with Pride week.
The 22-year-old Dubliner said that this is the first time he has been out in the media, and wanted to coincide with Leinster's Pride webinar.
Jack Dunne
"I've been out as bisexual for four or five years now, but probably not out in the media," Dunne told the BBC's LGBT Sport podcast.
"So I thought, you know, [the Leinster Pride panel] would be a cool way to do it. It is also a good opportunity to discuss inclusivity and things people can do to help."
Dunne spoke about how he came to consciously realise how he felt during his teenage years.
Pride
"I kind of realised when I was maybe 16 or so, maybe 15 or 16, but you're in a school full of teenage boys.
"I think a lot of them were saying things that they weren't even thinking about - if they actually stopped and had a thought about what they'd said, they'd probably think "I shouldn't be saying that." They're probably doing it out of ignorance.
"Hearing that, subconsciously you're like "you probably just keep this to yourself". When you're bisexual, it's almost like a blessing and a curse. You can hide it easier, you can still go out with the lads on Saturday night and do all that stuff, but then at the same time it's easier to hide it and easier not to be true to yourself.
"Eventually, I think I was in sixth year and I told one or two people. They took it really well, so I was like "you know what, I'll just tell everyone."
"It went pretty well - there were one or two people who said 'you're not bisexual, you're just gay' - but largely it was overwhelmingly positive."
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