- Shae Bolton-Brown says she ‘couldn’t be prouder’ of ex
Former netball star Shae Bolton-Brown has posted an emotional message about her ex-husband Mitch Brown after he created history by becoming the first AFL player, past or present, to come out as bisexual.
The 36-year-old made the landmark announcement three weeks ago with the simple but historic words, ‘I played in the AFL for 10 years for the West Coast Eagles and I’m a bisexual man.’
Brown, who played 96 games for the club from 2007 to 2016, has been widely praised in the footy world for bringing attention to homophobia within the sport.
His ex-wife says she ‘couldn’t be prouder’ of his historic move.
In a post to Instagram, Bolton-Brown revealed how she met Brown when they were both teenage athletes and how they spent 16 years together building a life and making a family.
‘I for one couldn’t be prouder of Mitch and will celebrate his vulnerability loudly so hopefully those baby athletes currently playing in the AFL feel seen and safe and can be every little bit of their weird… and so our kids can too,’ she posted.
Shae Bolton-Brown ‘couldn’t be prouder’ of her ex-husband after he came out as bisexual
Mitch Brown (pictured) is the first AFL/VFL player in the almost 130-year history of the league to come out as bisexual
Bolton-Brown, who has two sons with the former footy star, explained the similarities the couple shared while living in Perth as Victorians.
‘Both built our identities around being “the netballer and the footballer”,’ she wrote.
‘Both performed these prepackaged identities, to the detriment, perhaps, of healthy youthful self-discovery.
‘And both a little bit queer.’
She detailed the different challenges they each faced.
‘The blaring discrepancy for me, mostly, netball was a place of safety. For Mitch, mostly, football was not,’ she wrote.
‘Home for us was each other. Our place, where we could be ourselves as we navigated our twenties, challenging each other and lifting each other up.’
Bolton-Brown, who has two sons with the former footy star, said she and Brown (pictured together) were both ‘a little bit queer’
Bolton-Brown said while netball was a place of safety for her, football was not for her ex
Brown is pictured playing for the West Coast Eagles in 2013. He racked up 96 games for the club in his 10-year career
Bolton-Brown, who is now the general manager of the Melbourne Mavericks, then detailed how her ex had encouraged her to apply to run Super Netball’s new team.
The two imagined what ‘the perfect club would look like’.
‘A place of inclusivity, a place to be boldly you (unapologetically), a place where your strengths were celebrated and your heart was protected,’ she wrote.
‘Because here’s the thing: sport has a secret power. It can be a source of joy and belonging, and in a world that could do with a little more of both, that’s enough to get me out of bed in the morning.
‘I want to contribute to building spaces for our athletes, our staff, our fans, our partners and my kids to be seen, feel joy and belong.’
