Emma Watson has some beautiful words for newly-out rugby player
Harry Potter star Emma Watson has praised Rugby League player Keegan Hirst, after he came out as gay.
Keegan Hirst, prop and captain for Batley Bulldogs rugby team, came out publicly in the Sunday Mirror over the weekend.
The rugby star, who was married to a woman and has children, is one of the first in his sport to come out as gay.
He received high praise from Harry Potter actress Emma Watson – who appeared to channel Hermione by quoting Hogwarts, A History the dictionary.
She tweeted: “Courage is the choice and willingness to confront agony, pain, danger, uncertainty or intimidation.
“Physical courage is courage in the face of physical pain, hardship, death or threat of death, while moral courage is the ability to act rightly in the face of popular opposition, shame, scandal or discouragement.”
“@KeeganHirst #gotboth”.
The star is an ardent supporter of gender equality, and has spoken out regularly for feminist causes. She is a Goodwill Ambassador for UN Women, and gave an incredible speech to the United Nations in 2014 on gender and the need for feminism.
Hirst responded by thanking the star – and backing her #HeForShe campaign.
The actress hit at the media’s perception of gender roles in 2012 – after a particularly short haircut led to her sexuality being questioned.
She said: “I had journalists asking me if this meant I was coming out, if I was a lesbian now.”
“That haircut did make me realise how subjective everyone’s opinion is. Some people were crazy for it and some people just thought I’d lost my s**t. All I can do is follow my instincts, because I’ll never please everyone.”
