Australian LGBTQIA+ Sports Legends To Discuss Raising The Rainbow Flag At Sports Talk Event
Four trailblazing athletes are stepping up to talk about what it really means to be out in Australian sport. Ian Roberts, Matthew Mitcham, Ellia Green and Mitch Brown will share the stage at Sports Talk: Raising The Rainbow Flag, a new event during this year’s Mardi Gras Festival.
Who’s on the panel?
Roberts made history in 1995 as the first high-profile Australian athlete to come out publicly while still playing professional rugby league.
Mitcham scored Olympic gold in Beijing (2008) with a record-breaking dive that earned him 112.10 points, the highest single-dive score in Olympic history at the time.
Green won rugby sevens gold at Rio 2016 and later became the first Olympian to come out as a transgender man in 2022.
Brown broke the AFL’s 129-year silence in August 2025 when he came out as bisexual, making him the first openly LGBTQIA+ man in the league’s history.
What makes this event different.
This panel brings together athletes from different codes and different generations. Roberts came out 30 years ago. Brown came out just months ago. What they share is experience competing at the top level of Australian sport while grappling with identity in environments that weren’t always welcoming.
“This panel is a testament to bravery, truth, and the fierce strength within our community,” says event producer Brendon Beavan. “Each of these athletes has rewritten the rules of Australian sport, and seeing them side by side is nothing short of extraordinary.
As the first-ever Sports Talk panel, they’re lighting the torch for a conversation that will only burn brighter as we move toward the Mardi Gras 50th Anniversary in 2028 and the Perth 2030 Gay Games.”
Ticket sales will support Light – The Ian Roberts Story, a documentary currently raising funds through Documentary Australia. The film examines Roberts’ life both on and off the field, from his groundbreaking decision to come out during his playing career to the ongoing question of why he remains the only openly gay man in rugby league history.
Three decades after Roberts first came out, Australian sport continues to reckon with inclusion, identity, and what it means to belong.
Sports Talk happens Sunday 22 February 2026 at Paddo RSL Auditorium, Paddington, NSW.
Doors open at noon with the panel starting at 1:00 PM. Tickets are available at www.ticketfairy.com/event/sports-talk. We’ve secured DNA readers an exclusive discount. Use code DNASport to get tickets for $25 plus booking fees.
