BEN COHEN, the straight 34-year-old English Rugby World Cup champion, has never been bothered by the fact that gay men constitute a huge percentage of his beefcake calendar–buying fan base. In a world in which many homophobic athletes still worry about showering with gay teammates, Cohen is refreshingly free of sexual hang-ups—always willing to donate a signed jockstrap for auction or to be photographed in his underwear in support of his favorite causes: anti-bullying and the elimination of homophobia in sports.
Having retired from rugby in 2011, the married father of 4-year-old twins decided to create the Ben Cohen Stand Up Foundation (standupfoundation.com), a group dedicated to raising awareness of the long-term, damaging effects of bullying and homophobia.
“It’s about using sports icons at every level from international and professional to local small-town schools,” he says. “Coaches, teachers and players have to understand that there is always someone young and impressionable looking up to them. Our foundation asks them to look at bullying and homophobia and commit to combating them.”
His efforts are already paying off. He’s partnered with England’s Home Office and successfully urged many English sports teams to sign a charter that declares their intolerance for bullying, homophobia and transphobia.
“It’s fantastic what sports clubs can achieve in their own communities,” he says. “Homophobia and bullying begin with the earliest schooling. That is where we need to provide the most education. The whole infrastructure that molds a child’s feelings about sports and sexuality is where we should concen-trate our efforts to make sure that teachers and coaches are on board with our message of intolerance for bullying and homophobia.” —Tony Adams
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