Australian all-rounder James Faulkner on Tuesday clarified that he wasn't a gay after his social media post with "boyfriend" Robert Jubb triggered speculations of the cricketer being a homosexual. Faulkner, who is currently out of the team, celebreted his 29th birthday on Monday. He had posted a picture with his mother Roslyn and "boyfriend" Jubb with the hashtag #togetherfor5years.
The post was seen by many in a good taste with several fans even congratulating him for coming out of the closet to show his sexuality. Although Faulkner thanked the LGBT community and fans for their support but cleared that he was not homosexual.
"There seems to be a misunderstanding about my post from last night, I am not gay, however, it has been fantastic to see the support from and for the LBGT community.
"Let's never forget love is love, however @robjubbsta is just a great friend. Last night marked five years of being housemates! Good on everyone for being so supportive," he clarified in another post.
In a statement, the Cricket Australia also apologised to the LGBQTI community for any unintended offence and insisted that the social commentary by the cricketer was not a joke.
"Cricket Australia does not consider the social commentary this morning from James Faulkner to be a joke, nor does James. His comment was made as a genuine reflection of his relationship with his business partner, best friend and house mate of five years," the board said in its statement.
In 2017, the Australian government made same-sex marriages legal. Following the law, Australia’s women cricketer Megan Schutt got married to her long-time partner Jess Holyoake on March 31, 2019. Another famous homosexual relationships in the cricketing world are of South African captain Dane van Niekerk who married her teammate Marizanne Kapp in 2018 and New Zealand’s Amy Satterthwaite who tied the knot with Lea Tahuhu in 2017.
Below is the post that created the confusion:
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