Fox Sports presenter outed as a lesbian by disgraced colleague in sexist group chat breaks her silence with the full story of the secret she kept private for 25 years – and is now ‘proud’ to tell

• Megan Barnard has broken her silence since being outed by former colleague
• Former Fox Sports journalist Tom Morris was sacked over leaked video 
• Barnard told Stellar she feared coming out because it could impact career 

Megan Barnard has broken her silence after being outed by a Fox Sports colleague in a leaked video in March. 

Barnard, who has worked for the company since 2013, has been one of Australia’s main sports presenters for women’s cricket. She also hosts and presents news about the NRL for the station.

Her former colleague Tom Morris was sacked after a leaked video surfaced where he revealed Barnard’s sexual orientation to a Whatsapp group on social media. 

Speaking to Stellar magazine, Barnard said she feared publicly coming out because it could impact her career and gave an insight into her discovering her own sexuality. 

‘I knew I was gay from the age of 12… It was such a painful time during my teens, feeling what I was feeling and desperately wanting those thoughts to go away and to be like everyone else,’ Barnard told the outlet.

Megan Barnard has broken her silence to Stellar after being outed by former Fox Sports collegaue Tom Morris in March

‘I tried to fight it for years because we had all been taught that being gay ‘wasn’t normal’. It was just so overwhelming, it was the elephant in the room. There were times [when] I thought I just didn’t want to exist, it was that hard.

‘It took me more than a decade to come out, and I’m just grateful I hung in there and didn’t fall off the edge.’

She advocates for acceptance and respect, and said no one should be forced to come out before they’re ready.

Barnard, who moved from the Gold Coast to Sydney to follow her dreams, said she had been inundated with messages of people sharing their own experiences and hesitation to come out.  

‘I’ve tried to respond to everyone [who] has contacted me. And if this resonates with just one person and makes them realise it’s OK to be gay – that it’s not something to hide or run from – then sitting down for this article has been worth it.’

Barnard, who moved from the Gold Coast to Sydney to follow her dreams, said she had been inundated with messages of people sharing their own experiences and hesitation to come out.

Barnard admitted she delayed revealing her sexuality publicly because she was concerned it could impact her job prospects.

‘I used to worry that if my bosses knew, it would limit my work opportunities and my sexuality would isolate me… but it hasn’t,’ she told Stellar.

The public outing brought a lot of pain and anguish for Barnard. She said it made her realise Australia still has a long way to go. 

She said it made her realise people in positions of power in this country still believe being gay is a choice.

Despite the anguish that came with being publicily outed, Barnard said it had been good for her in some ways as it made her realise she is comfortable with herself. 

She is proud of who she is, she said. 

Bernard resurfaced a couple of weeks after the video was leaked, reporting at the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup presenting Australia’s fixture against second-ranked South Africa at Basin Reserve in Wellington on Tuesday morning. 

The 37-year-old introduced the game for TV viewers just before the toss and later gave updates and spoke to different cricketers throughout the match.

A Fox Sports internal investigation determined Morris ‘crossed a line’ when he referred to Barnard in extremely crude terms that Daily Mail Australia has chosen not to publish.

Morris, who was one of Fox’s leading AFL reporters, issued a grovelling apology for those comments, and also for a separate video in which he made disparaging comments about women, Asians, black people and homosexuals.

Barnard, who has worked for Fox Sports since 2013, has been one of Australia’s main sports presenters for women’s cricket. She also hosts and presents news about the NRL for the station

Barnard broke her silence over the disgraceful video on Sunday through a post shared to her personal Instagram where she thanked people for their support throughout her ordeal and criticised Morris without mentioning him by name

Barnard first spoke on the disgraceful video through a post shared to her personal Instagram where she thanked people for their support throughout her ordeal and criticised Morris without mentioning him by name. 

‘Fortunately, I am at a place in my life where I am comfortable with who I am and I can handle something deeply personal becoming public,’ she began.

‘But had this happened as recently as a few years ago, it would not have been the case.

‘Coming out is a process and should never be taken out of someone’s hands. Nor should anyone be spoken about in such a degrading manner.’

She finished by writing: ‘I hope I can be a catalyst for change in not just the sports industry, but every industry.’

Morris issued a grovelling apology for his comments on Friday night after he’d been dismissed.  

‘I would like to unconditionally apologise to everyone for my disgusting and disgraceful comments, which became public yesterday,’ he wrote.

‘I am especially sorry to the person involved. No one should ever, in any place, or at any time, be spoken about in that way.

‘I am deeply ashamed at my behaviour. My comments were hurtful to many and I will now take the time to listen, learn and work to improve myself, ensuring that I become a better person. I am truly sorry to everyone.’ 

AFL reporter Tom Morris made a grovelling apology for his comments about Barnard after he was sacked by Fox Sports last Friday

Morris’s apology also covered a separate video in which he made disparaging comments about women, Asians, black people and homosexuals

Fox Sports Executive Director Steve Crawley released a statement on Friday which said Morris’ ‘unacceptable’ comments would not be tolerated. 

‘Our culture at Fox Sports is based on a respectful, inclusive environment and a fair go for all,’ Mr Crawley said.

‘While Tom’s journalism has made a valuable contribution to Fox Sports over the past seven years, the message we became aware of yesterday crossed the line. It was unacceptable.

‘We have the best in the business working at Fox Sports. We love what we do, and we have a reputation as a great place to work. The bottom line is we are committed to a work environment where everyone can come to work in the knowledge they are safe, respected and valued. We have zero-tolerance for anything less than that.’ 

Source: Read Full Article