At the launch of the LGBT+ rugby tournament Union Cup 2019 in the Aviva stadium yesterday, rugby international sportswoman Lindsay Peat, spoke about the need for the LGBT+ inclusive event by giving an example of homophobic abuse she received during a match.

“You could argue we don’t need a women’s tournament or gay women’s teams because we haven’t experienced that much negativity, but I would still have experienced it,” Peat said. “I was once called a ‘dirty dyke’ in an All-Ireland final. That’s the only time I heard that and I don’t actually think it was genuinely homophobic or a dig at my sexual orientation. It was used to get under my skin, to try to distract and disrupt my game, but that’s where she went. That’s what she viewed as my weak point.”

The multi talented Peat has represented her country in no less than three different sports; basketball, soccer, and rugby and contested three senior All-Ireland Gaelic football finals. She continued, “You have to remember that people still suffer slurs, even in sport, and that this is still a worldwide issue. So we have to be the standard bearers and it’s for those reasons that this tournament is so important.”

?? thank you so much @FairGameCast it was a fantastic celebrating @unioncuprugby and the brilliant @ewrfc who need all the credit for bringing this great tournament to @DublinCityUni . It's going to be an EPIC weekend ??????️‍?? #trywithpride #UnionCupDublin https://t.co/e0Y3OZ5ndV

— Lindsay Peat (she/her) (@lilypeat11) April 9, 2019

Lindsay Peat, along with celebrated referee Nigel Owens, are the ambassadors for this years Union Cup which will see 45 teams from 15 countries competing at the two day rugby tournament due to be held in the grounds of Dublin’s DCU. For the first time this year, there will be a dedicated women’s tournament – the Union Cup Women’s Cup.

In an interview with site the42.ie, Peat expanded “Gay teams are to cover the people who are really struggling with their identity, to help them to become accepting of themselves and their sexuality, whatever they may feel they are. People live in many different situations. We are trying to build frameworks and avenues for them to become comfortable, that is all… Sport definitely helped me to become more comfortable in myself and you don’t understand that unless you’re from the LGBT community.”

Tickets for events are now available and all profits will go to support BeLonG To, the charity to support LGBT+ youth.