Last week, British rugby player Keegan Hirst gained international attention when he came out of the closest, becoming Britian’s first openly gay rugby player.
Now, the queer athlete is receiving support from some of Hollywood’s A-listers, including one a leading British lady: Emma Watson. The actress wrote a series of tweets on the idea of courage, tagging Keegan in a final tweet about “moral courage.”
Courage is the choice and willingness to confront agony, pain, danger, uncertainty or intimidation.
— Emma Watson (@EmWatson) August 18, 2015
…. Physical courage is courage in the face of physical pain, hardship, death or threat of death,
— Emma Watson (@EmWatson) August 18, 2015
while moral courage is the ability to act rightly in the face of popular opposition, shame, scandal or discouragement. @KeeganHirst #gotboth
— Emma Watson (@EmWatson) August 18, 2015
Hirst responded in a tweet that thanked both Watson and actor and writer Steven Fry for their support in his decision to share his queer identity with the world.
Massive thanks to @stephenfry and @EmWatson for the follow. Surreal or what
— Keegan Hirst (@KeeganHirst) August 18, 2015
Emma Watson has proved to be a leading voice in mainstream conversations surrounding progressive politics among A-listers. She famously made waves with her September 2013 address inviting men to join the fight for gender equality in her role as the UN Women Goodwill Ambassador with her HeForShe campaign. She has since continued to regularly speak on of issues of equality.
In fact, Hirst seems to be a big fan of her work!
As a #HeForShe, I’m committed to #genderequality. I invite you to stand with me. @HeForShe http://t.co/sqXFqIhxtW
— Keegan Hirst (@KeeganHirst) August 18, 2015
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