Gay hockey player Davis Atkin selected for Australia Under-21 squad

Australia is no longer a gay hockey player Davis Atkin was named to the Burras – the men’s national under-21 team. Canberra-based Western Districts player Atkin (21) is currently Australia’s only gay hockey player at national level.

Atkin hopes to one day play for the Kookaburras – Australia’s national men’s hockey team, but his immediate goal is the Australian Under-21 Championships in July and making the squad for the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup which will be held in November in Malaysia.

Atkins is one of the few young gay sportsmen to play domestically in Australia, along with gay Aussie footballer Josh Cavallo, who came out last year.

A pioneer

Atkin, who grew up playing soccer but started hockey at age 14, said Canberra time that he wanted to be a “pioneer” and “someone people can look up to”.

Atkin’s exit journey has not been smooth or on his own terms. According to OutSports, the young player’s psychologist accidentally reported him to his coach. However, since then, Atkins has made the narrative his own.

“2021 has truly been the craziest year of my life. Looking back on it, it was probably the worst year I’ve had so far mentally,” Atkin recently revealed in an Instagram post.

“Earlier this year, I was involved in a life-changing incident outside of Instagram. I was in a very bad place for most of the year and struggled to get out of it. It might not seem like it here, but maybe one day I’ll share it with you all.

“Happy to see what the year has in store for us”

Atkin said things were slowly improving. “Towards the end of 2021 and heading into this year, I’m still struggling a bit, but I’m much better off than this time last year.

Atkin told his 12,000 followers on Instagram that one of the ways he dealt with tough times was by sharing his love for skincare and makeup.

“I changed the focus of my Instagram to a passion that suits me better now which is mixing skincare and makeup. I still love creating different makeup looks and sharing it with you all, but expanding my content was something I really needed to do for me and the direction I wanted this page to take,” Atkin said.

“I hope you all have enjoyed my content so far. My life is still very hectic at this point, but I’m very excited to see what this year has in store for all of us,” Atkin added.

Atkin was named one of Hockey ACT’s Pride Ambassadors last year and had said he waIt is “important for hockey players who identify as LGBTQI to have examples or to see someone like them who also plays hockey. Hockey should always be a comfortable and safe space to be yourself and as an ally I would like to promote that and also be available to talk or give advice.