Last week, British rugby player Keegan Hirst gained international attention when he came out of the closet, becoming Britian's first openly gay rugby league 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."
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.
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!
Clarification: The original version of this article identified Hirst as Britain's first openly gay rugby player. Gareth Thomas, who formerly played union rugby in Britain, came out in 2011. Hirst is the first gay rugby league player.
Also on HuffPost:
