Simon Dunn facts for kids
 |
|
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Nationality |  Australian |
| Born | 27 July 1987 Goulburn, New South Wales, Australia |
| Died | 21 January 2023 (aged 35) Surry Hills, New South Wales, Australia |
| Height | 1.84 m (6 ft 0 in) |
| Weight | 99 kg (218 lb) |
| Sport | |
| Country | Australia |
| Sport |  Bobsleigh  Rugby |
| Team |
|
| Updated on 16 March 2016. | |
Simon Dunn (27 July 1987 – 21 January 2023) was an Australian bobsledder and amateur rugby player. Raised in Wollongong, in 2014, he was the first openly gay male to represent any country in the sport of bobsled,. After several years in London, he lived in Sydney and played amateur rugby before his death.
Contents
Career
Simon Dunn grew up playing rugby league south of Sydney, in Wollongong. He later became a player for the Sydney Convicts Rugby club. Travelling to Canada to further his playing career, while he worked at the Canadian Sports Institute gym, Dunn had the opportunity to try out for the Australian bobsleigh team. In making this team and representing his country, this made him the first out, gay man to ever represent his country in the sport. He was the brakeman for Lucas Mata. Although in November 2016, he announced his retirement from bobsleigh. He then played rugby in London, UK with the Kings Cross Steelers. Dunn was also nominated and shortlisted for the Australian LGBTI Awards Sports Personality of the Year in both 2018 and 2019. Dunn has contributed as a columnist to Attitude, Gay Times and DNA magazines' online editions and more recently as a columnist on GuysLikeU and Gays with Kids.
In July 2021, Dunn announced his return to bobsleigh and intention to represent Australia at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing. He began training with the Australian team in September 2021 competing in both 2man and 4man events in Whistler, but suffered a ruptured bicep during his 2nd 4man race of the season in Whistler, British Columbia that required returning to Australia for treatment; in an interview he stated that the injury and rehabilitation time "make [his] chances very slim" to compete in the 2022 Olympics.
Advocacy work
After his initial retirement from the Australian Bobsleigh team, Dunn began to focus on social causes that are important to him, notably those effecting the LGBTQI community, homophobia in sport, and HIV/AIDS. Whilst in London Dunn appeared on Sky News to debate comments made by professional rugby player, Israel Folau, also being the face of a national HIV test campaign with charity, Terrence Higgins Trust, along with testing for HIV live online.
Since returning to Sydney, Dunn has continued with this work. Being announced as an ambassador for GiveOUT Day, which aims to help LGBTIQ+ projects and community groups. Dunn also became an ambassador for Bobby Goldsmith Foundation in 2020. Bobby Goldsmith Foundation (BGF) is Australia's longest running HIV charity.
Media appearances
Dunn attracted a strong social media following and in July 2015, he created a YouTube channel. Since the start of 2016, Dunn has appeared in hundreds of media publications, including print, online, radio and television. Dunn has graced the cover of several print media magazines, around the world.
In 2020, he appeared in the documentary film Steelers: The World's First Gay Rugby Club by Eammon Ashton-Atkinson, alongside Steve Brockman and Nic Evans.
Death
Dunn was found dead inside his Surry Hills apartment on 21 January 2023, with police not treating his death as suspicious. He was 35.
See also
In Spanish: Simon Dunn para niños
