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Strength. Passion.
Determination. What comes to mind when hearing these words? For
World Cup rugby champion Ben Cohen, these words not only
represent his achievements in sport, but also his desire to make
a difference off the field. Cohen, who recently retired from the
Sale Sharks in England, recently launched the Ben Cohen StandUp
Foundation to combat bullying worldwide. Due
to recent high-profile attacks on the lesbian, gay, bisexual and
transgender community, Cohen, a straight athlete, has chosen to
focus much of the Foundation’s attention on homophobia. In
September, Cohen will take his StandUp Foundation’s
anti-bullying campaign and Acceptance Tour on
Source Event’s Gay Rome to Venice Cruise aboard the Wind
Surf, the world’s largest sailing yacht. Ben Cohen recently
caught up with Mark Magazine to talk about his participation on
the cruise, his StandUp Foundation and fighting homophobia as a
straight, male athlete.
You’re taking your StandUp
Foundation’s anti-bullying campaign and Acceptance Tour on
Source Event’s Gay Rome to Venice
Cruise in September. What will
be your role during the cruise?
I am there to meet people
and hopefully enhance their holiday. At the same time, I will be
able to chat about why I have set up this foundation and also
what we hope to achieve through its creation. It’s a great
opportunity to be able to do this in an informal environment
where people will have the chance to ask me and my team
questions about how things are progressing and what our aims
are.
Have you ever been on
a gay cruise before or interacted with a lot of gay men? Do you
have a lot of gay friends?
I have never been on a
gay cruise before. My holidays are normally centered around my
family—we have 3-year-old twins, so having plenty for them to do
is number one on the list. Rob and Will are some of our very
close gay friends. Rob has a horse at our stable and they both
help around the farm and house, so we quite often end up sharing
meals and a laugh. They are a great couple, and Abby and I
really enjoy spending time with them.
 Is
there a specific event that triggered you to launch the Ben
Cohen StandUp Foundation?
Not a specific event as
such. My manager Jill and I have been running my social
networking and website for some time now and we have noticed how
the majority of e-mails and posts come from gay men. Through
that we have learned so many stories of bullying and harassment
that it really made us think. As a straight sportsman who has
been successful in my career, I have a voice. There is no doubt
that sportsmen and women are often looked up to as role models;
with that comes a sense of responsibility. I felt that I had to
do something and I was excited to be in a position where I could
make a difference. That was really how it started and it has
grown in importance in my life since then. We are now fully
committed to being heard and we intend to change attitudes and
save lives.
As a straight athlete,
why have you decided to focus much of your philanthropic efforts
on the LGBT community?
 Like
I said earlier, having received a lot of communication from my
LGBT friends, I felt I wanted to give something back. Also, when
things weren’t going so well for me in my career, my gay
supporters stuck by me. I see names of people who were
supporting me seven or eight years ago. They are still there
writing in and posting on my Facebook page. In fact, I have been
able to meet quite a few of them now and that has been amazing.
Were you worried your
public or team mates would think you were gay for being
outspoken about anti-bullying in the LGBT community; or is that
one of the walls you are hoping to break down?
It does not worry me in
the least. Yes, lots of people ask me when I am going to come
out of the closet. To be honest, it just makes me smile. I don’t
really care what they say; I am doing something that makes me
feel worthy on a daily basis, so they can say what they like.
The main thing about the StandUp Foundation is that it is headed
by a straight athlete—that’s what makes it so powerful. I
know who I am, and I am comfortable with that. Everyone should
be able to feel that for themselves too.
 Have
you witnessed homophobia within the rugby community and/or
locker room humiliation?
No. I can honestly say
that I haven’t. I am sure it must go on, but I haven’t witnessed
it.
Have any of your team
mates or other athletes come out to you? What was or what would
be your advice to closeted athletes who are thinking about
coming out?
No, they haven’t. My
advice? Well, it is such a personal thing to each individual
that I would not give my advice—just that it has to be right for
them. There are so many circumstances that would affect a
decision like that. I would not be qualified to suggest the
right course of action. What I could say is that they would have
my whole hearted support.
What is your ultimate
goal for the Ben Cohen StandUp Foundation and what are some of
the future projects we can look forward to?
My personal goal for the
foundation is to change lives and attitudes; to bring awareness
to bullying and the emotional damage it causes people and their
families and loved ones. I am planning trips to schools and
colleges to get involved in all sorts of ways to bring awareness
to young people and to give support to those who are suffering
at the hands of the bullies. My message to youngsters would be
that it is not cool to bully, but it is cool to stand up against
the bullies with me. I am incredibly proud to be that kind of
role model. It is an absolute privilege.
Visit
www.ben-cohen.com for more information on the Ben Cohen
StandUp Foundation. For more information or to make a
reservation for Source Events 10th Anniversary Cruise - Rome to
Venice, go to
www.SourceEvents.com, (mention Mark's List for a
special deal) or call Source Events at
1-888-SOURCE8 (888-768-7238) or 305-672-9779 to speak with one
of their travel professionals.
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