Openly gay backcountry player and bobsledder Simon Dunn – QX has died

Simon Dunn was a saddled rugby player who became the first openly gay man to represent his country in bobsleigh. After an injury in 2016, he retired and moved to London, where he took up rugby again. He became part of the London Kings Cross Steelers gay rugby team, and later when he moved home to Sydney, took a spot on the Sydney Referees. Last year, Dan was part of the Sydney referees team that competed in the 2022 Bingham Cup.

35-year-old Simon Dunn has had a difficult experience in 2022 with personal losses, among other things, he broke up with his boyfriend. On January 1, Dan posted a photo on Instagram with Sydney Harbor Bridge fireworks in the background: “Oh, oh 2023. Leave the roller coaster of 2022 in the past…”.
On Saturday morning, the police found him dead in his apartment.

The LGBTQ community in Australia and the UK are now celebrating Simon for his great efforts in raising the profile of LGBT people in sport.

“Simon was passionate about giving back to his community and got involved in volunteer work, giving his time and using his profile to help many charities,” said Simon’s agent.

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