West Indies bowler Shannon Gabriel appears to have used a homophobic slur during a match against England during the Test's third day, but it wasn't something England captain Joe Root was willing to let slide. "There's nothing wrong with being gay" Root told Gabriel, and it's a move that's been lauded with praise from fans across the world on social media.
Plucking homophobia out of sport isn't as easy or fancy as it may sound. In fact, the industry is probably one of the toughest ones to break when it comes to equality. It says something that not a single male Premier League footballer has come out as a member of the LGBTQ+ community. Germany's Thomas Hitzlsperger came out in 2014, but that was a year after retiring from the profession.
With that in mind, and in celebration of LGBT History Month, we've decided to take a look back at those athletes brave enough to stand up for what's right and do their best to tackle the stigma surrounding homosexuality in sport.
Billie Jean King
With a legacy that will last far beyond any of our years, Billie Jean King is one of the most recognisable names from the world of tennis. She's a proud, gay female who simply wants the world to be a kinder and more accepting place, as was showcased in an interview with The Guardian back in 2017.
Recalling her youth, she explained "even gay kids, or queer kids, didn't talk about our situation among ourselves. It was totally shame-based."
Now though, she recognises just how far we've all come: "I hope [the movie Battle of the Sexes] helps motivate kids, young people, to fight for equality and freedom, and for the LGBTQ+ community... I say 'plus' because there are so many letters now, I can't keep up. We have this Q now, it's 'questioning' or 'queer'. In my day, that would be the worst thing you could say. But I asked the younger ones, what do you like, and they like 'queer' now. So I'm starting to use 'queer', because they're our future leaders."
When asked about her Australian counterpart Margaret Court, who serves as a pastor in Perth and is openly anti-LGBT, King explained: "[Margaret] believes in conversion, that if you're gay you can turn around. Not happening, nice try. No. We're all God's children - accept us the way we are, as long as we're not hurting others. When she said that trans children are from the devil - you don't do that. Don't hurt my community like that. I think we need to have a hard talk, and ask hard questions."
Gareth Thomas
Late last year, former Wales rugby captain Gareth Thomas was the subject of a homophobic attack in Cardiff which led to an outpouring of support from the sports community and beyond. His kindness towards the perpetrator is something that led to the teenager actually apologising to the sports legend following his arrest, leading to a wider conversation about restorative justice.
A beautiful move was made by the Welsh rugby team following the attack, who all decided to wear rainbow laces over the November 22 weekend in solidarity with their ex-skipper.
What happened to Thomas shows that there is still a long way to go before all LGBTQ+ people are accepted in the world of sport. The reaction to the attack however also shows that we have come a long way, and should be proud to be on the right side of history.
Brittney Griner
Basketball player Brittney Griner became the first player in the game's history to score 2,000 points and block 500 shots, cementing her legacy whilst still at Baylor University. Since that point she's taken home multiple All-American titles as well as an ESPY and AP's Player of the Year Award.
Despite all of the success and being picked first in the 2013 WNBA draft, she told Sports Illustrated following her coming out: "Its hard. Just being picked on for being different. Just being bigger, my sexuality, everything."
Though she's faced vile abuse in the past, Griner isn't allowing it to bring her career to a halt. She's a huge inspiration for the LGBTQ+ community and should be celebrated for all of her incredible achievements.
Terry Crews
With Kevin Hart stepping down as the host of this year's Academy Awards following the re-emergence of historic homophobic tweets, many applauded former American football player Terry Crews for his reaction to the chaos.
For many, it was clear that Hart's tweets were unacceptable and that his non-apology in reaction to them being brought up once more was only digging him a deeper hole. Ellen DeGeneres strangely took his side and said that Hart had 'a right' to still host the Oscars, helping Hart paint himself as the victim.
Fortunately, Crews stepped in and told Buzzfeed: "He feels like he's being attacked, but the truth is, he's not."
He added: "The truth is, Kevin, you're not being attacked. The truth is you have to just acknowledge what went on and acknowledge the pain of other people. That's all anybody's asking for. That's it."
Finn Balor
World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) has often been a camp playground of soap drama and professional fighting, but the LGBTQ+ community being a part of that has largely been missing. That all changed at WrestleMania 34 (2018) in New Orleans, when Finn Balor made history with his heartwarming entrance to the Mercedes-Benz Superdome.
The Irish Superstar had been promoting his brand Balor Club and the tagline 'for everyone' for some weeks before WrestleMania, infusing rainbow colours into his merchandise. He even donated a portion of profits from his rainbow entrance shirt to LGBTQ+ organisation GLAAD, which aims to promote understanding and increase acceptance, whilst advancing equality.
Then when his match came, he entered to an incredible reaction from the crowd complete with a section of fans from the New Orleans LGBTQ+ community and a rainbow flag on his boots. Let's hope this is just the start of promoting acceptance of the LGBTQ+ community within WWE.
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