Gay darts referee Hugh Ware makes history as he officiates Luke Littler match
Ware wrote of his historic moment: "No matter who you are you can achieve in any world you want to, and most importantly, you can belong"
By Gary Grimes
Welsh darts referee Huw Ware made history as the first out gay man to officiate a PDC World Darts Championship final when he oversaw champion Luke Littler’s historic victory last week.
The Cardiff referee oversaw the second half of Littler’s match which ultimately saw him go on to be crowned the youngest ever PDC World Darts champion when he defeated opponent Michael Van Gerwen.
Ware previously held the record for being the youngest official to ever take charge of a televised match when he was just 17 years old.
Prior to the Littler match, the referee took to his blog to share a message to other queer people who may be concerned their sexuality could exclude them from the world of darts, writing: “If I was to say anything to that, it would be that if there are gay boys or gay girls out there who are worried that their sexuality could close doors to worlds they would like to be in but no longer feel that they can, then that is not the case.
“These worlds, like the sports world, are open to everybody both gay and straight, and even if the journey can be hard sometimes, days like tomorrow make it so worth it. No matter who you are you can achieve in any world you want to, and most importantly, you can belong.”
Speaking to The Jack Murley Sports Show podcast about the recent attention surrounding his sexuality, Ware said: “It’s like anything as a gay man… We never stop coming out in our lives.
“If I met somebody right now who didn’t know anything about me, I mean, chances are, I think, you know, you could probably pick me out for being gay, which is fine, and that’s no problem. And if they would probably realise that about me quite quickly, even if I haven’t said it, they’ll realise it. So you never stop coming out, do you?”
Ware recalled his decision to first come out in 2014, telling Murley: “By that time, I was already a Darts referee with the British Darts organization, and I had been with them for about three years. When I came out, I had been with them for three years. And part of the reason why I felt it was the right time to do it was because I was so out in all other walks of life.”
“I was getting more and more frustrated with the idea that, oh, I’ve got darts this weekend, I got to put the mask back on”
“Everybody in my personal life knew that I was gay. I had gone to university, I was going out all the time and all of that, discovering who I was. That had been going on for about three years,” Ware explained. “And so I was getting more and more frustrated with the idea that, oh, I’ve got darts this weekend, I got to put the mask back on.”
“I was absolutely petrified,” he revealed. “Only because of my own insecurities, I must say. I had never been given any indication from Darts and the BDO at that time that there would be aggro or resistance to it or things like this. It was just purely my own insecurities saying, people are going to hate me, I’m going to have to walk away, I’m going to lose my job, you know, and all this.”
Ware went on to say he feels a pressure to to stand up for other LGBTQ+ people in darts and sports writ large. “At the moment in darts, there is a big LGBT+ discussion and debate. I hate using the word debate. It shouldn’t be a debate, but unfortunately that’s what it is.
“That is absolutely going on at the moment within darts and across all sports. It’s kind of forcing me to sort of stand up in my own way to try and protect other people.”