November 18, 2007 | Celeb Watch

Rugby star loves his gay fans

Ben Cohen is married, has two kids, and plays rugby for the Northampton Saints in the British League. Yep, he's pretty straight. But to the surprise of many male fans he held a signing this week for his new calendar at Prowler, a gay sex shop in Soho.

Even queer supporters weren't initially sure what to make of the news. One confessed, "I thought it was a joke actually. When I first read about it yesterday I wasn't sure, but I came along today just to see, and he is [here]."

Other attendees thought it sent a strong message to more homophobic players, with a fan pointing out that "as society gets more and more tolerant, more sports stars should come out and support us - because we support them."

Cohen, himself, felt the event was a big success...

Shaving is highly over-rated.

He posted the following on his blog:

Yesterday I went to Prowler in Soho to meet some of the people who have bought  the Testimonial Calendar. Prowler is a shop aimed at gay men and it had some interesting stock! I really didn't know what to expect as this was the first time I have done anything like this. Everyone I met was really friendly and I signed their calendars and had photos taken with them. I believe it is quite unusual for a straight sportsman to recognise his gay fanbase, especially in rugby, but I am pretty open minded and had a great day meeting some nice people.

Earlier in the day we did a photoshoot for Gay Times Magazine that comes out in early December. I also did an interview for the mag. The day before I did a radio interview for Gaydar Radio - Neil and Jason - that was fun - we are going to try to get hold of the podcast for the site so look out for that.

Now where did we put those x-ray glasses?

Cohen is even planning a party for gay fans next spring. As per his publicist: "Ben is currently in the middle of his testimonial year celebrating the last 10 years of his rugby career. He understands that a high proportion of his fans are gay and to thank them for their constant loyalty through good and bad times he is planning a gay night celebration in London in March. Full details will be announced later this year."

The icing on this cake? The calendar is not simply a vanity project, as proceeds from its sale will go towards testicular cancer research, and the Northamptonshire Air Ambulance Service.

The perfect pin-up: a cute, cuddly teddy bear with an accent.