At 19, James Saunders played played his first Bingham Cup for the Brisbane Hustlers.
The Cup is part of the global queer rugby union movement, named after gay San Francisco Fog player, Mark Bingham, who died in the 9/11 attack.
The same year James debuted at the cup, he came out to his family.
"I was able to go through that journey with my rugby team family," he told NITV.
The Wiradjuri and Gunditjmara man grew up playing rugby union at boarding school. The cup has kept him on the field.
Fast forward, James has played eight tournaments and is ready to debut his own team this year in Brisbane.
Making history at the Ella 7s
James is the Director and Co-Founder of the First Nations Lorikeets, a LGBTQIA+ rugby union team.
This year, the Lorikeets are competing in the Ella 7s, the flagship Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Rugby Union 7s tournament playing in Tuggerah.
They'll be the first queer-identifying club to compete.
"It didn't dawn on me, or I think any of us that we're are going to be the first," said James.
"It was just like the Ella 7s is coming up, it's a few months before the Bingham Cup, this is a great tournament to introduce the club to the world - we just said let's do it.
I'm looking forward to seeing the players come into their own and stand in their own identity - stand really strong and proud in who they are.
With big milestones coming in 2026, James hopes this is just the start for the Lorikeets.
"I hope that the club can establish itself as a legitimate rugby club," he said.
"Hopefully this is a pathway to a sport that has given me so much, I'd love the club to give back to grassroots community."
And for anyone who's interested, James said they're "already recruiting!"
Creating the Lorikeets
"Rugby, traditionally is a very conservative sport, it's played by all the elite private schools within Australia," James explained.
"Unless you go to those schools, you don't really have contact with it."
James co-founded the team with friend and teammate Dylan Hoskins.
Dylan is an avid player but moving back to Country threatened his ability to keep involved in the sport.
"I yarned with James and we created this pathway," said the Gumbaynggirr, Dunghutti and Bundjalung man.
"Working with James, he is so on point with everything, he knows rugby so well. He's been part of the Bingham Cup since it first started and played in so many teams, he has his own legacy here in Australia."
The team is stretched across the country, and meet in-person once in a while.
"We're pumping out emails, we're calling players, we're making sure that they're doing some form of cardio and strength training so that when we do come together, we're hopefully match fit," explained Dylan.
"We're coaching them along the sidelines."
'A chance to be visible'
For James and Dylan, the Lorikeets are more than a team.
"Players can come in, no matter their gender identity, their sexuality, who they are, they have a space and they can belong and feel supported," James said.
"There are a lot of things other rugby clubs offer but it doesn't always include our lived experience or where we're coming from, or the type of space that we need to support us and hold us," added Dylan.
"The Lorikeets are an inclusive and safe home for LGBTQIA+. Wherever you sit, we have a space for you, it's a space where you can show up in all your colours, as all you are, and feel safe and seen."
Quinton Reeks, a Gubbi Gubbi and two-spirit person, had never played a game of rugby in their life before the Lorikeets.
"I was only introduced to the sport through another member," they said.
"It's a chance to be visible, I'm part of something special. It's my first time in something like this, I'm excited to be part of the ride."
