Australian footballer Josh Cavallo has said he gets messages from other players wanting to come out publicly, after he did the same.
In 2021, Cavallo, 26, became the first active male professional football player to come out as gay publicly. At the time, he said: “I hope that in sharing who I am, I can show others who identify as LGBTQ+ that they are welcome in the football community.”
Fast forward five years, and the sportsman has said other players DM him who want to come out.
Speaking on the It Started With a Kiss podcast with hosts Amy Spalding and Gareth Valentino, he said: “There’s opposition players I’ve played against, there’s teammates I’ve been in changing rooms with that message me privately and say, ‘Hey, this is what I identify as. I am in the LGBTQ+ space and thank you so much for being the representation.’
“And some people want to come out now, some people want to come out next week, or in a month’s time, in five years. Some people don’t want to come out at all.”
He went on: “The thing is, football is huge in countries where LGBTQ+ representation doesn’t exist and is put in prison and almost death penalties as well – not even almost, it is death penalties. And in these countries, football is huge.
“So those countries are where I got targeted and ‘shouldn’t be existing and I shouldn’t be breathing, I shouldn’t be waking up…’ some of the stuff that I read is absolutely disgusting. And it got to me, for sure. Like, I think you remember the bad stuff sometimes and not so much the good stuff.
“But that’s the thing for me that I’m wanting to take these shots, because I want to make the blueprint clearer for the next person to come in. Look, I don’t care what hate you throw my way, I know I’m strong enough to handle it, but I want to make sure that the next person stepping in my shoes or the next person that wants to be Josh Cavallo can do it free without this pain.”
LGBTQ+ representation in men’s sports
Cavallo isn’t the only out gay active footballer any more. Jake Daniels became the first active male pro to come out in the UK in 30 years in May 2022, while playing for Blackpool.
Meanwhile, LGBTQ+ representation is much more visible in many areas of women’s sports, including football.
LGBTQ+ representation in men’s sports has become a huge talking point in recent months due to gay hockey drama Heated Rivalry. It follows two closeted opponents, Shane Hollander and Ilya Rozanov, as they embark on a secret relationship while also being at the top of their game.
It has shone a light on attitudes towards LGBTQ+ men in sports, highlighting homophobia and fan backlash.
It Started With A Kiss is available on YouTube and all podcast platforms now.
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