Identifying as LGBTQ+ in Men's Football: An Unwelcoming Atmosphere
“There's still so much to accomplish” - the athlete on anti-gay prejudice in soccer
“You shouldn't exist” ... “Why are you here?” ... “Stop breathing.”
Since revealing he was gay in 2021, footballer Josh Cavallo has faced constant threats and hateful comments on social media.
“Upon reading those comments, it broke my heart,” Cavallo explains. “Nobody should have to endure such words.
“I'm working to improve my skills and be the best I can be on the pitch, and then face criticism due to my identity. It's appalling.”
Player the sportsman was at Adelaide United four years ago when he became the only openly gay top-flight male professional footballer in the world.
Recently he left Australia to sign with lower-tier club Peterborough Sports, who compete before audiences of about 400 in National League North, one level below of English football.
This young athlete combines playing for the Cambridgeshire part-timers by advocating for inclusion matters and leveraging his platform - he has more than one million followers on Instagram - to champion equality and acceptance.
“Absolutely, we've got mountains to do,” Cavallo says when asked if football still has a problem with discrimination.
“Rarely a week passes without hearing about an issue.”
‘People want to harm me’
The player was raised in Melbourne
It took years for Cavallo to work up the courage to say “I am homosexual” before coming out on 27 October 2021.
“All I want to do is compete in soccer and be treated equally,” he said in an accompanying video.
Cavallo was twenty-one and building his reputation at his Australian club in the premier division when, with the support of his team-mates, he publicly came out.
“I didn't know what was ahead. I didn't know what to expect,” he recalls. “It felt like the right time in my life. I needed to move forward.”
His emotional coming out video, entitled ‘His Personal Story’, went viral on social media.
“My phone was flooded with messages of support. The response was incredible.”
A prominent club were among numerous famous teams around the world to show solidarity with the player, with the coach at the time the German manager saying: “I'm really thankful that he did it because it sparks conversation.”
Barcelona defender the athlete also offered support, writing on social media that “the world of football is lagging behind and your actions drive progress”, while his former club issued a statement backing their “remarkable” and “brave” player.
Others, however, were less welcoming.
Cavallo quickly became a subject to homophobic abuse by opposition fans.
During early 2022 a competing team were fined A$5,000 over discriminatory chants from fans directed at the player during a game.
“The things I'd hear were painful and disparaging towards LGBTQ people,” he says.
“I didn't react because I knew that would only feed the haters.”
A scary event occurred at a petrol station in Australia, where the athlete was assaulted by an individual who identified him from the coverage.
“That was a scary moment,” he recalls. “The thought crossed my mind ‘this is real - people want to harm me’.
“Is it acceptable? Absolutely not. But by coming out, these are the consequences.
“My wish is that the next person who comes out while playing football at a professional standard won't face the path I have endured.”
The player says the constant menacing messages and abusive messages have affected his mental health.
“It's quite sad because I am having to explain why I deserve a place on the soccer pitch for my identity,” he says.
“We don't sit straight people down and ask ‘what gives you the right in football?’.
“Many individuals see me as a cheerful, positive person. But sometimes when I rely on my partner, his name, and he gets to see a lot that happens behind the scenes.”
‘Premier League player coming out would move mountains’
The player's choice to disclose his orientation helped inspire teenage attacking player Jake Daniels to announce he was gay as the Britain's sole publicly out playing soccer professional in spring 2022.
However, there are zero publicly LGBTQ athletes in the top English division.
“It would move mountains,” comments Cavallo on the impact a Premier League player coming out would have.
“But I must be honest. There are a lot of scary things that would await this individual. Within soccer culture, identifying as LGBTQ is a very toxic place.”
Twenty-seven years after a pioneering player - the UK's initial out soccer professional - took his own life in 1998, the current athlete has spoken about the “toxic masculinity” that still exists in men's football.
“You just need to go to a match and observe the unfriendly atmosphere and male-dominated culture that the crowd brings,” he says.
“Much remains to be done to make sure there is a secure environment in football for individuals like me and his colleague.
“We haven't seen it (more players coming out) as much as we would like.
“My role is to continue advocating for what I think is right, and strive for taking out the toxic masculinity in soccer locker rooms and establishing secure environments.”
‘My mission is to drive progress’
The athlete was awarded an honorary degree from an academic institution in his former city in 2022, honoring his efforts as a inspirational figure in sport and a advocate for fairness
The player says soccer has allowed him to have conversations inside dressing rooms about revealing one's orientation.
Yet, he is critical of soccer's global governing body, after Qatar, where same-sex relationships are illegal, staged the global tournament in 2022.
Future World Cup is scheduled in Saudi Arabia, where same-sex attraction is similarly prohibited.
“Am I impressed that the global championship is in nations that ban gay unions, where individuals like myself will be imprisoned for just existing on their territory? It's scary,” says Cavallo.
“I get messages [from people living in these countries] saying ‘I face imprisonment for my identity - is assistance possible?’.
“It breaks my heart that people are getting locked up for their true selves.
“Certain nations that are huge in terms of football and they reject the queer community. These places that tend to target me.”
Nevertheless, the footballer says he won't cease advocating.
“Football has enabled dialogue in the changing room. It lets me communicate and inform individuals who want to learn more.
“Not everyone is going to like you for your identity. But I've discovered support. I have found my community.
“My mission is to create change. That's my objective.”
