Identifying as LGBTQ+ in Men's Football: A Toxic Environment
“There's still so much to accomplish” - the athlete on homophobia in soccer
“You shouldn't exist” ... “Why are you here?” ... “Stop breathing.”
After announcing his homosexuality in 2021, player Josh Cavallo has faced constant threats and hateful comments on social media.
“When I first saw these messages, it broke my heart,” the player explains. “No-one wants to read things like that.
“I'm trying to get better as a player and be the best I can be during matches, and then get put down due to my identity. It's appalling.”
Midfielder the sportsman was at Adelaide United four years ago when he emerged as the sole publicly out top-flight male professional footballer in the world.
Recently he left Australia to join non-league Peterborough Sports, who compete before audiences of about 400 in National League North, the sixth tier of English football.
This young athlete combines playing for the Cambridgeshire part-timers by speaking up on LGBTQ+ issues and using his profile - he has more than one million followers on social media - to champion equality and inclusion.
“Absolutely, we've got mountains to do,” the footballer comments when questioned about ongoing issues with discrimination.
“I don't go more than a week without encountering problems.”
‘People want to harm me’
The player was raised in Melbourne
Several years passed for the athlete to work up the courage to say “I am homosexual” before revealing his sexuality on 27 October 2021.
“My only desire is play football and receive fair treatment,” he said in an accompanying video.
The player was 21 and building his reputation at his Australian club in the premier division when, with the support of his team-mates, he announced his orientation publicly.
“The future was uncertain. 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’, gained massive attention on social media.
“My mobile phone exploded with encouraging words. The response was incredible.”
A prominent club were among numerous famous teams around the world to express support for Cavallo, with the coach at the time Jurgen Klopp 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 far behind and you are helping us move forward”, while his former club released a comment backing their “remarkable” and “courageous” player.
Some people, however, were less welcoming.
The footballer quickly became a subject to anti-gay remarks by rival supporters.
During early 2022 a competing team were fined A$5,000 over discriminatory chants from spectators aimed toward Cavallo during a game.
“The things I'd hear were painful and derogatory towards LGBTQ people,” he says.
“I didn't react because responding would encourage detractors.”
There was a frightening incident at a gas station in Australia, where Cavallo was assaulted by someone who recognised him from the coverage.
“That was a scary moment,” he remembers. “The thought crossed my mind ‘this is happening - individuals intend to hurt me’.
“Is it acceptable? Definitely not. But through my disclosure, this is what it brings.
“I hope that future individuals who comes out while competing in soccer at a high level won't face the journey I have endured.”
Cavallo says the daily death threats and hostile communications have taken a toll on his psychological well-being.
“It's quite sad because I must justify why I deserve a place on the football field for being who I am,” he says.
“Heterosexual players aren't questioned and ask ‘what gives you the right in football?’.
“A lot of people see me as a smiling, positive person. But sometimes when I rely on my partner, Leighton, and he gets to see a lot that happens privately.”
‘Top-tier athlete revealing orientation would create waves’
Cavallo's decision to reveal his sexuality helped inspire 17-year-old Blackpool forward another athlete to announce he was gay as the UK's only openly gay active male professional footballer in May 2022.
Nevertheless, there are no openly gay or bisexual players in the Premier League.
“It would move mountains,” says the footballer on the effect a Premier League player coming out would make.
“But I must be honest. There are a lot of scary things that would come this person's way. In the world of football, being an openly gay player 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, Cavallo has discussed the “toxic masculinity” that persists in men's football.
“Simply attend to a game and see the unfriendly atmosphere and masculinity that the crowd brings,” he says.
“Much remains to be done to make sure there is a safe space in football for individuals like me and his colleague.
“We haven't seen it (more players coming out) as frequently as desired.
“My role is to continue advocating for principles I believe in, and work towards eliminating the harmful male norms in football changing rooms and establishing secure environments.”
‘I'm here to create change’
Cavallo received an honorary doctorate from an academic institution in his former city in 2022, recognising his contributions as a role model in athletics and a advocate for fairness
Cavallo says soccer has allowed him to have conversations within team environments about revealing one's orientation.
However, he is critical of Fifa, after Qatar, where same-sex relationships are illegal, hosted the men's World Cup in 2022.
Future World Cup will be held in another Gulf state, where same-sex attraction is also illegal.
“Do I approve that the global championship is in countries that criminalise same-sex marriages, where individuals like myself will be imprisoned for just existing on that land? It's frightening,” states the athlete.
“I receive communications [from residents of such nations] saying ‘I face imprisonment for being who I am - can you help me?’.
“It breaks my heart that individuals are incarcerated for being who they are.
“Certain nations that are huge in terms of football and they reject the queer community. Those are the countries that tend to target me.”
Despite this, Cavallo says he will not stop speaking up.
“Football has enabled dialogue in the changing room. It lets me communicate and inform individuals who seek understanding.
“Some will disapprove for your identity. But I have found my family. I've connected with similar people.
“My mission is to drive progress. That's what I'm here for.”
