Identifying as LGBTQ+ in Men's Football: A Toxic Environment

“You don't belong on this earth” ... “Why are you here?” ... “Don't take another breath.”

After announcing he was gay in 2021, footballer Josh Cavallo has faced constant threats and abusive messages on social media.

“Upon reading those comments, I was devastated,” the player explains. “No-one wants to read things like that.

“I'm working to improve my skills and be the best I can be on the pitch, and then get put down because of who I am. It's disgusting.”

Player the sportsman was playing for Adelaide United four years ago when he emerged as the sole publicly out elite soccer player 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.

The 25-year-old balances his sports career for the semi-professional team by advocating for LGBTQ+ issues and using his profile - he has more than one million followers on social media - to champion equality and inclusion.

“Definitely, there's enormous work ahead,” Cavallo says when asked if football still has a problem with homophobia.

“Rarely a week passes without hearing about an issue.”

‘People want to harm me’

It took years for the athlete to build up the bravery to say “I'm gay” before coming out on 27 October 2021.

“All I want to do is play football and be treated equally,” he stated in an accompanying video.

Cavallo was 21 and making a name for himself at Adelaide United in the premier division when, backed by his colleagues, he publicly came out.

“I didn't know what was ahead. I had no expectations,” he recalls. “The moment seemed appropriate in my life. I wanted to take the next step.”

His emotional coming out video, titled ‘Josh's Truth’, went viral on digital platforms.

“My phone was flooded with encouraging words. The response was incredible.”

Liverpool were one of many high-profile clubs around the world to express support for Cavallo, with then manager Jurgen Klopp saying: “I appreciate that he did it because now we talk again.”

Barcelona defender the athlete also offered support, writing on social media that “soccer culture is lagging behind and you are helping us move forward”, while Adelaide United released a comment supporting their “extraordinary” and “brave” player.

Some people, however, were less welcoming.

Cavallo soon turned into a subject to anti-gay remarks by opposition fans.

In January 2022 Melbourne Victory were penalized five thousand dollars over discriminatory chants from spectators directed at Cavallo during a match.

“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.”

There was a frightening incident at a petrol station in Australia, where the athlete was assaulted by someone who recognised him from the coverage.

“That was a scary moment,” he recalls. “I remember thinking ‘this is real - people want to harm me’.

“Is it acceptable? Absolutely not. But by coming out, this is what it brings.

“My wish is that future individuals who reveals their orientation while competing in soccer at a high level won't face the path 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.

“We don't sit straight people down and ask ‘why should you exist in football?’.

“A lot of people see me as a cheerful, optimistic person. But there are days when I lean on my fiance, Leighton, and he witnesses a lot that happens privately.”

‘Top-tier athlete revealing orientation would create waves’

Cavallo's decision to disclose his orientation helped prompt teenage Blackpool forward Jake Daniels to announce he was gay as the Britain's sole publicly out playing soccer professional in May 2022.

Nevertheless, there are zero publicly LGBTQ athletes in the top English division.

“It would create massive change,” says the footballer on the effect a elite athlete revealing their orientation would have.

“But I'm not going to sugar-coat it. There are a lot of scary things that would come this person's way. Within soccer culture, being an openly gay player is a very toxic place.”

Twenty-seven years after Justin Fashanu - the UK's initial out soccer professional - died by suicide in 1998, Cavallo has spoken about the “harmful male culture” that still exists in men's football.

“You just need to go to a match and see the hostile environment and male-dominated culture that the audience creates,” he says.

“Much remains to be done to ensure there is a safe space in soccer for people like myself and his colleague.

“Progress has been limited (additional athletes revealing their orientation) as much as we would like.

“My role is to continue advocating for principles I believe in, and work towards taking out the toxic masculinity in football changing rooms and establishing secure environments.”

‘My mission is to drive progress’

The player says football has enabled discussions inside dressing rooms about coming out.

However, he is critical of soccer's global governing body, after Qatar, where homosexual partnerships are against the law, hosted the men's World Cup in 2022.

The 2034 tournament will be held in another Gulf state, where same-sex attraction is similarly prohibited.

“Do I approve that the global championship is in nations that ban gay unions, where people like me will be put in prison for just existing on that land? It's scary,” says Cavallo.

“I receive communications [from residents of such nations] saying ‘I face imprisonment for being who I am - is assistance possible?’.

“It's devastating that individuals are incarcerated for being who they are.

“There are countries that are significant soccer markets and they don't accept LGBTQ+ people. Those are the countries that often focus on me.”

Despite this, the footballer says he will not stop speaking up.

“Soccer has enabled dialogue in the locker room. It lets me communicate and educate people 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 purpose is to create change. That's what I'm here for.”