Identifying as LGBTQ+ in Professional Soccer: A Toxic Environment
“We've got mountains to do” - the athlete on homophobia in soccer
“You shouldn't exist” ... “Why are you here?” ... “Stop breathing.”
After announcing he was gay in 2021, player Josh Cavallo has faced constant threats and abusive messages on social media.
“When I first saw these messages, it broke my heart,” Cavallo states. “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 face criticism due to my identity. It's appalling.”
Midfielder Cavallo was playing for Adelaide United back in 2020 when he emerged as the sole publicly out elite soccer player in the world.
This summer he departed from Australia to sign with non-league Peterborough Sports, who play in front of crowds of about 400 in the sixth division, the sixth tier of the English soccer system.
This young athlete balances his sports career for the semi-professional team by speaking up on LGBTQ+ issues and using his profile - boasting over a million followers on social media - to champion equality and inclusion.
“Absolutely, we've got mountains to do,” the footballer says when questioned about ongoing issues with discrimination.
“I don't go more than a week without encountering problems.”
‘Individuals wish to hurt me’
The player was raised in Melbourne
Several years passed for Cavallo to work up the courage to say “I'm gay” before coming out on 27 October 2021.
“My only desire is compete in soccer and receive fair treatment,” he stated in an related clip.
Cavallo was 21 and making a name for himself 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 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 ‘His Personal Story’, went viral on digital platforms.
“My mobile phone exploded with messages of support. The response was incredible.”
Liverpool were among numerous famous teams around the world to express support for the player, with then manager the German manager saying: “I appreciate that he did it because it sparks conversation.”
Spanish player the athlete also expressed backing, writing on social media that “soccer culture is far behind and your actions drive progress”, while Adelaide United issued a statement backing their “extraordinary” and “brave” player.
Some people, however, were not so accepting.
The footballer quickly became a subject to anti-gay remarks by opposition fans.
During early 2022 Melbourne Victory were fined five thousand dollars over discriminatory chants from fans directed at Cavallo during a match.
“The things I'd hear were painful and derogatory towards LGBTQ people,” he explains.
“I didn't react because I knew that would only feed the haters.”
There was a frightening incident at a gas station in Australia, where Cavallo was physically attacked by an individual who identified him from the coverage.
“It was terrifying,” he remembers. “The thought crossed my mind ‘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 playing football at a high level doesn't have to experience the journey I have endured.”
Cavallo says the daily death threats and hostile communications have affected his mental health.
“It's quite sad because I am having to explain why I belong on the soccer pitch for being who I am,” he states.
“We don't sit straight people down and ask ‘why should you exist in football?’.
“A lot of people see me as a cheerful, positive person. But there are days when I rely on my partner, Leighton, and he gets to see much of what occurs behind the scenes.”
‘Premier League player coming out would move mountains’
The player's choice to disclose his orientation helped prompt 17-year-old attacking player Jake Daniels to come out as the UK's only openly gay active male professional footballer in May 2022.
However, there are zero publicly LGBTQ athletes in the top English division.
“It would move mountains,” comments the footballer on the impact a Premier League player revealing their orientation would make.
“But I'm not going to sugar-coat it. There are a lot of scary things that would await this individual. In the world of football, being an openly gay player is a highly hostile environment.”
Over two decades after a pioneering player - Britain's first openly gay male footballer - died by suicide in 1998, Cavallo has discussed the “harmful male culture” that still exists in men's football.
“Simply attend to a match and see the unfriendly atmosphere and masculinity that the audience creates,” he says.
“Much remains to be done to make sure there is a safe space in soccer 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 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 Flinders University in his former city in 2022, honoring his efforts as a inspirational figure in athletics and a advocate for fairness
Cavallo says football has enabled discussions within team environments about coming out.
Yet, he is critical of soccer's global governing body, after Qatar, where same-sex relationships are against the law, staged the global tournament in 2022.
The 2034 tournament will be held 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 put in prison for merely living on their territory? It's frightening,” says the athlete.
“I receive communications [from people living in these countries] saying ‘I'm about to be put in prison for being who I am - is assistance possible?’.
“It's devastating that people are getting locked up for their true selves.
“Certain nations that are huge in terms of football and they don't accept the queer community. These places that often focus on me.”
Nevertheless, the footballer says he will not stop speaking up.
“Football has allowed me to start conversations in the locker room. It has allowed me to speak and inform individuals who want to learn more.
“Not everyone is going to like you for who you are. But I've discovered support. I have found my community.
“My mission is to create change. That's my objective.”
