Identifying as LGBTQ+ in Professional Soccer: A Toxic Environment
“There's still so much to accomplish” - the athlete on homophobia in soccer
“You shouldn't exist” ... “What are you doing here?” ... “Don't take another breath.”
Since revealing he was gay in 2021, footballer Josh Cavallo has received daily death threats and hateful comments on social media.
“When I first saw these messages, 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 during matches, and then get put down due to my identity. It's appalling.”
Midfielder the sportsman was at Adelaide United back in 2020 when he emerged as the sole publicly out top-flight male professional footballer in the world.
This summer he left Australia to join non-league Peterborough Sports, who play in front of crowds of about 400 in the sixth division, the sixth tier of English football.
This young athlete balances his sports career for the Cambridgeshire part-timers by speaking up on inclusion matters and leveraging his platform - he has more than one million followers on Instagram - to promote fairness and acceptance.
“Definitely, there's enormous work ahead,” Cavallo comments when questioned about ongoing issues with homophobia.
“Rarely a week passes 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'm gay” 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.
The player was 21 and making a name for himself at his Australian club in the premier division when, backed by his colleagues, he publicly came out.
“The future was uncertain. I had no expectations,” he says. “It felt like the right time in my life. I needed to move forward.”
The heartfelt revelation clip, titled ‘Josh's Truth’, gained massive attention on digital platforms.
“My mobile phone exploded with messages of support. It was overwhelming.”
A prominent club were among numerous famous teams around the world to express support for the player, with the coach at the time Jurgen Klopp saying: “I'm really thankful that he did it because now we talk again.”
Spanish player Gerard Pique also offered support, posting online that “the world of football is far behind and your actions drive progress”, while his former club issued a statement supporting their “remarkable” and “brave” player.
Others, however, were less welcoming.
Cavallo 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 match.
“The things I'd hear were painful and derogatory towards my community,” he explains.
“I remained calm because responding would encourage detractors.”
A scary event occurred at a petrol station in Australia, where Cavallo was physically attacked by an individual who identified him from the media attention.
“It was terrifying,” he recalls. “I remember thinking ‘this is happening - people want to harm me’.
“Is it acceptable? Absolutely not. But through my disclosure, these are the consequences.
“My wish is that future individuals who reveals their orientation while playing football at a high level won't face the journey I have endured.”
The player says the constant menacing messages and abusive messages have affected his psychological well-being.
“It's quite sad because I am having to explain why I deserve a place on the soccer pitch for my identity,” he states.
“Heterosexual players aren't questioned and ask ‘what gives you the right in football?’.
“A lot of people see me as a smiling, optimistic person. But sometimes when I rely on my partner, Leighton, and he witnesses much of what occurs privately.”
‘Premier League player coming out would move mountains’
Cavallo's decision to reveal his sexuality helped prompt 17-year-old Blackpool forward another athlete to come out as the UK's only openly gay playing soccer professional in May 2022.
However, there are zero publicly LGBTQ athletes in the top English division.
“It would move mountains,” says the footballer on the effect a elite athlete 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, Cavallo has discussed the “toxic masculinity” that persists in professional soccer.
“You just need to go to a match and see the unfriendly atmosphere and masculinity that the audience creates,” he explains.
“There is still a lot of work to make sure there is a safe space in football for people like myself and Jake.
“Progress has been limited (more players coming out) as much as we would like.
“My role is to continue advocating for what I think is right, and work towards eliminating the toxic masculinity in soccer locker rooms and creating a safe space.”
‘My mission is to drive progress’
The athlete was awarded an honorary degree from Flinders University in his former city in 2022, recognising his contributions as a role model in athletics and a advocate for fairness
Cavallo says soccer has enabled discussions within team environments about revealing one's orientation.
However, he is disapproving toward soccer's global governing body, after Qatar, where same-sex relationships are illegal, hosted the men's World Cup in 2022.
The 2034 tournament is scheduled in Saudi Arabia, where homosexuality is similarly prohibited.
“Do I approve that the global championship is in countries that ban gay unions, where people like me will be imprisoned for just existing on that land? It's scary,” says Cavallo.
“I get messages [from people living in these countries] saying ‘I face imprisonment for being who I am - is assistance possible?’.
“It breaks my heart that individuals are incarcerated for being who they are.
“There are countries that are significant soccer markets and they reject the queer community. Those are the countries that tend to target me.”
Nevertheless, Cavallo says he won't cease advocating.
“Soccer has enabled dialogue in the changing room. It has allowed me to speak and educate people who want to learn more.
“Some will disapprove for who you are. But I've discovered support. I've connected with similar people.
“My mission is to create change. That's my objective.”
