Casey Stoney: Support after coming out was ‘overwhelming’
Former England women’s captain Casey Stoney has said that the support after she came out was “overwhelming”.
The Arsenal player, who came out as gay in February, made the comments in an interview with the FA.
She said: ““In my head, it was going to be negative, and it was the complete opposite. It was really overwhelming.
“I had thousands of tweets in support. I was really overwhelmed.
“I love football, coming out has made me feel more comfortable in myself, and it’s showing in my performances now.
“We’ve got a lot of work to do in terms of homophobia, the chants that go on in the stands.
“It’s all about educating people – being gay isn’t a choice, it’s something that just happens.
“It’s not a choice I made, it’s something that I realised when I was about 15 or 16 and I’ve lived my life that way since then.”
Of Rainbow Laces, she said: “Campaigns like this raise the issue. It’s really important you report discrimination. If you don’t how can we stop it from happening? You have to challenge behaviours because if you don’t you can’t stop it from continuing.”
Stoney is currently expecting twins with her partner Megan Harris
She said previously: “Being gay parents may not be that common in football but, in my view, as long as children have the love and support they need, then it shouldn’t matter whether they are brought up by two mums, two dads or a mum and a dad.”
