Footballer Josh Cavallo holds back tears as he proudly comes out as gay: ‘I couldn’t be happier’
Josh Cavallo is the world’s only currently active out gay male top-tier professional footballer after coming out on social media. (Twitter/@AdelaideUnited)
Australian football star Josh Cavallo has proudly come out as gay, saying he “couldn’t be happier” with his decision to reveal his sexuality to the world.
The Adelaide United player announced the news on Wednesday (27 October) in a heartfelt social media post, declaring he had been on a “journey” to get to the point in his life where he was “proud to publicly announce I am gay“.
He added: āBeing a gay closeted footballer, Iāve had to learn to mask my feelings in order to fit the mould of a professional footballer. Growing up being gay and playing football were just two worlds that hadnāt crossed paths before.
āIāve lived my life assuming that this was a topic never to be spoken about. In football, you only have a small window to achieve greatness, and coming out publicly may have a negative impact on a career.ā
He admitted it was āastonishingā to him to realise there are ācurrently no gay professional footballers who are out and actively playingā in the world. But he hoped this would change in the future so more LGBT+ people can feel āthey are welcome in the football communityā.
— Josh Cavallo (@JoshuaCavallo) October 27, 2021
Josh Cavalloās post was later accompanied by a personal video filmed in his home which was shared by his club. He shared that he āalways felt the need to hide myselfā growing up because he was āashamed I would never be able to do what I love and be gayā.
āI thought that people would think of me differently when they found out, they would start treating me differently, they would start saying bad things about me or making fun out of me,ā the 21-year-old said.
āBut thatās not the case, if anything you earn more respect from people.ā
The midfielder said the experience of coming out to his loved ones, teammates and coaches has been āincredibleā.
āThe response and support I have received is immense,ā he shared. āItās starting to make me think that why have I been holding this burden for so long?ā
https://twitter.com/AdelaideUnited/status/1453173351396958208
Cavallo said he wanted to show people that āitās OK to be yourself and play footballā while also living as the ātrue Josh Cavalloā.
The young player has received waves of support from fans and fellow footballers after his emotional announcement.
Retired footballer Thomas Beattie, who came out in 2020, wrote on Twitter that he is āso proud of my little brotherā for coming out publicly.
āVisibility and representation matters,ā he added. āThe world is a better place for your courage! Legend!ā
Josh Cavallo of Adelaide United kicks during the A-League match against Sydney FC at Leichhardt Oval, on 18 April 2021, in Sydney, Australia. (Getty/Cameron Spencer)
Matildasā forward Caitlin Foord sent her support to her fellow Aussie for having the āstrength to speak out and own who you areā.
Pride Cup, an Australian group that challenges LGBTI+ discrimination within sporting clubs, said it is “thrilled” to see Cavallo “come out on the public stage” as sport is an “incredible platform for social change”. It added the more elite athletes who feel comfortable living their truth will result in safer sporting environments for “LGBTI+ people everywhere”.
“Young LGBTI+ people everywhere will be watching the media around Josh Cavallo with a new sense of hope for themselves and their own sporting aspirations, be that to play at an elite level, or to head down to their local club to have their first kick,” Pride Cup said.
“Josh Cavallo will inspire an entire generation of young Australians to feel safe to play and be their true selves.”
Across the world, there are only a handful of openly gay male footballers ā none of whom are playing in the top tier of the sport.
Justin Fashanu made headlines as the first gay active professional footballer after he came out in an interview withĀ The Sun on 22 October 1990. He remained the only male footballer to reveal his sexuality while playing professionally in the top tiers for over three decades.
Thomas Hitzlsperger came out as gay in 2014 after he retired a year earlier due to injury problems. The former footballer said it had only been in the ālast few yearsā that he realised his sexuality. While he was ānever ashamed of being who I amā, he admitted it was ānot always easy to sit on a table with 20 young men and listen to jokes about gaysā.
American former Leeds player Robbie Rogers revealed he is gay before he retired in 2013. He later returned to play for LA Galaxy, becoming the first openly gay male athlete in a major North American professional sport, before he retired once again in 2017.
