Identifying as LGBTQ+ in Professional Soccer: An Unwelcoming Atmosphere
“There's still so much to accomplish” - Cavallo on anti-gay prejudice in football
“You don't belong on this earth” ... “Why are you here?” ... “Stop breathing.”
Since revealing his homosexuality in 2021, player the athlete has faced constant threats and abusive messages on online platforms.
“When I first saw these messages, I was devastated,” the player 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 get put down because of who I am. It's appalling.”
Midfielder 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 departed from Australia to sign with lower-tier club Peterborough Sports, who play in front of crowds of about 400 in the sixth division, one level below of the English soccer system.
The 25-year-old balances his sports career for the Cambridgeshire part-timers by advocating for inclusion matters and using his profile - he has more than one million followers on social media - to promote fairness and acceptance.
“Definitely, there's enormous work ahead,” the footballer comments when questioned about ongoing issues with homophobia.
“Rarely a week passes without encountering problems.”
‘Individuals wish to hurt me’
The player was raised in Melbourne
It took years for Cavallo to work up the courage to say “I'm gay” before coming out on October 27th, 2021.
“All I want to do is play football and be treated equally,” he stated in an accompanying video.
Cavallo was twenty-one and making a name for himself at Adelaide United in Australia's top flight when, backed by his colleagues, he announced his orientation publicly.
“The future was uncertain. I didn't know what to expect,” he says. “It felt like the right time in my life. I wanted to take the next step.”
His emotional coming out video, entitled ‘Josh's Truth’, went viral on social media.
“My phone was flooded with messages of support. The response was incredible.”
A prominent club were one of many high-profile clubs around the world to show solidarity with Cavallo, with then manager Jurgen Klopp saying: “I'm really thankful that he did it because now we talk again.”
Barcelona defender Gerard Pique also expressed backing, writing on social media that “the world of football is far behind and your actions drive progress”, while his former club released a comment supporting their “remarkable” and “courageous” player.
Others, however, were not so accepting.
The footballer quickly became a target of anti-gay remarks by opposition fans.
In January 2022 Melbourne Victory were penalized A$5,000 over discriminatory chants from spectators aimed toward the player during a match.
“The things I'd hear were hurtful and derogatory towards my community,” 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 Cavallo was assaulted by someone who recognised him from the coverage.
“That was a scary moment,” he remembers. “The thought crossed my mind ‘this is real - people want to harm me’.
“Is it acceptable? Absolutely not. But through my disclosure, these are the consequences.
“My wish is that the next person who reveals their orientation while competing in soccer at a professional standard doesn't have to experience the path I have experienced.”
Cavallo says the constant menacing messages and hostile communications have affected his mental health.
“It's disappointing 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, positive person. But there are days when I rely on my partner, Leighton, and he witnesses a lot that happens privately.”
‘Top-tier athlete revealing orientation would create waves’
The player's choice to disclose his orientation helped inspire 17-year-old Blackpool forward another athlete to announce he was gay as the UK's only openly gay playing soccer professional in spring 2022.
However, there are no openly gay or bisexual players in the top English division.
“It would create massive change,” says Cavallo on the effect a Premier League player revealing their orientation would make.
“But I'm not going to sugar-coat it. Numerous frightening aspects that would await this individual. Within soccer culture, being an openly gay player is a highly hostile environment.”
Twenty-seven years after a pioneering player - the UK's initial out soccer professional - died by suicide in 1998, Cavallo has discussed the “toxic masculinity” that still exists in professional soccer.
“Simply attend to a match and see the hostile environment and masculinity that the crowd brings,” he says.
“Much remains to be done to ensure there is a secure environment in football for people like myself and his colleague.
“Progress has been limited (more players coming out) as much as we would like.
“I can only keep pushing for principles I believe in, and strive for taking out the harmful male norms in football changing rooms and establishing secure environments.”
‘My mission is to drive progress’
The athlete was awarded an honorary degree from an academic institution in his former city in 2022, honoring his efforts as a inspirational figure in athletics and a advocate for fairness
Cavallo says soccer has allowed him to have conversations within team environments about coming out.
However, he is disapproving toward Fifa, after Qatar, where homosexual partnerships are against the law, hosted the men's World Cup in 2022.
The 2034 tournament is scheduled in Saudi Arabia, where homosexuality is similarly prohibited.
“Am I impressed that the World Cup is in countries that ban gay unions, where people like me will be imprisoned for merely living on their territory? It's scary,” says the athlete.
“I get messages [from people living in these countries] saying ‘I'm about to be put in prison for my identity - is assistance possible?’.
“It breaks my heart that people are getting locked up 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 tend to target me.”
Nevertheless, Cavallo says he will not stop speaking up.
“Football has allowed me to start conversations in the changing 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 mission is to create change. That's what I'm here for.”
