Identifying as LGBTQ+ in Professional Soccer: An Unwelcoming Atmosphere

“You don't belong on this earth” ... “What are you doing here?” ... “Stop breathing.”

After announcing he was gay in 2021, footballer the athlete has faced constant threats and abusive messages on online platforms.

“When I first saw these messages, it broke my heart,” the player states. “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 face criticism because of who I am. 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.

Recently he left Australia to join lower-tier club Peterborough Sports, who compete before audiences of about 400 in National League North, the sixth tier of English football.

This young athlete combines playing for the semi-professional team by speaking up on LGBTQ+ issues and leveraging his platform - boasting over a million followers on Instagram - to promote fairness and inclusion.

“Absolutely, there's enormous work ahead,” Cavallo says when asked if football still has a problem with discrimination.

“I don't go more than a week without hearing about an issue.”

‘People want to harm me’

It took years for the athlete to build up the bravery to say “I'm gay” before revealing his sexuality on 27 October 2021.

“My only desire is play football and be treated equally,” he stated in an accompanying video.

The player was twenty-one and building his reputation at Adelaide United in Australia's top flight when, with the support of his team-mates, he announced his orientation publicly.

“The future was uncertain. I didn't know what to expect,” he recalls. “The moment seemed appropriate in my life. I wanted to take the next step.”

The heartfelt revelation clip, entitled ‘His Personal Story’, went viral on social media.

“My phone was flooded with messages of support. It was overwhelming.”

A prominent club were one of many high-profile clubs around the world to express support for the player, with the coach at the time Jurgen Klopp saying: “I appreciate that he did it because now we talk again.”

Spanish player the athlete also offered support, writing on social media that “soccer culture is far behind and you are helping us move forward”, while his former club released a comment backing their “remarkable” and “courageous” player.

Others, however, were less welcoming.

The footballer soon turned into a target of homophobic abuse by opposition fans.

During early 2022 a competing team were penalized five thousand dollars over anti-gay abuse from fans aimed toward the player during a match.

“The comments I encountered were painful and disparaging towards my community,” he says.

“I remained calm because I knew that would only feed the haters.”

There was a frightening incident at a petrol station in Australia, where the athlete was physically attacked by an individual who identified him from the media attention.

“That was a scary moment,” he remembers. “The thought crossed my mind ‘this is happening - people want to harm me’.

“Should this be tolerated? Definitely not. But through my disclosure, this is what it brings.

“I hope that future individuals who reveals their orientation while competing in soccer at a professional standard won't face the journey I have endured.”

Cavallo says the daily death threats 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 my identity,” he states.

“We don't sit straight people down and ask ‘what gives you the right in football?’.

“A lot of people see me as a cheerful, positive person. But sometimes when I lean on my fiance, Leighton, and he gets to see much of what occurs privately.”

‘Premier League player coming out would move mountains’

The player's choice to disclose his orientation helped prompt teenage Blackpool forward Jake Daniels to come out as the Britain's sole publicly out active male professional footballer in spring 2022.

However, there are no openly gay or bisexual players in the top English division.

“It would move mountains,” says Cavallo on the effect a elite athlete coming out would have.

“But I must be honest. There are a lot of scary things that would come this person's way. In the world of football, being an openly gay player is a highly hostile environment.”

Twenty-seven years after a pioneering player - the UK's initial out soccer professional - took his own life in 1998, the current athlete has spoken about the “toxic masculinity” that still exists in men's football.

“You just need to go to a game and see the hostile environment and masculinity that the audience creates,” he says.

“Much remains to be done to make sure there is a safe space in football for people like myself and Jake.

“Progress has been limited (additional athletes revealing their orientation) as frequently as desired.

“My role is to continue advocating for principles I believe in, and strive for taking out the toxic masculinity in football changing rooms and establishing secure environments.”

‘I'm here to create change’

Cavallo says soccer has enabled discussions inside dressing rooms about revealing one's orientation.

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.

Future World Cup will be held in another Gulf state, where same-sex attraction is similarly prohibited.

“Do I approve that the World Cup is in nations that criminalise same-sex marriages, where people like me will be imprisoned for merely living on that land? 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 - can you help me?’.

“It's devastating that individuals are incarcerated for their true selves.

“There are countries that are significant soccer markets and they reject the queer community. Those are the countries that often focus on me.”

Despite this, the footballer says he won't cease advocating.

“Football has allowed me to start conversations in the locker room. It lets me communicate and educate people who want to learn more.

“Some will disapprove for your identity. But I have found my family. I have found my community.

“My mission is to drive progress. That's my objective.”