Jake Daniels in “Out And Proud In Football”
British football professional, Jake Daniels came out in May 2022, aged just 17, as reported by DNA at the time, and has recently appeared in a new Channel 4 documentary, Out And Proud In Football.
The Blackpool forward says in the film, “In football, being gay is a taboo, even now. I had a choice, either live my life as a lie and carry on playing football or come out and have to quit… I am hoping that by coming out I can be a role model, to help others.”
Daniels credits his own coming out to British Olympic diver, Tom Daley.
In a Channel 4 Christmas message in 2021, Daley said, “Nearly 7 per cent of people in the UK identify as gay or bisexual. There are around 500 Premier League players. Statistically, there are enough players for three football teams. At least one gay man at every club in the Premier League, living a lie… Think for a moment about the number of players too scared to speak up, and how lonely that must be.
“How amazing it would be and what a difference it would make if one brave player came out as gay,” said Daley.
Daley’s words inspired Jake and, last year, he became only the second pro-football to come out as gay while still playing.
The first was Justin Fashanu in 1990 and it did not go well for him. Extreme racism and homophobia forced him out of the Premier League shortly afterwards and unproven accusations of misconduct while working as a coach led the LGBTQIA+ right pioneer to take his own life.
Fashanu’s experience makes Jake Daniels’ decision especially brave in that context.
“For a long time I’ve thought I would have to hide my truth because I wanted to be, and now I am, a professional footballer,” he told Sky Sports News. “I asked myself if I should wait until I’ve retired to come out. No other player in the professional game here is out.
“However, I knew that would lead to a long time of lying and not being able to be myself or lead the life that I want to.
“Since I’ve come out to my family, my club and my teammates, that period of overthinking everything and the stress it created has gone. It was impacting my mental health.
“Now I am just confident and happy to be myself finally.”
