Josh Cavallo Says More Gay Footballers Are Telling Him They Want To Come Out
Australian footballer Josh Cavallo says he is being privately contacted by closeted players from across men’s professional football, with some telling him they plan to come out “now” or “next week” and others giving timelines as long as five years away.
Speaking on the podcast It Started With a Kiss, Cavallo said the messages tend to come from opposition players and former teammates after they have shared a pitch or a dressing room with him, often opening with some version of, “Hey, this is what I identify as. I am in the LGBTQIA+ space, and thank you so much for being the representation.”
Cavallo became the first active male professional footballer to come out as gay in 2021, while playing for A-League side Adelaide United. He says he feels honoured that other players trust him with this. He is not sharing names. Some of the players who reach out tell him they will never come out publicly. Some are still working out when. The decision, he says, stays deeply personal, and his job is just to listen.
The cost of being visible
The flip side of being the most visible out gay man in men’s football is being the most accessible target. Cavallo told the podcast that some of the worst abuse he sees online comes from countries where LGBTQIA+ people face criminalisation or the death penalty, and where football happens to be enormous. He has read comments telling him he “shouldn’t be existing” or “shouldn’t be breathing,” and called the messages “absolutely disgusting.” In an earlier interview on FIFPro’s Footballers Unfiltered podcast, he spoke about receiving multiple death threats since coming out.
He says he is willing to “take these shots” so that “the next person stepping in my shoes or the next person that wants to be Josh Cavallo” can live openly without the same pain.
A very small club, but it is growing
Cavallo is no longer the only out gay man in elite men’s football, though the list is still tiny. Recent counts put it at around five worldwide. Blackpool forward Jake Daniels came out in May 2022 and named Cavallo as one of his inspirations. Czech international Jakub Jankto has also come out. Women’s football, by contrast, has had openly queer stars at every level for years.
Cavallo has not stayed quiet about the system around the players either. He has criticised FIFA over its sanctioning of OneLove armband wearers at the 2022 World Cup. Earlier this year, he alleged that his former club Adelaide United had blocked opportunities for him because of his sexuality, claims the club denied.
If even one footballer in a Premier League dressing room is sitting on a coming-out timeline because of him, that is already a win. The fact that there are several, across multiple leagues and multiple continents, makes the next 12 months in men’s football a lot more interesting. We will be paying attention.
