Being Gay in Men's Football: A Toxic Environment

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

Since revealing he was gay in 2021, footballer the athlete has faced constant threats and hateful comments on social media.

“Upon reading those comments, I was devastated,” Cavallo explains. “No-one wants to read things like that.

“I'm working to improve my skills and reach my full potential during matches, and then face criticism due to my identity. It's disgusting.”

Player the sportsman was playing for Adelaide United four years ago when he became the only openly gay top-flight male professional footballer in the world.

This summer 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, the sixth tier of the English soccer system.

This young athlete balances his sports career for the Cambridgeshire part-timers by speaking up on LGBTQ+ issues and leveraging his platform - he has more than one million followers on social media - to champion equality and inclusion.

“Absolutely, we've got mountains to do,” Cavallo says when questioned about ongoing issues with discrimination.

“Rarely a week passes without encountering problems.”

‘Individuals wish to hurt me’

Several years passed for the athlete to build up the bravery to say “I am homosexual” before coming out on 27 October 2021.

“All I want to do is play football and receive fair treatment,” he said in an accompanying video.

Cavallo was 21 and building his reputation at Adelaide United in the premier division when, with the support of his team-mates, he publicly came out.

“I didn't know what was ahead. 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.”

Liverpool were one of many high-profile clubs around the world to show solidarity with the player, with the coach at the time the German manager saying: “I'm really thankful that he did it because it sparks conversation.”

Spanish player Gerard Pique also expressed backing, writing on social media that “the world of football is far behind and you are helping us move forward”, while Adelaide United issued a statement backing their “extraordinary” and “courageous” player.

Some people, however, were not so accepting.

The footballer quickly became a subject to homophobic abuse by rival supporters.

In January 2022 Melbourne Victory were fined five thousand dollars over discriminatory chants from spectators directed at the player during a match.

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

“I remained calm because responding would encourage detractors.”

A scary event occurred at a petrol station in Australia, where Cavallo was assaulted by an individual who identified him from the media attention.

“That was a scary moment,” he recalls. “The thought crossed my mind ‘this is real - individuals intend to hurt me’.

“Is it acceptable? Definitely not. But by coming out, this is what it brings.

“I hope 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 endured.”

Cavallo says the constant menacing messages and hostile communications have affected his mental health.

“It's quite sad because I must justify why I deserve a place on the soccer pitch for being who I am,” he says.

“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 there are days when I rely on my partner, his name, and he gets to see a lot that happens privately.”

‘Premier League player coming out would move mountains’

Cavallo's decision to disclose his orientation helped inspire teenage Blackpool forward another athlete to come out as the UK's only openly gay active male professional footballer in spring 2022.

However, there are zero publicly LGBTQ athletes in the Premier League.

“It would move mountains,” says the footballer on the effect a Premier League player revealing their orientation would have.

“But I'm not going to sugar-coat it. Numerous frightening aspects that would come this person's way. Within soccer culture, being an openly gay player is a highly hostile environment.”

Over two decades after a pioneering player - Britain's first openly gay male footballer - died by suicide in 1998, Cavallo has discussed the “harmful male culture” that persists in professional soccer.

“You just need to go to a match and see the hostile environment and male-dominated culture that the audience creates,” he explains.

“Much remains to be done to make sure there is a safe space in soccer for individuals like me and Jake.

“We haven't seen it (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 harmful male norms in soccer locker rooms and creating a safe space.”

‘My mission is to drive progress’

The player says football has enabled discussions within team environments about coming out.

However, he is critical of Fifa, after Qatar, where same-sex relationships are against the law, hosted the men's World Cup in 2022.

The 2034 tournament is scheduled in another Gulf state, where same-sex attraction is also illegal.

“Am I impressed that the World Cup is in countries that criminalise same-sex marriages, where people like me will be imprisoned for just existing on that land? It's frightening,” states the athlete.

“I receive communications [from residents of such nations] saying ‘I'm about to be put in prison for my identity - can you help me?’.

“It's devastating 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.”

Despite this, Cavallo says he will not stop speaking up.

“Soccer has enabled dialogue in the locker room. It has allowed me to speak and inform individuals who seek understanding.

“Some will disapprove for your identity. But I have found my family. I've connected with similar people.

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