🔗 Share this article

“You shouldn't exist” ... “What are you doing here?” ... “Stop breathing.”

Since revealing he was gay in 2021, player Josh Cavallo has faced constant threats and hateful comments on online platforms.

“Upon reading those comments, I was devastated,” Cavallo states. “Nobody should have to endure such words.

“I'm working to improve my skills and be the best I can be on the pitch, and then face criticism because of who I am. It's disgusting.”

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.

This summer he departed from Australia to join lower-tier club Peterborough Sports, who play in front of crowds of about 400 in National League North, the sixth tier of the English soccer system.

This young athlete balances his sports career for the semi-professional team by speaking up on inclusion matters and using his profile - he has more than one million followers on Instagram - to promote fairness and inclusion.

“Absolutely, there's enormous work ahead,” Cavallo comments when questioned about ongoing issues with discrimination.

“I don't go more than a week without encountering problems.”

‘Individuals wish to hurt me’

It took years for the athlete to work up the courage to say “I'm gay” before coming out on 27 October 2021.

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

Cavallo was 21 and making a name for himself at Adelaide United in the premier division 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 needed to move forward.”

The heartfelt revelation clip, entitled ‘His Personal Story’, gained massive attention on digital platforms.

“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 show solidarity with the player, with then manager Jurgen Klopp saying: “I'm really thankful that he took this step because now we talk again.”

Barcelona defender the athlete also expressed backing, writing on social media that “the world of football is lagging behind and your actions drive progress”, while his former club issued a statement backing their “extraordinary” and “courageous” player.

Others, however, were not so accepting.

Cavallo quickly became a target of homophobic abuse by opposition fans.

During early 2022 Melbourne Victory were penalized A$5,000 over anti-gay abuse from spectators aimed toward the player during a game.

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

“I didn't react because I knew that would only feed the haters.”

A scary event occurred at a gas station in Australia, where Cavallo was physically attacked by someone who recognised him from the media attention.

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

“Is it acceptable? Absolutely not. But by coming out, these are the consequences.

“I hope that future individuals who reveals their orientation while playing football at a professional standard won't face the path I have endured.”

The player says the constant menacing messages and abusive messages have affected his mental health.

“It's disappointing because I am having to explain why I deserve a place on the football field for my identity,” he says.

“We don't sit straight people down and ask ‘why should you exist in football?’.

“Many individuals see me as a smiling, optimistic person. But there are days when I rely on my partner, Leighton, and he witnesses a lot that happens behind the scenes.”

‘Premier League player coming out would move mountains’

Cavallo's decision to disclose his orientation helped prompt teenage attacking player another athlete to announce he was gay as the UK's only openly gay playing soccer professional in May 2022.

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

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

“But I'm not going to sugar-coat it. There are a lot of scary things that would come this person's way. Within soccer culture, identifying as LGBTQ is a very toxic place.”

Twenty-seven years after Justin Fashanu - Britain's first openly gay male footballer - took his own life in 1998, the current athlete has spoken about the “harmful male culture” that persists in professional soccer.

“You just need to go to a game and see the unfriendly atmosphere and masculinity that the audience creates,” he explains.

“There is still a lot of work to ensure there is a safe space in soccer for people like myself and Jake.

“Progress has been limited (additional athletes revealing their orientation) as much as we would like.

“My role is to continue advocating for what I think is right, and work towards taking out the harmful male norms in soccer locker rooms and establishing secure environments.”

‘I'm here to create change’

The player says football has allowed him to have conversations inside dressing rooms about coming out.

Yet, he is disapproving toward Fifa, after the Middle Eastern nation, where same-sex relationships are illegal, staged the global tournament in 2022.

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

“Do I approve that the global championship is in countries that ban gay unions, where individuals like myself will be imprisoned for just existing on their territory? It's scary,” says the athlete.

“I get messages [from residents of such nations] saying ‘I'm about to be put in prison for my identity - is assistance possible?’.

“It breaks my heart that individuals are incarcerated for their true selves.

“There are countries that are huge in terms of football and they don't accept LGBTQ+ people. These places that often focus on me.”

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

“Football has enabled dialogue in the changing room. It has allowed me to speak and educate people who seek understanding.

“Some will disapprove for your identity. But I've discovered support. I've connected with similar people.

“My purpose is to drive progress. That's what I'm here for.”