Identifying as LGBTQ+ in Men's Football: An Unwelcoming Atmosphere
“There's still so much to accomplish” - the athlete on homophobia in football
“You shouldn't exist” ... “Why are you here?” ... “Stop breathing.”
After announcing his homosexuality in 2021, footballer the athlete has faced constant threats and abusive messages on online platforms.
“Upon reading those comments, it broke my heart,” Cavallo explains. “No-one wants to read things like that.
“I'm trying to get better as a player and reach my full potential on the pitch, and then get put down because of who I am. It's disgusting.”
Midfielder Cavallo was at Adelaide United four years ago when he became the only openly gay top-flight male professional footballer in the world.
This summer he left Australia to join non-league Peterborough Sports, who compete before audiences of about 400 in the sixth division, one level below of English football.
The 25-year-old balances his sports career for the Cambridgeshire part-timers by speaking up on LGBTQ+ issues and leveraging his platform - boasting over a million followers on Instagram - to champion equality and acceptance.
“Definitely, we've got mountains to do,” the footballer comments when questioned about ongoing issues with discrimination.
“I don't go more than a week without hearing about an issue.”
‘Individuals wish to hurt me’
The player was raised in Melbourne
It took years for the athlete to build up the bravery to say “I'm gay” before revealing his sexuality on October 27th, 2021.
“My only desire is play football and be treated equally,” he said in an related clip.
Cavallo 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. “It felt like the right time in my life. I needed to move forward.”
His emotional coming out video, entitled ‘Josh's Truth’, went viral on social media.
“My mobile phone exploded with encouraging words. The response was incredible.”
A prominent club 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 now we talk again.”
Barcelona defender the athlete also offered support, writing on social media that “soccer culture is lagging behind and you are helping us move forward”, while his former club released a comment supporting their “remarkable” and “courageous” player.
Some people, however, were less welcoming.
Cavallo soon turned into a target of anti-gay remarks by rival supporters.
In January 2022 Melbourne Victory were penalized A$5,000 over discriminatory chants from fans aimed toward the player during a game.
“The comments I encountered were painful and disparaging towards LGBTQ people,” he says.
“I didn't react because I knew that would only feed the haters.”
A scary event occurred at a petrol station in Australia, where Cavallo was physically attacked by someone who recognised him from the media attention.
“That was a scary moment,” he recalls. “I remember thinking ‘this is happening - individuals intend to hurt me’.
“Should this be tolerated? Definitely not. But through my disclosure, this is what it brings.
“My wish is that the next person who reveals their orientation while playing football at a professional standard doesn't have to experience the journey I have endured.”
The player says the constant menacing messages and hostile communications have affected his psychological well-being.
“It's disappointing because I am having to explain why I deserve a place on the soccer pitch for my identity,” he says.
“Heterosexual players aren't questioned and ask ‘why should you exist 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 witnesses a lot that happens behind the scenes.”
‘Premier League player coming out would move mountains’
Cavallo's decision to disclose his orientation helped inspire 17-year-old Blackpool forward another athlete to announce he was gay as the UK's only openly gay playing soccer professional in spring 2022.
However, there are zero publicly LGBTQ athletes in the Premier League.
“It would create massive change,” says the footballer on the impact a Premier League player coming out would make.
“But I'm not going to sugar-coat it. There are a lot of scary things that would come this person's way. In the world of football, identifying as LGBTQ is a highly hostile environment.”
Over two decades after Justin Fashanu - Britain's first openly gay male footballer - took his own life in 1998, Cavallo has discussed the “harmful male culture” that still exists in professional soccer.
“Simply attend to a game and see the unfriendly atmosphere and male-dominated culture that the audience creates,” he says.
“There is still a lot of work to make sure there is a secure environment in soccer for individuals like me and his colleague.
“We haven't seen it (more players coming out) 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.”
‘My mission is to drive progress’
Cavallo received an honorary doctorate from Flinders University in his former city in 2022, honoring his efforts as a role model in sport and a champion for equality
Cavallo says soccer has enabled discussions within team environments about revealing one's orientation.
Yet, he is critical of Fifa, after Qatar, where same-sex relationships are against the law, staged the global tournament in 2022.
The 2034 tournament will be held in Saudi Arabia, where homosexuality is similarly prohibited.
“Do I approve that the World Cup is in countries that criminalise same-sex marriages, where individuals like myself will be imprisoned for merely living on their territory? It's frightening,” states 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 breaks my heart that people are getting locked up for their true selves.
“Certain nations that are significant soccer markets and they don't accept LGBTQ+ people. These places that often focus on me.”
Nevertheless, 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.
“Not everyone is going to like you for who you are. But I have found my family. I've connected with similar people.
“My purpose is to create change. That's what I'm here for.”