Identifying as LGBTQ+ in Professional Soccer: An Unwelcoming Atmosphere
“We've got mountains to do” - Cavallo on homophobia in soccer
“You don't belong on this earth” ... “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,” the player explains. “Nobody should have to endure such words.
“I'm trying to get better as a player and be the best I can be on the pitch, and then get put down because of who I am. It's disgusting.”
Player the sportsman was playing for Adelaide United back in 2020 when he became the only openly gay top-flight male professional footballer in the world.
Recently he left Australia to sign with 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 advocating for LGBTQ+ issues and using his profile - he has more than one million followers on Instagram - to promote fairness and inclusion.
“Absolutely, we've got mountains to do,” the footballer comments when asked if football still has a problem with discrimination.
“Rarely a week passes without encountering problems.”
‘Individuals wish to hurt me’
The player was raised in Melbourne
It took years for Cavallo to work up the courage to say “I'm gay” before revealing his sexuality on 27 October 2021.
“All I want to do is compete in soccer and be treated equally,” he said in an accompanying video.
Cavallo was twenty-one and building his reputation at Adelaide United in Australia's top flight when, backed by his colleagues, he publicly came out.
“I didn't know what was ahead. I had no expectations,” he recalls. “It felt like the right time in my life. I needed to move forward.”
His emotional coming out video, titled ‘His Personal Story’, gained massive attention on digital platforms.
“My phone was flooded with messages of support. The response was incredible.”
Liverpool were among numerous famous teams around the world to show solidarity with Cavallo, with then manager Jurgen Klopp saying: “I appreciate that he took this step because now we talk again.”
Barcelona defender the athlete also expressed backing, posting online that “soccer culture is lagging behind and your actions drive progress”, while his former club issued a statement supporting their “extraordinary” and “courageous” player.
Others, however, were not so accepting.
Cavallo quickly became a subject to anti-gay remarks by rival supporters.
In January 2022 Melbourne Victory were penalized A$5,000 over discriminatory chants from spectators directed at Cavallo during a match.
“The things I'd hear were painful and disparaging towards LGBTQ people,” he says.
“I remained calm 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 an individual who identified him from the media attention.
“It was terrifying,” he recalls. “The thought crossed my mind ‘this is happening - individuals intend to hurt me’.
“Is it acceptable? Absolutely not. But through my disclosure, these are the consequences.
“My wish is that the next person who comes out while playing football at a high level won't face the path I have experienced.”
Cavallo says the daily death threats and abusive messages have taken a toll on his psychological well-being.
“It's disappointing because I must justify why I deserve a place on the soccer pitch for being who I am,” he states.
“We don't sit straight people down and ask ‘why should you exist in football?’.
“A lot of people see me as a cheerful, positive person. But sometimes when I rely on my partner, Leighton, and he gets to see a lot that happens privately.”
‘Premier League player coming out would move mountains’
The player's choice to reveal his sexuality helped prompt 17-year-old attacking player Jake Daniels to announce he was gay as the UK's only openly gay playing soccer professional in May 2022.
Nevertheless, there are no openly gay or bisexual players in the Premier League.
“It would move mountains,” comments Cavallo on the impact a elite athlete coming out 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, being an openly gay player is a highly hostile environment.”
Over two decades after Justin Fashanu - Britain's first openly gay male footballer - died by suicide in 1998, the current athlete has spoken about the “toxic masculinity” that still exists in professional soccer.
“You just need to go to a match and observe the hostile environment and masculinity that the audience creates,” he explains.
“Much remains to be done to make sure there is a safe space in football for people like myself and Jake.
“We haven't seen it (more players coming out) as much as we would like.
“I can only keep pushing for principles I believe in, and work towards taking out the harmful male norms in soccer locker rooms and creating a safe space.”
‘My mission is to drive progress’
The athlete was awarded an honorary degree from an academic institution in his former city in 2022, honoring his efforts as a role model in athletics and a advocate for fairness
The player says football has allowed him to have conversations inside dressing rooms about revealing one's orientation.
Yet, he is disapproving toward Fifa, after Qatar, 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.
“Am I impressed that the global championship is in countries that ban gay unions, where individuals like myself will be put in prison for merely living on their territory? It's frightening,” states the athlete.
“I receive communications [from residents of such nations] saying ‘I face imprisonment for being who I am - can you help me?’.
“It breaks my heart that individuals are incarcerated for being who they are.
“Certain nations that are significant soccer markets and they reject the queer community. Those are the countries that often focus on me.”
Nevertheless, Cavallo says he will not stop speaking up.
“Football has allowed me to start conversations in the changing room. It lets me communicate and inform individuals who seek understanding.
“Not everyone is going to like you for who you are. But I've discovered support. I've connected with similar people.
“My purpose is to drive progress. That's what I'm here for.”