Adelaide: Australian footballer Josh Cavallo became the only active player to have publicly come out as gay. The 21- year old player who currently plays for Adelaide United stated that he did not want to hide his identity anymore.
Cavallo on Wednesday became a rarity in the men’s professional sport, announcing on social media he was “ready to speak about something personal that I’m finally comfortable to talk about in my life”.
— Josh Cavallo (@JoshuaCavallo) October 27, 2021
“It’s been a journey to get to this point in my life, but I couldn’t be happier with my decision to come out,” he wrote. “I have been fighting my sexuality for over six years now, and I’m glad I can put that to rest.
“For the people that know me personally, you’ll know I’m a private person. Growing up, I always felt the need to hide myself because I was ashamed. Ashamed I would never be able to do what I loved and be gay. Hiding who I truly am, to pursue a dream I always wished for as a kid, to play football and be treated equally never felt like a reality.
“Being a gay closeted footballer, I’ve had to learn to mask my feelings in order to fit the mould of a professional footballer. Growing up being gay and playing football were just two worlds that hadn’t crossed paths before. I’ve lived my life assuming that this was a topic never to be spoken about.”
There aren’t many footballers, who have openly come out while they are still playing, and by doing so Josh expects to encourage other players into accepting who they are.
“I want to help change this, to show that everyone is welcome in the game of football, and deserves the right to be their authentic self,” he wrote. “It is astonishing to know that there are currently no gay professional footballers who are out and actively playing, not only in Australia, but around the world. Hopefully this will change in the near future.
“I hope that in sharing who I am, I can show others who identify as LGBTQ+ that they are welcome in the football community. As the game of football keeps expanding, I want to help evolve the game even further, and let other players in my situation feel that they’re not alone.” added Josh.
