Why Are There No Out Gay Footballers? | Rabow & Co

out gay footballers uk

“Where are all the gay footballers?”   “They’re there. They’re 100% there.”   Back June 2020 on his podst Ground, Louis Theroux spoke wh Watford pta Troy Deeney about gay footballers… or more specifilly, the lack of them. Another Premier League season, and a player is yet to e out. Dpe that, Deene

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JAKE DANIELS BE FIRST UK MALE FOOTBALLER TO E OUT AS GAY SCE 1990

Blackpool's Jake Daniels be the only profsnal footballer to e out as gay, while still playg, for more than 30 years. * out gay footballers uk *

The Blackpool forward Jake Daniels has end s of silence wh men’s football to bee the first player the UK to e out as gay sce Jt Fashanu 1990. Photograph: Pl Dennis/TGS Photo/ShutterstockDaniels’s revelatn is a strikg landmark that when men’s football is more engaged wh social issu than any recent time, but still unable to ce progrs LGBTQ reprentatn wh the year Alai Uned’s Josh Cavallo beme the only male top-flight profsnal footballer the world to e out as gay, but others are yet to follow.

In six months the men’s World Cup will be played Qatar, where homosexualy is illegal, and Cavallo revealed to the Guardian he would be “sred” to play at the tournament, the pnacle of world English football specifilly, the shadow of the talented and unfulfilled Fashanu still lgers over the game. The England ternatnal me out at the end of his reer and was to take his own life eight years later, Fashanu, Jt’s niece, who ns a charable foundatn his name, said that Daniels’s cisn would “e as a huge fort to the many footballers at all levels of the game still secretly livg as gay and who still feel unable to e out”.

17-YEAR-OLD SOCCER PLAYER OUT, BEG THE UK'S ONLY OPENLY GAY PROFSNAL FOOTBALLER

Fifa’s U-turn over the OneLove armband this week reflects a wir lack of support for gay players Brish football * out gay footballers uk *

Jake Daniels, a forward for England's Blackpool Football Club, me out as gay on Monday, beg the UK's only active profsnal soccer player and first to e out 30 years. Last year, the fensive end Carl Nassib me out as gay, beg the first openly gay man to actively play the NFL.

Media ptn, WATCH: 'I am ready to be myself' - Jake DanielsJake Daniels is the first profsnal footballer the UK men's game for more than 30 years to e out as gay while still playg.

JAKE DANIELS: BLACKPOOL FOOTBALLER OUT AS GAY

* out gay footballers uk *

"Before Jake, Josh Cavallo - who plays for Alai Uned Atralia - was the only openly gay top-flight male profsnal footballer the world, havg e out last do 'g out' mean?

Comg out of the closet, often shortened to g out, is when a person shar wh others that they are lbian, gay, bi and/or trans (LGBT) out is different for everyone and n take some time to get to a pot where someone feels fortable and nfint enough to tell other is this important? Only four male profsnal football players who have played the UK have shared that they were gay - Thomas Beattie, Jt Fashanu, Thomas Hzlsperger and Robbie Jake Daniels, only Jt Fashanu revealed he was gay whilst he was still playg football 1990.

The other three shared that they were gay after retirg om after g out Jt Fashanu suffered om homophobic bullyg and harassment before he died do LGBTQ+ stand for? The + is an clive symbol to mean 'and others' to clu people of all ptn, WATCH: Gay footballers talk about their experienc the game (June 2020)Thomas Beattie, who was a former youth player for English club Hull Cy, said that he felt that he uldn't announce that he was gay while still playg: "I lerally felt like I had to sacrifice one of the two: who I am, or the sport I loved, " he there are now chari and anisatns that mpaign to make football more clive and a safe place for the LGBTQ+ muny.

WHY THERE ARE STILL NO OPENLY GAY FOOTBALLERS THE PREMIER LEAGUE

In 1990, Jt Fashanu beme the first football player to publicly e out as gay. Sce then, only seventeen players have done the same. * out gay footballers uk *

"To e out publicly as the first openly gay player men's profsnal football the UK the last 30 years tak urage.

WHY ARE THERE NO OUT GAY FOOTBALLERS?

Zanr Murray asks why he is the only male senr Sttish footballer to reveal publicly that he is gay. * out gay footballers uk *

Speakg about how g out will change his life Daniels said: "Of urse I am aware that there will be a reactn to this and some of will be homophobic, maybe a stadium and on social media. Fifa’s U-turn over the OneLove armband this week reflects a wir lack of support for gay players Brish football. Nearly 25 years after Jt Fashanu took his own life, followg years of homophobic abe, Brish football still has not had another openly gay player the top flight.

8 MALE FOOTBALL PLAYERS WHO DARED TO COME OUT AS GAY

Openly gay Leeds Uned director David Haigh says players nfid him - and he believ clubs uld benef mercially if stars e out * out gay footballers uk *

The armband was never much of a gture, but would have been a small act of fiance at the tournament beg award to Qatar, where homosexualy is punishable by imprisonment and some s, ath. “Pathetic, ” said Blackpool forward Jake Daniels, the only out gay player the English league, on Instagram after hearg the news. Sce Fashanu’s ath, there have been untls iativ to stamp out homophobia the stands and support gay footballers.

Former footballer Clarke Carlisle, a proment spokman for player welfare, said eight Premier League players had told him they were gay. “Football is a socially nservative world, ” says Ross Rais, whose novel, A Natural, is about a gay footballer.

Consir the se of (heterosexual) Graeme Le Sx, who played for Chelsea and England the 1990s and 2000s and was brand “gay” for admtg he read The Guardian. Fans tnted him wh homophobic chants and Liverpool striker Robbie Fowler famoly waggled his backsi at Le Sx durg a match.

THE GAY FOOTBALLER: WHY FANS WANTED A UK PLAYER TO E OUT

Amal Fashanu, whose uncle was Bra's first and only openly gay male profsnal footballer, tells Sky News the foundatn dited to him is offerg support to two Premier League players who are yet to e out publicly. * out gay footballers uk *

The clubs and the FA have ma efforts to improve the culture wh iativ such as Kick It Out, which mpaigns agast discrimatn and Football v Homophobia, backed by the FA, which offers support to fans, grassroots teams and top-level clubs. Even where men’s sport has had one or two high-profile gay players, as wh Gareth Thomas gby unn, they rema outliers.

As the World Cup go on a untry where homosexualy is illegal, many global football fans are havg to reckon wh the sports' soccer remas one of the most popular sports around the world, very few players have been able to e out and enjoy a succsful reer afterwards.

Gay players face prsure om teammat, ownership, ach, and fans over their are some of the men who have e out, fightg those stereotyp, and pavg the way for LGBTQ+ athlet who e after them. He me out 2011, and won the seventh season of Swedish realy show Let's Dance, beg the first out gay person to w.

AT LEAST 20 FOOTBALLERS PREMIER LEAGUE AND CHAMPNSHIP ARE GAY BUT THEY'RE AAID TO E OUT SAYS EX-CLUB BOSS

Beg an out gay man and a soccer player is still somethg that’s greeted wh homophobia. See eight out and proud male gay footballers. * out gay footballers uk *

In 2014, he beme Bra's hight-profile out, gay player, and was the first out, gay male player to play at Wembley.

Rogers me out as gay 2013, beg the first out gay man to pete a top North Amerin pro sports league when he played for the LA Galaxy that same year.

Back June 2020 on his podst Ground, Louis Theroux spoke wh Watford pta Troy Deeney about gay footballers… or more specifilly, the lack of them. Dpe that, Deeney suggted that there was probably one gay or bi player at each club, and both qutned why no footballer had ‘planted their flag’ as out and proud. Let’s explore some of the reasons that uld show why there are still no out-gay footballers the top European leagu.

GAY PREMIER LEAGUE FOOTBALLER 'VERY LIKELY' TO E OUT NEXT YEAR, SAYS JT FASHANU'S NIECE

Blackpools Jake Daniels tells his story to Sky Sports about beg the UKs first male profsnal footballer to e out publicly as gay sce Jt Fashanu 1990 * out gay footballers uk *

Remember, jt bee the general public don’t know about any gay footballers, don’t mean that’s the same the drsg room. In 2012, when asked about gay footballers the Italian natnal team, Milan Striker Anton Cassano said, "I hope there are none.

In I am the Secret Footballer: Liftg the Lid on the Betiful Game, the narrator (annoygly I still haven’t worked out who is), said fans are one very good reason that gay players would keep their sexual ‘allegiance’ firmly their locker. In a 2019 YouGov poll of 1, 010 heterosexual football fans, 32% of rponnts said they have heard homophobic ments at a football match. There are around 35 clubs the UK wh active LGBT fans’ groups, cludg the Gay Gooners (Arsenal), Uned wh Pri (Newstle Uned), and Pri of Irons (Wt Ham Uned).

“The Gay Footballer”, a Twter acunt which purported to be a gay profsnal footballer one of the top English football leagu, felt that he was “not strong enough to e out” after ath threats and abe on Twter 2019.

HERE ARE EIGHT OUT AND PROUD MALE GAY FOOTBALLERS

Kev Maxen has bee the first male ach a US men’s profsnal sports league to e out as gay. * out gay footballers uk *

While the attentn will be mostly posive at first, the UK’s largely right-wg prs are masters at manipulatg language whout beg overtly homophobic. Gareth Thomas, the first gby unn player to e out as openly gay, had a reporter askg his parents to ment on their son’s HIV stat, before he had chosen to tell them himself. Thomas himself said that the search for the first openly gay Premier League player was a media wch hunt, and that wasn’t creatg an environment where the footballer uld feel safe and protected.

Dpe sayg he was ‘ashamed’ that gay players don’t feel safe to e out 2017, former Football Associatn Chairman Greg Clarke suated that homosexualy was a liftyle choice November 2020. Wh msag like this g om the top of the game, if you were a gay footballer, would you feel that you had the anisatn’s support? But tak guts to e out and reveal one’s genr as gay, which is ually an act of urage a world that is not ndned to accept every genr.

Even though has already been three s sce Jt Fashanu first publicly me out as gay, there are only a few of them revealg . The primary reason behd many gay footballers not revealg their sexualy publicly is fear of homophobia on and off the pch. So, many profsnal leagu, teams, and players are raisg their voic to fight back agast homophobia so that gay footballers don’t face backlash while g out.

JAKE DANIELS: BLACKPOOL FORWARD BE UK'S FIRST ACTIVE MALE PROFSNAL FOOTBALLER TO E OUT PUBLICLY AS GAY

In 2020, durg the San Diego Loyal match agast Phoneix Risg FC, Mart released a story of homophobic sults directed toward him.

One of the hight-profile male football players publicly clarg himself as gay is German footballer Thomas Hzlsperger.

GIANT MURAL ON NORWICH PUB HONOURS JT FASHANU, ENGLAND'S FIRST OPENLY GAY FOOTBALLER

Anton Hysen is the youngt son of retired Swedish footballer Glenn Hysen and one of the gay players football.

Later, he was profiled on Swedish broadstg channel TV4 March 2011 a bate show (Can gays play football too?

Likewise, he also participated the 7th edn of the realy TV show Lets Dance and beme the first-ever gay to w the ntt.

JAKE DANIELS: BLACKPOOL FOOTBALLER, 17, OUT, BEG ONLY OPENLY GAY MALE PROFSNAL FOOTBALLER BRA

Likewise, The Jt Fashanu All-stars football special event started Brighton to honor him and promote homosexualy football. In June 2020, former profsnal footballer Tomas Beattie me out as gay durg an Amerin sports channel ESPN terview.

A-LEAGUE FOOTBALLER JOSH CAVALLO OUT PUBLICLY AS GAY: 'I'M TIRED OF THIS DOUBLE LIFE'

Furthermore, he is one of the send Brish football players to publicly e out as gay after Jt Fashanu did 30 years ago. Therefore, a suable environment should be created through tn as a drivg factor, so gay footballers don’t feel prsured to reveal their sexualy.

Media ptn, 'I want to spire young men to be themselv' - Zanr MurrayIs football homophobic and what n we do if is?

My cisn last September to bee the first male Sttish senr footballer to e out publicly as gay was not an easy or quick one.

KEV MAXEN BE FIRST MALE ACH A US MEN’S PROFSNAL SPORTS LEAGUE TO PUBLICLY E OUT AS GAY

Image source, Craig Brown - SNS GroupImage ptn, Zanr Murray sr agast Schie Junrs the Sttish CupThe were the sorts of nversatns young lads have - about girls, beg tough, playg hard, and the language ed to scribe gay men was not what you would ll were jt boys and didn't know any better but did set me apart om my gog out on the pch was my relief, I slowly turned away om the game and gave up on my dream of playg football my 20s I started playg serly aga, buildg up through smaller teams. In the urse of filmg the documentary I've heard first-hand ttimony om fans, amatr players, and my iend the referee Lloyd Wilson, about how homophobic language mak them feel. This season, the Sttish Football Associatn troduced Disciplary Rule 81, which rults a 10-match ban for any player or club official who engag homophobic abe, or any other form of discrimatory behavur and around has been ed 22 tim this season.

I'm now signed to Bonnyrigg Rose, fulfillg my dream of playg the profsnal has been an amazg six months for me, but I'm not llg on other gay male players to e out. Image source, Getty ImagNearly 50, 000 people were followg a Twter acunt reportedly n by a Champnship footballer planng to e out as gay - until this @FootballerGay acunt was never verified, and there were doubts over whether was genue but drew huge attentn om football fans and the Aston Villa midfielr Thomas Hzlsperger revealed he was gay after retirg om the sport - but there are no out LGBT players the top tiers of men's UK football. "Image source, Bristol Cy PanthersImage ptn, "When 's you and your iends kickg a ball about no one really r about you beg gay, " says PhilPhil believ there is a "1950s attu" towards LGBT people profsnal football - pecially on the an example, he mentns a iend who would be "fe" if a player at his favoure club me out as gay - but wouldn't want his child supportg the footballer or wearg his shirt.

OPENLY GAY FOOTBALLER JAKE DANIELS, 18, MET ‘SOULMATE’ MARK, 46, AFTER HE SLID TO HIS DMS WHEN HE ME OUT

'LGBT fans endure horrible behavur'Before @FootballerGay leted his acunt, he changed his b to clu the le: "I thought I was strong enough. "There are lbian, gay and trans people every football stadium across the untry at every game, " says Robbie De Santos, Stonewall's director of sport. "He says the lack of LGBT players on the pch at men's gam rults homophobic chants and attus on the terrac - and says that havg big stars football e out uld go some way to makg fans more tolerant.

He's also cril of the "media enzy" that surround the acunt and the "unhelpful" speculatn that took place about who was behd the @FootballerGay acunt before was taken source, TwterImage ptn, The acunt was leted after ls than a month on TwterAttus football have evolved, Robbie says, and he hop the recent succs and populary of the Women's World Cup uld help show certa fans that football isn't only played by straight men.

"That's somethg that would make a huge difference to gay football fans like Phil, who says if the @FootballerGay acunt was a fake, would show the lengths some supporters would go "to make harr for someone to e out sport".

JAGUARS ACH KEV MAXEN RECEIV OVERWHELMG SUPPORT AFTER G OUT AS GAY

At least 20 footballers Premier League and Champnship are gay but they're aaid to e out says ex-club bossOpenly gay Leeds Uned director David Haigh says players nfid him - and he believ clubs uld benef mercially if stars e outDavid Haigh durg his time at Leeds UnedAt least 20 football stars are gay and “aaid” to e out, a top club’s ex-director claims. He was openly gay durg a spell as Leeds Uned MD 2013-14 and says many homosexual players nfid him as a rult. He spoke out after Belgium fenr Carl Hoefkens told how he had played wh two Premier League footballers who were gay but publicly ‘ the closet’.

*BEAR-MAGAZINE.COM* OUT GAY FOOTBALLERS UK

Here are eight out and PROUD male gay footballers .

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