‘I have been fightg my sexualy’: A-League Men player Josh Cavallo out as gay | A-League Men | The Guardian

Contents:

• ANDY BRENNAN IS ATRALIA’S FIRST OPENLY GAY MALE SOCCER PLAYER
• ‘NO WORDS’: GAY ATRALIAN FOOTBALLER JOSH CAVALLO LLS OUT HOMOPHOBIC CROWD ABE
• ATRALIAN PRO FOOTBALLER JOSH CAVALLO ANNOUNC HE IS GAY
• 'I DIDN'T KNOW ANY FOOTBALLERS WHO WERE GAY'
• GAY ATRALIAN FOOTBALLER JOSH CAVALLO SAYS WORLD CUP SHOULDN’T BE GOG TO QATAR, WHERE HOMOSEXUALY IS ILLEGAL
• JAGS' MAXEN IS FIRST MALE AMERIN PRO SPORTS ACH TO E OUT AS GAY
• A GAY GIRL’S GUI TO THE 2023 WOMEN’S WORLD CUP
• GAY SOCCER PLAYER JOSH CAVALLO TO JUDGE 'RUPL’S DRAG RACE DOWN UNR'
• ALAI UNED MIDFIELR JOSH CAVALLO BE FIRST CURRENT A-LEAGUE MEN PLAYER TO PUBLICLY ANNOUNCE HE'S GAY
• 8 MALE FOOTBALL PLAYERS WHO DARED TO COME OUT AS GAY
• JOSH CAVALLO: FOOTBALLER OUT AS WORLD'S ONLY OPENLY GAY PLAYER TOP-FLIGHT OF GAME
• JOSH CAVALLO BE ONE OF THE FEW PROFSNAL MEN'S FOOTBALLERS TO E OUT AS GAY
• FOOTBALL STAR JOSH CAVALLO OUT AS GAY FIRST FOR ATRALIA’S TOP LEAGUE
• MATT HALL PAVED THE WAY AS THE FIRST OPENLY GAY ASIE L PLAYER
• JOSH CAVALLO: ATRALIAN FOOTBALLER OUT AS GAY, SAYG: 'I'M TIRED OF THIS DOUBLE LIFE'
• GAY FOOTBALLER JOSH CAVALLO WOULD BE ‘SRED’ TO PLAY AT WORLD CUP QATAR
• ‘I HAVE BEEN FIGHTG MY SEXUALY’: A-LEAGUE MEN PLAYER JOSH CAVALLO OUT AS GAY

ANDY BRENNAN IS ATRALIA’S FIRST OPENLY GAY MALE SOCCER PLAYER

An Atralian sportsman has bee the untry’s first profsnal male soccer player to e out as openly gay.

“Beg gay, sport, and the closet, has been a mental burn of not knowg how those around you will react. Josh Cavallo, who last year beme the only openly gay profsnal top flight men’s footballer the world, says he has “no words” to scribe his disappotment at beg targeted by homophobic abe durg an A-League Men game over the Alai Uned player me on as a send-half substute durg the Reds’ away game at Melbourne Victory on Saturday night and said afterwards that he had received abe om the crowd at AAMI 22-year-old received acclaim om across the globe October when he me out via Alai’s social media channels.

“I’m not gog to pretend that I didn’t see or hear the homophobic abe at the game last night, ” Cavallo wrote on Instagram on Sunday. ”Cavallo also said he was targeted after the game on Instagram and ed his own post to ll out the social media platform for the way als wh homophobic abe.

‘NO WORDS’: GAY ATRALIAN FOOTBALLER JOSH CAVALLO LLS OUT HOMOPHOBIC CROWD ABE

”The Atralian Profsnal Leagu said was “shocked and sadned” to hear of the reports of the “homophobic bullyg”.

Atralian profsnal footballer Josh Cavallo announced on Wednday that he is gay a vio msage released by his A-League club Alai Uned. His announcement means that Cavallo is the only current openly gay top-flight male footballer. “Beg a gay closeted footballer, I’ve had to learn to mask my feelgs orr to f the mold of a profsnal footballer, ” Cavallo wrote.

In 2014, former Germany ternatnal Thomas Hzlsperger me out as gay the year after he announced his retirement om football. Amerin ternatnal Robbie Rogers announced he was gay when retirg om profsnal football Febary 2013, but subsequently returned to the sport wh MLS club LA Galaxy three months later and went on to w the MLS Cup. 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.

ATRALIAN PRO FOOTBALLER JOSH CAVALLO ANNOUNC HE IS GAY

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. Atralian striker Andy Brennan me out as gay 2019, beg the first out gay Atralian male footballer.

'I DIDN'T KNOW ANY FOOTBALLERS WHO WERE GAY'

He me out 2011, and won the seventh season of Swedish realy show Let's Dance, beg the first out gay person to w. His early clubs knew he was gay, and he me out durg his reer, beg the first pro footballer to do so.

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. When teammat sledged opposn players, llg them ''homo'' or ''fag'', he'd pretend not to re. ''I didn't know any footballers who were gay, so I uld only assume the worst, and sred me.

GAY ATRALIAN FOOTBALLER JOSH CAVALLO SAYS WORLD CUP SHOULDN’T BE GOG TO QATAR, WHERE HOMOSEXUALY IS ILLEGAL

''Out and proud: Yarra Valley footballer Jason Ball, third om left, wants the AFL to air anti-homophobia vios at the grand fal this Ken IrwThe 24-year-old, who plays for Yarra Glen senrs the Yarra Valley Mounta District Football League, is a rare voice a football world that gay groups say is stgglg to e to terms wh homosexualy s such groups agree sexualy is a private matter, they say is signifint that no AFL players have revealed their homosexualy.

There are mours that a TV work has offered a gay AFL player a six-figure sum to be the first footballer to e, backed by onle-petn movement, Ball will lnch a mpaign urgg the league to air anti-homophobia vios at the MCG durg this month's grand fal.

JAGS' MAXEN IS FIRST MALE AMERIN PRO SPORTS ACH TO E OUT AS GAY

Beyondblue chairman Jeff Kent, who last week lnched a mpaign highlightg the mental health impact of homophobia, backed Ball's petn. ''It after the AFL last month wrote a letter of support for ''No to Homophobia'' - a mpaign n by gay rights and social jtice groups - but were cricised for not dog fact St Kilda's Stephen Milne ped wh a $3000 fe and an tn urse rather than a spensn, after llg Collgwood fenr Harry O'Brien a ''f---g homo'', implied that sexual vilifitn was treated ls serly than other forms of discrimatn, Ball said.

A GAY GIRL’S GUI TO THE 2023 WOMEN’S WORLD CUP

''At high school I got picked on for beg gay and those words were ed to make me feel small and worthls. ''It's no wonr that no gay player at a profsnal level would e out when the AFL is not workg as uld to create a more posive and clive environment for that to happen. ''Dr Carole Symons, a senr lecturer social policy sport at Victoria Universy, says a 2010 report she -thored surveyg the gay and lbian muny found football was the harst sport for people to be open about their sexualy.

GAY SOCCER PLAYER JOSH CAVALLO TO JUDGE 'RUPL’S DRAG RACE DOWN UNR'

' So the termology associat beg gay wh beg weak and that n be very alienatg, '' she said. World's only openly gay active pro footballer is ncerned for LGBTQ muny ahead of Qatar 2022. It has been almost a year sce Josh Cavallo announced he is gay, but even now he still stggl to prehend the far-reachg impact his announcement has had – pecially as he has begun to speak out on major issu, notably the Qatar World Cup.

A year on, Cavallo remas the only openly gay top-flight male footballer the world – he plays for Alai Uned Atralia’s A League – but his cisn spired Jake Daniels, a forward for English send divisn club Blackpool, to e out May of this year.

ALAI UNED MIDFIELR JOSH CAVALLO BE FIRST CURRENT A-LEAGUE MEN PLAYER TO PUBLICLY ANNOUNCE HE'S GAY

“It was jt the uncertaty, seeg that there was no active gay footballer that’s e out before and there was no plan wh , ” he rells. Fashanu beme the first openly gay profsnal footballer after g out 1990 while playg the English top flight, but the backlash he suffered eventually led him to take his own life eight years later.

8 MALE FOOTBALL PLAYERS WHO DARED TO COME OUT AS GAY

Earlier this month, former Spa ternatnals Iker Casillas and Carl Puyol were wily cricized after the former posted a tweet claimg he was gay.

In a now leted post on his official Twter acunt, Casillas wrote: “I hope I’ll be rpected: I’m gay. Cavallo says the exchange between Casillas and Puyol prov football still has “got a long way to go” to eradite homophobia, even if the sport has recently ma steps the right directn.

-- Jaguars assistant strength and ndng ach Kev Maxen has bee the first male ach major Amerin men's profsnal sports to publicly e out as gay, tellg he ma the cisn bee he didn't want to hi who he is any longer and to possibly spire others siar 's a cisn and move that drew praise and support om owner Shad Khan, who was a vol and emphatic supporter of a cy ordance that expand protectns on the grounds of sexual orientatn, genr inty and genr exprsn. Outsi lebacker Carl Nassib beme the first active NFL player to e out as gay and to play a game Associated Prs ntributed to this report.

JOSH CAVALLO: FOOTBALLER OUT AS WORLD'S ONLY OPENLY GAY PLAYER TOP-FLIGHT OF GAME

Last time at the 2019 Women’s World Cup, the Netherlands lay claim to the honor of beg the team wh the most out LGBTQ players, but this year Atralia boasts 10 out players and overtak them for the tle of Gayt Team 2k23. Ireland’s historic entry to the tournament marks another triumph for out midfielr Sead Farrelly, whose natnal team but and 2023 return to the NWSL e more than six years after retirg om soccer the wake of systemic homophobic and sexual abe wh the league, which the Athletic first reported on 2021. Out Soccer Player Josh Cavallo to Judge RuPl’s Drag Race Down UnrOut gay Atralian soccer player Josh Cavallo announced he will be a judge on the upg season of RuPl’s Drag Race Down Unr.

“As the first openly gay male profsnal football player, embracg your thentic self means eedom but for so many of the queer muny this isn’t as easy as you thk, ” Cavallo wrote his post.

JOSH CAVALLO BE ONE OF THE FEW PROFSNAL MEN'S FOOTBALLERS TO E OUT AS GAY

“I’m not gog to pretend I didn’t see or hear the homophobic abe at the game last night, ” Cavallo wrote the post. Alai Uned's Josh Cavallo has publicly announced he is gay, beg the first footballer to open up about their sexualy while playg the A-League Men pots:Josh Cavallo says he "uldn't be happier" wh his cisn to publicly announce that he is gayHis club has stood wh Cavallo, wh ach Carl Veart sayg he has "nothg but admiratn and support" for his player In 2019, former Newstle player Andy Brennan me out about his sexualyThe midfielr has played 19 gam for the Reds sce makg the move to Alai om Wtern A-League club said stood alongsi Cavallo for beg te to himself, and would ntue to love and support him as a member of s diverse fay. "I am proud to publicly announce that I am gay, " Cavallo said a vio released by the club.

"In 2019, former Newstle Jets player Andy Brennan publicly me out as gay after his A-League Men reer was over.

FOOTBALL STAR JOSH CAVALLO OUT AS GAY FIRST FOR ATRALIA’S TOP LEAGUE

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.

MATT HALL PAVED THE WAY AS THE FIRST OPENLY GAY ASIE L PLAYER

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.

JOSH CAVALLO: ATRALIAN FOOTBALLER OUT AS GAY, SAYG: 'I'M TIRED OF THIS DOUBLE LIFE'

Now, whout any further ado, let’s list the football players who dared to e out as gay publicly. Moreover, Andy Brennan is the first Atralian male footballer to openly disclosed beg gay. Currently, he is the only openly gay football player to play any of the Amerin top 5 major leagu.

GAY FOOTBALLER JOSH CAVALLO WOULD BE ‘SRED’ TO PLAY AT WORLD CUP QATAR

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.

Later, after wng the 2014 MLS Cup, Rodgers also beme the first gay male to w the league tle the USA. Moreover, David Tto is the first profsnal Amerin male profsnal footballer to e out as gay.

In 2019, he was also featured a documentary related to homophobia sports named Standg on the Le.

‘I HAVE BEEN FIGHTG MY SEXUALY’: A-LEAGUE MEN PLAYER JOSH CAVALLO OUT AS GAY

Tto is a You Can Play mpaign advisory group fightg to elimate homophobia the sportg world. 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. The documentary Rise Above is a film on Anton Hysen released 2013 to portray his story as gay.