Meet the 16 out gay and bi players NFL history - Outsports

Contents:

• A GAY GIRL’S GUI TO THE 2023 WOMEN’S WORLD CUP
• A COMPLETE LIST OF ALL 61 OUT GAY PLAYERS THE WOMEN’S FOOTBALL PREMIER LEAGUE
• WHY ARE MORE FEMALE PROFSNAL FOOTBALLERS OPENLY GAY OR BISEXUAL THAN MALE PLAYERS?
• 20 INSPIRG GAY AND LBIAN FOOTBALL (SOCCER) PLAYERS
• MEET THE 16 OUT GAY AND BI FOOTBALL PLAYERS THE NFL’S 104-YEAR HISTORY
• IN FOC: WHY ARE GAY WOMEN OVER-REPRENTED FOOTBALL?

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

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. It’s likely there are more lbian and bisexual women on the teams than we know about, pecially sce some participatg untri — like Nigeria, Cameroon and Jamai punish homosexualy wh prison time — and other untri still stggle wh varyg gre of societal homophobia that may keep players closeted.

Atralian A-League soccer star Josh Cavallo me out as gay an October vio posted to his social media, beg hailed as the first current male top-flight profsnal soccer player to publicly do so. "He ntued: "Growg up I always felt the need to hi myself, you know, bee I was ashamed, and ashamed I'll never be able to do what I love and be gay.

In a September terview wh USA Today, 25-year-old mor league baseball player beme the only active baseball profsnal to be out as gay!

A COMPLETE LIST OF ALL 61 OUT GAY PLAYERS THE WOMEN’S FOOTBALL PREMIER LEAGUE

Natnal Hockey League prospect Le Prokop me out as gay July, the first active player the league to e out. "I am proud to publicly tell everyone that I am gay, " he wrote a heartfelt msage on social media.

The 28-year-old Natnal Football League player and Rairs fensive leman ma history when he me out as gay on Instagram durg Pri Month, beg the first veteran NFL player to e out as gay while signed to a regular-season ntract. The Bachelor star and former football player (who was signed by the San Diego Chargers as an undrafted ee agent and was on the practice squad of the Oakland Rairs and the Philalphia Eagl) me out as gay April, sayg he had fally e to terms wh his sexualy and the "next step all of this was sort of lettg people know. "He wanted everyone to know he was "still the same Colton everybody met on TV" and is "proud to be gay.

Hiltz had prevly e out as gay while llege and has been a visible and affirmg prence for gay athlet the past. Corey Walsh, the 27-year-old pro BMX rir and Vans spokperson, said he isn't normally the type of person to "let people " on his personal life, but felt was important to e out as gay a March Instagram post bee "there are a lot of people still stgglg wh the same suatns" and he "jt wanted to let people know that they are not alone. Champn long track speedskater Conor McDermott-Mostowy never hid beg gay om his fay, iends, and fellow athlet, but he also wasn't one to rate his locker wh rabow Pri flags eher.

WHY ARE MORE FEMALE PROFSNAL FOOTBALLERS OPENLY GAY OR BISEXUAL THAN MALE PLAYERS?

He ially feared negative stereotyp about gay male athlet but threw those ncerns asi after his two-tle performance at the U. Many players have reported experiencg homophobic language and behavr om fans, opponents, and even their own teammat.

For example, the Football Associatn England has lnched the “Football v Homophobia” mpaign to promote LGBTQ+ cln and has implemented polici to punish homophobic behavr om players and fans.

While makg my WNBA list and NWSL list, there are about double as many nfirmed straight people as there are nfirmed gay people a league, wh the rt beg unnfirmed eher directn. However, the Premier League, if you aren’t nfirmed gay, you’re probably jt an unknown, bee there were veryyy few nfirmed straight players. Wh four out gay players on the team, this ranks the middle for gayns, but closer to the top for ter-team romanc, wh Julia Zigtti Olme and Emma Kullberg beg publilly together.

20 INSPIRG GAY AND LBIAN FOOTBALL (SOCCER) PLAYERS

If you’re a Leicter fan, I hate to break to you but this is the least gay team the league- at least publicly. Liverpool players Yana Daniels and Jasme Matthews are datg, and the other two out gay players are also public relatnships wh cute uple photos on their stagrams!

I hontly don’t know anythg about this team, but there’s a lot of gay players and seems like a fun team to cheer for.

While men's football as an stutn is rife wh homophobia – om abe hurled by fans, to players beg enuraged to keep quiet about their sexualy lt they a sponsorship al – women's football has cultivated a far more supportive and transparent LGBTQ culture. Currently, there are no openly gay male footballers the top English leagu, and the few players (of which there are lerally, like, four) who do e out often choose to do so after retirement. The women's game has built an unprecented culture of acceptance when pared to s male unterpart, and this is great and liberatg for players, who don't need homophobia threateng their reers – but n also throw up a few challengg stance: what's like to play profsnally wh someone you're datg?

MEET THE 16 OUT GAY AND BI FOOTBALL PLAYERS THE NFL’S 104-YEAR HISTORY

"We were good iends, but most of the people women's football are unrstandg that people are gay and that 's really normal. World-cup-wng legend and LGBTQI advote Megan Rapoe famoly said, “you n’t w a champnship whout gays on your team – ’s never been done before, ever. Speakg on gay players the game, Stok told The Guardian, “It’s hontly not somethg I gave too much thought to [g out].

By ITV News Content Producer Alex BleyThe most proment Women's World Cup ever has e to a close wh another USA only did the tournament throw a spotlight on how different the women's game is om the men's, highlighted how different the teams are as the whole tournament, there were at least 41 female players or ach who are openly gay or the male tournament 2018, there were none. Siarly the Premier League, there is not one sgle player who is openly gay or least five members of the Lns are gay or bisexual, pared wh none of England's male a society where gay marriag n take place, and same-sex upl enjoy the same legal privileg as their heterosexual unterparts, the make-up of both football teams is at odds wh Brish society as a w World Cup aga after victory agast NetherlandsSame-sex marriage me to force the UK 2014. Cred: PAAcrdg to the Office for Natnal Statistics, 2017, around two per cent of the populatn intified as lbian, gay or is not that male football only attracts heterosexual mal, or women's football a high rat of lbian or bisexual players, but largely due to the differg atmospher surroundg the two gam.

"Conversely " the men's game there's more racism, sexism and homophobia", he abe directed at footballers supportg #Enough social media boyttSterlg: Football Chiefs dog 'nowhere near enough' to solve racism problemRacist abe directed at footballers supportg #Enough social media boyttDr Stefan Lawrence, an expert masculy sport and senr lecturer at Newman Universy Birmgham, agre that women's football has a "different culture" to men's. Cred: Three Lns PriThe fact that there were 41 players or ach at the Women's World Cup who were openly gay or bisexual means that beg so the female game is more of a norm. ""People are wag for an ele male player to e out, " adds Di Cunngham, another -founr of Three Lns this jt creas the prsure that the first male player to announce that he is gay or bisexual, will e unr, she adds.

IN FOC: WHY ARE GAY WOMEN OVER-REPRENTED FOOTBALL?

"It's such a big al for one footballer to e out, that a few need to do at once to take the prsure off, " believ Dr Rachael Bullgham, a senr lecturer at the Universy of Worcter who specialis homophobia women's sport. Cred: PAThe way which male and female players are veloped is also believed to be a factor why female players beg gay or bisexual is more the norm than male ele male players have e through football ami where they have been sce a young age. "It's not bee gay men aren't terted beg profsnal footballers, " he explas, but bee ami are "heteronormative" (where beg heterosexual is the norm) environments.