The gay footballer who chose eedom over 'nstcted prison' | CNN

Contents:

• 8 MALE FOOTBALL PLAYERS WHO DARED TO COME OUT AS GAY
• GERMANY AND BAYERN STAR MAR GOMEZ URG GAY FOOTBALLERS TO GO PUBLIC
• STORM OVER 'BUNCH OF GAYS' GERMANY'S WORLD CUP TEAM
• THOMAS HZLSPERGER OUT AS BEG GAY: FORMER GERMAN TERNATNAL FOOTBALLER REVEALS HIS HOMOSEXUALY
• 20 INSPIRG GAY AND LBIAN FOOTBALL (SOCCER) PLAYERS
• THE GAY FOOTBALLER WHO CHOSE EEDOM OVER ‘NSTCTED PRISON’
• GERMAN SOCCER REFEREE SAYS THERE’S A SHOCKG NUMBER OF GAY MEN BUNSLIGA
• BUNSLIGA STARS OFFER SUPPORT TO GAY FOOTBALLERS
• GERMAN FOOTBALLER'S G-OUT SHOWS CHALLENG OF BEG GAY SOCCER

8 MALE FOOTBALL PLAYERS WHO DARED TO COME OUT AS GAY

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

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. He later me out as gay and has sce spoken out about the difficulti queer players face. The South Ain footballer beme Ai's first out, gay male footballer when he me out 2015.

GERMANY AND BAYERN STAR MAR GOMEZ URG GAY FOOTBALLERS TO GO PUBLIC

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. Later, he revealed he qu the sport as a rult of homophobia he faced when he me out. 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.

STORM OVER 'BUNCH OF GAYS' GERMANY'S WORLD CUP TEAM

Seventeen male footballers have urageoly revealed their sexualy as gay public so far. Even though has already been three s sce Jt Fashanu first publicly me out as gay, there are only a few of them revealg .

THOMAS HZLSPERGER OUT AS BEG GAY: FORMER GERMAN TERNATNAL FOOTBALLER REVEALS HIS HOMOSEXUALY

The primary reason behd many gay footballers not revealg their sexualy publicly is fear of homophobia on and off the pch.

20 INSPIRG GAY AND LBIAN FOOTBALL (SOCCER) PLAYERS

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. 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. 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. In January 2014, Hzlsperger me out as gay while terviewg Die Ze, a German newspaper. Later, after wng the 2014 MLS Cup, Rodgers also beme the first gay male to w the league tle the USA.

THE GAY FOOTBALLER WHO CHOSE EEDOM OVER ‘NSTCTED PRISON’

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.

Tto is a You Can Play mpaign advisory group fightg to elimate homophobia the sportg world.

GERMAN SOCCER REFEREE SAYS THERE’S A SHOCKG NUMBER OF GAY MEN BUNSLIGA

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. But as one of the gay players football, Rouyer is dog his bt to fight homophobia France.

BUNSLIGA STARS OFFER SUPPORT TO GAY FOOTBALLERS

In 1990, Jt broke the barrier the footballg World when he clared himself gay publicly the newspaper. Later, on 22nd October 1990, The Sun Tabloid newspaper published the headle “£1m Football Star: I AM GAY”.

After his ath, The Pk Paper ranked Jt Fashanu the 99th spot the Top 500 Lbian and Gay Hero.

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.

GERMAN FOOTBALLER'S G-OUT SHOWS CHALLENG OF BEG GAY SOCCER

Furthermore, he is one of the send Brish football players to publicly e out as gay after Jt Fashanu did 30 years ago. Siarly, Richarlyson Barbossa Felisbo om Brazil also revealed his genr as gay openly. The above list of players plet our list of 8 footballers who dared to e out as gay.

Therefore, a suable environment should be created through tn as a drivg factor, so gay footballers don’t feel prsured to reveal their sexualy. A leadg German footballer has urged gay players to e out and lled for a radil rethk about homosexualy the Bayern Munich striker Mar Gomez has broken ranks wh the football tablishment, cludg members of his own team and the German football feratn, who have warned that g out uld stroy a player's Gomez, who has not said whether he is gay, told a German magaze that beg hont about their sexualy would improve gay players' performance. "The 25-year-old, who was voted German footballer of the year 2006-7, add that there were plenty of role mols the rt of German society to give gay players the urage to e out.

"We've got a gay vice-chancellor [Guido Wterwelle]; the Berl mayor [Kls Wowere] is gay. So profsnal footballers should own up to their preference, " he are no openly gay players Germany's Bunsliga, reflectg the suatn across the football world, although is timated that about 10% of players are only German footballer to have e out is Marc Urban, who told his teammat 1997 and promptly end his profsnal reer. The 39-year-old waed until 2007 before gog public wh his story, sayg he had hoped to enurage other gay players and traers to e out and th ntribute to more acceptance and tolerance is the first leadg player to urge his homosexual lleagu to go public.