’Nothing to be Ashamed” Fierce and Out of The Closet Josh Caballo
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Cavallo, an Australian soccer star, came out recently and became the only openly gay male top-level professional soccer player in the world. Cavallo, midfielder for Adelaide United, told the world his truth in a video posted to his club’s social media accounts. Aside from Cavallo, there are only a small handful of openly gay male athletes currently competing in major sports leagues around the world. In June, Las Vegas Raiders player Carl Nassib announced that he is gay, making him the first openly gay active NFL player. Nashville Predators player Luke Prokop became the first openly gay active NHL player this month, after coming out in July. Former Leeds United player Robbie Rogers, an American, came out as gay in 2013, as he announced his retirement. Shortly afterward, Rogers went on to play for the L.A. Galaxy, becoming the first openly gay male athlete to compete in a top U.S. professional sports league.
Cavallo revealed that he had already come out to his family, friends and teammates. Done privately, he thought they would start treating him differently. Instead, his response has been “incredible.”
“We want our players to be themselves, to express themselves to be the best person that they can be,” Adelaide United head coach Carl Veart said. “Not just on the pitch but off the pitch as well.”
Some people however are critical of this coming out and ask why he needs to share this part of his life with the world. Cavallo also wrote in a post on Twitter that he knows that there are other LGBTQ players “living in silence.” This statement by Cavallo is the reason why it is still important to officially come out. It is also a sad comment and a reflection of how far we still need to go in the fight for queer acceptance. Until the day when no one has to hide in silence, everyone must be free to come out.
“I hope that in sharing who I am, I can show others who identify as LGBTQ+ that they are welcome in the football community,” he wrote. “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.”
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