“We've got mountains to do” - the athlete on anti-gay prejudice in soccer
“You shouldn't exist” ... “What are you doing here?” ... “Stop breathing.”
Since revealing he was gay in 2021, footballer Josh Cavallo has faced constant threats and hateful comments on online platforms.
“When I first saw these messages, I was devastated,” the player states. “Nobody should have to endure such words.
“I'm trying to get better as a player and be the best I can be on the pitch, and then get put down because of who I am. It's appalling.”
Player Cavallo was at Adelaide United back in 2020 when he emerged as the sole publicly out elite soccer player in the world.
Recently he departed from Australia to join non-league Peterborough Sports, who compete before audiences of about 400 in National League North, one level below of the English soccer system.
The 25-year-old balances his sports career for the Cambridgeshire part-timers by speaking up on inclusion matters and using his profile - he has more than one million followers on Instagram - to champion equality and inclusion.
“Absolutely, we've got mountains to do,” Cavallo comments when asked if football still has a problem with discrimination.
“Rarely a week passes without encountering problems.”
Josh Cavallo grew up in Melbourne
It took years for Cavallo to build up the bravery to say “I am homosexual” before revealing his sexuality on 27 October 2021.
“My only desire is compete in soccer and receive fair treatment,” he stated in an accompanying video.
The player was 21 and building his reputation at Adelaide United in the premier division when, with the support of his team-mates, he announced his orientation publicly.
“The future was uncertain. I didn't know what to expect,” he recalls. “The moment seemed appropriate in my life. I needed to move forward.”
His emotional coming out video, titled ‘His Personal Story’, gained massive attention on social media.
“My phone was flooded with encouraging words. The response was incredible.”
A prominent club were among numerous famous teams around the world to express support for Cavallo, with the coach at the time the German manager saying: “I appreciate that he did it because now we talk again.”
Spanish player the athlete also expressed backing, writing on social media that “soccer culture is far behind and you are helping us move forward”, while Adelaide United issued a statement backing their “extraordinary” and “courageous” player.
Some people, however, were less welcoming.
Cavallo soon turned into a target of homophobic abuse by opposition fans.
During early 2022 a competing team were penalized five thousand dollars over discriminatory chants from spectators directed at Cavallo during a match.
“The things I'd hear were painful and derogatory towards LGBTQ people,” he explains.
“I remained calm because responding would encourage detractors.”
There was a frightening incident at a gas station in Australia, where the athlete was physically attacked by someone who recognised him from the media attention.
“It was terrifying,” he recalls. “The thought crossed my mind ‘this is real - individuals intend to hurt me’.
“Should this be tolerated? Absolutely not. But through my disclosure, this is what it brings.
“I hope that future individuals who comes out while competing in soccer at a high level doesn't have to experience the journey I have experienced.”
Cavallo says the constant menacing messages and hostile communications have affected his mental health.
“It's quite sad because I am having to explain why I deserve a place on the football field for my identity,” he states.
“We don't sit straight people down and ask ‘what gives you the right in football?’.
“Many individuals see me as a smiling, positive person. But sometimes when I lean on my fiance, his name, and he witnesses much of what occurs privately.”
Cavallo's decision to disclose his orientation helped inspire teenage Blackpool forward another athlete to announce he was gay as the UK's only openly gay active male professional footballer in spring 2022.
However, there are no openly gay or bisexual players in the Premier League.
“It would move mountains,” comments Cavallo on the effect a elite athlete coming out would make.
“But I'm not going to sugar-coat it. There are a lot of scary things that would come this person's way. Within soccer culture, being an openly gay player is a very toxic place.”
Twenty-seven years after a pioneering player - Britain's first openly gay male footballer - took his own life in 1998, the current athlete has discussed the “harmful male culture” that still exists in men's football.
“Simply attend to a match and observe the unfriendly atmosphere and masculinity that the audience creates,” he says.
“Much remains to be done to make sure there is a safe space in soccer for people like myself and his colleague.
“We haven't seen it (more players coming out) as much as we would like.
“My role is to continue advocating for principles I believe in, and work towards eliminating the harmful male norms in football changing rooms and creating a safe space.”
The athlete was awarded an honorary degree from Flinders University in his former city in 2022, honoring his efforts as a role model in sport and a advocate for fairness
Cavallo says soccer has enabled discussions inside dressing rooms about coming out.
Yet, he is disapproving toward soccer's global governing body, after the Middle Eastern nation, where same-sex relationships are illegal, staged the global tournament in 2022.
Future World Cup will be held in another Gulf state, where same-sex attraction is similarly prohibited.
“Am I impressed that the World Cup is in countries that criminalise same-sex marriages, where individuals like myself will be put in prison for just existing on their territory? It's scary,” says the athlete.
“I get messages [from people living in these countries] saying ‘I face imprisonment for being who I am - can you help me?’.
“It's devastating that people are getting locked up for being who they are.
“There are countries that are significant soccer markets and they reject LGBTQ+ people. Those are the countries that often focus on me.”
Nevertheless, the footballer says he will not stop speaking up.
“Soccer has allowed me to start conversations in the locker room. It has allowed me to speak and educate people who want to learn more.
“Some will disapprove for who you are. But I've discovered support. I've connected with similar people.
“My purpose is to drive progress. That's what I'm here for.”
A geospatial analyst with over a decade of experience in terrain modeling and environmental data visualization.
