“There's still so much to accomplish” - Cavallo on homophobia in soccer
“You shouldn't exist” ... “What are you doing here?” ... “Don't take another breath.”
Since revealing his homosexuality in 2021, footballer Josh Cavallo has received daily death threats and abusive messages on social media.
“Upon reading those comments, I was devastated,” Cavallo explains. “No-one wants to read things like that.
“I'm trying to get better as a player and be the best I can be on the pitch, and then get put down due to my identity. It's disgusting.”
Midfielder the sportsman was at Adelaide United back in 2020 when he became the only openly gay top-flight male professional footballer in the world.
Recently he departed from Australia to sign with non-league Peterborough Sports, who play in front of crowds of about 400 in the sixth division, the sixth tier of the English soccer system.
This young athlete balances his sports career for the Cambridgeshire part-timers by advocating for LGBTQ+ issues and leveraging his platform - he has more than one million followers on Instagram - to champion equality and acceptance.
“Definitely, we've got mountains to do,” Cavallo says when asked if football still has a problem with discrimination.
“Rarely a week passes without encountering problems.”
‘People want to harm me’
Josh Cavallo grew up in Melbourne
It took years for the athlete to work up the courage to say “I am homosexual” before revealing his sexuality on October 27th, 2021.
“All I want to do is play football and be treated equally,” he said in an related clip.
The player was 21 and building his reputation at Adelaide United in Australia's top flight when, backed by his colleagues, he publicly came out.
“The future was uncertain. I had no expectations,” he says. “It felt like the right time in my life. I wanted to take the next step.”
His emotional coming out video, titled ‘Josh's Truth’, went viral 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 then manager the German manager saying: “I appreciate that he did it because now we talk again.”
Spanish player Gerard Pique also offered support, writing on social media that “soccer culture is far behind and you are helping us move forward”, while his former club released a comment supporting their “remarkable” and “courageous” player.
Some people, however, were less welcoming.
The footballer quickly became a target of homophobic abuse by rival supporters.
In January 2022 a competing team were fined five thousand dollars over anti-gay abuse from spectators aimed toward Cavallo during a match.
“The comments I encountered were painful and derogatory towards my community,” he explains.
“I remained calm because I knew that would only feed the haters.”
A scary event occurred at a gas station in Australia, where Cavallo was physically attacked by someone who recognised him from the media attention.
“That was a scary moment,” he recalls. “I remember thinking ‘this is real - individuals intend to hurt me’.
“Is it acceptable? Definitely not. But through my disclosure, this is what it brings.
“I hope that future individuals who reveals their orientation while playing football at a high level won't face the journey I have endured.”
Cavallo says the daily death threats and abusive messages have affected his mental health.
“It's quite sad because I am having to explain why I deserve a place on the soccer pitch for being who I am,” he says.
“Heterosexual players aren't questioned and ask ‘why should you exist in football?’.
“Many individuals see me as a cheerful, positive person. But there are days when I rely on my partner, his name, and he witnesses much of what occurs behind the scenes.”
‘Top-tier athlete revealing orientation would create waves’
The player's choice to reveal his sexuality helped inspire teenage Blackpool forward another athlete to come out as the Britain's sole publicly out active male professional footballer in spring 2022.
However, there are zero publicly LGBTQ athletes in the Premier League.
“It would create massive change,” comments the footballer on the effect a elite athlete revealing their orientation would make.
“But I must be honest. There are a lot of scary things that would await this individual. Within soccer culture, identifying as LGBTQ is a very toxic place.”
Over two decades after Justin Fashanu - Britain's first openly gay male footballer - died by suicide in 1998, Cavallo has discussed the “harmful male culture” that persists in men's football.
“You just need to go to a game and see the unfriendly atmosphere and masculinity that the audience creates,” he says.
“There is still a lot of work to ensure there is a secure environment in soccer for individuals like me and his colleague.
“We haven't seen it (additional athletes revealing their orientation) as much as we would like.
“My role is to continue advocating for what I think is right, and strive for eliminating the harmful male norms in football changing rooms and creating a safe space.”
‘I'm here to create change’
The athlete was awarded an honorary degree from an academic institution in his former city in 2022, honoring his efforts as a role model in sport and a champion for equality
The player says soccer has allowed him to have conversations within team environments about coming out.
However, he is critical of Fifa, after Qatar, where same-sex relationships are illegal, staged the global tournament in 2022.
The 2034 tournament will be held in Saudi Arabia, where same-sex attraction is similarly prohibited.
“Do I approve that the World Cup is in nations that criminalise same-sex marriages, where people like me will be put in prison for just existing on that land? It's scary,” states Cavallo.
“I receive communications [from residents of such nations] saying ‘I face imprisonment for being who I am - is assistance possible?’.
“It's devastating that people are getting locked up for their true selves.
“Certain nations that are significant soccer markets and they don't accept LGBTQ+ people. Those are the countries that tend to target me.”
Despite this, the footballer says he will not stop speaking up.
“Soccer has enabled dialogue in the locker room. It lets me communicate and inform individuals who seek understanding.
“Some will disapprove for your identity. But I have found my family. I've connected with similar people.
“My purpose is to drive progress. That's what I'm here for.”
