“Being an openly gay player in football is a very toxic place,” says trailblazing athlete who continues to face severe harassment despite historic visibility
In a candid and concerning revelation, pioneering openly gay footballer Josh Cavallo has disclosed that he continues to receive “multiple death threats” on a daily basis, highlighting the persistent challenges faced by LGBTQ+ individuals in professional sports.
Speaking on FIFPRO’s *Footballers Unfiltered* podcast, the 25-year-old Adelaide United midfielder and defender shared the troubling reality of his experience since coming out over three years ago. “There [are] multiple, multiple, multiple death threats that come my way daily still. It’s quite sad to see,” Cavallo revealed. “In the world of football, being an openly gay player is a very toxic place. It’s something that not everyone would be able to handle.”
The Australian athlete, who made history as the first active openly gay male professional footballer, expressed his dismay at the slow pace of progress toward acceptance in the sport. “We’re still a very, very long way off being [accepted] in this space,” he noted.
Prior to his ground-breaking announcement, Cavallo struggled with his identity for years. “Growing up, I always felt the need to hide myself because I was ashamed – ashamed I would never be able to do what I loved and be gay,” he reflected. “Growing up gay and playing football were two worlds that hadn’t crossed paths before.”
Despite the ongoing harassment, Cavallo continues to build a fulfilling life both professionally and personally. He became engaged to electrician Leighton Morrell in March last year, proposing on the pitch at Adelaide United’s Coopers Stadium. Additionally, he recently announced plans to open an LGBTQ+-inclusive hotel in Bali this December.
Cavallo has consistently used his platform to address homophobia in sport. In December 2023, he publicly called out those sending him death threats and urged social media platforms to “do better” in protecting users from hate speech.
His experiences underscore the critical importance of continued advocacy for LGBTQ+ inclusion in sports, highlighting that visibility alone is insufficient without systemic change to address deeply entrenched homophobia in sporting cultures worldwide.
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