Josh Cavallo has revealed that he is gay in a video on social media. As far as is known, the 21-year-old full-back annex midfielder of the Australian Adelaide United is the first active football player at the highest level who openly admits being gay. “It’s been a road to get to this point in my life, but I couldn’t be happier with my decision to share,” Cavallo said in the video shared by his club.
“Hi everyone, I have something personal to share with you. I am a professional football player and gay,” Cavallo begins in the video. “I struggled with my homosexuality for six years, but I’m glad I can put that behind me. The people who know me know that I am someone who likes his privacy. Growing up, I felt like I had to hide myself. Because I was ashamed. I was afraid I couldn’t do what I love and be gay at the same time. I hid who I really was, to chase the dream I had as a child. It never felt realistic that I could play football and be treated equally.”
— Josh Cavallo (@JoshuaCavallo) October 27, 2021
“I had to mask my feelings in order to fit into the mold of a professional footballer,” continues the Australia youth international. “Being gay and being a professional footballer were two different paths that hadn’t crossed yet. I’ve lived my life assuming that this was a topic that would never be talked about. I want to help change that by showing that everyone is welcome in the world of football and has the right to be themselves. It is insane that there are currently no gay active professional football players. Not in Australia, not in the world. I hope this will change in the near future.”
“I hope I can show everyone in the LGBTQ+ community that they are welcome in the world of football by sharing this. I want to help football move forward and give other players the feeling that they are not alone,” says Cavallo. His club Adelaide United expresses his pride about Cavallo through director Nathan Kosmina. “This is not only an important day in Josh’s life, but a historic moment for all of Australian football.”
Cavallo is known to be the first active professional football player at the highest level to openly declare that he is gay. In the past, for example, Justin Fahanu and John de Bever came out during their active careers. Thomas Hitzlsperger – a former midfielder for Aston Villa, VfB Stuttgart, Lazio, West Ham United, VfL Wolfsburg, Everton and the German national team – said he was gay a year after he ended his career. Robbie Rogers did the same, although he returned to LA Galaxy after his retirement.