🔗 Share this article

“You don't belong on this earth” ... “Why are you here?” ... “Stop breathing.”

Since revealing his homosexuality in 2021, player the athlete has received daily death threats and hateful comments on social media.

“Upon reading those comments, it broke my heart,” Cavallo states. “No-one wants to read things like that.

“I'm trying to get better as a player and be the best I can be during matches, and then face criticism due to my identity. It's appalling.”

Midfielder Cavallo was at Adelaide United four years ago when he emerged as the sole publicly out elite soccer player in the world.

Recently he left Australia to sign with lower-tier club Peterborough Sports, who play in front of crowds of about 400 in National League North, one level below of the English soccer system.

This young athlete balances his sports career for the Cambridgeshire part-timers by speaking up on LGBTQ+ issues and using his profile - he has more than one million followers on Instagram - to champion equality and inclusion.

“Definitely, there's enormous work ahead,” the footballer says when questioned about ongoing issues with homophobia.

“Rarely a week passes without hearing about an issue.”

‘Individuals wish to hurt me’

Several years passed for Cavallo to build up the bravery to say “I'm gay” before coming out on 27 October 2021.

“All I want to do is play football and be treated equally,” he stated in an accompanying video.

Cavallo was 21 and building his reputation at Adelaide United in Australia's top flight when, backed by his colleagues, he announced his orientation publicly.

“The future was uncertain. I didn't know what to expect,” he recalls. “It felt like the right time in my life. I needed to move forward.”

His emotional coming out video, titled ‘Josh's Truth’, went viral on social media.

“My phone was flooded with messages of support. It was overwhelming.”

Liverpool were among numerous famous teams around the world to show solidarity with the player, with then manager the German manager saying: “I appreciate that he took this step because it sparks conversation.”

Barcelona defender Gerard Pique also expressed backing, posting online that “soccer culture is far behind and your actions drive progress”, while Adelaide United issued a statement backing their “remarkable” and “courageous” player.

Others, however, were not so accepting.

Cavallo soon turned into a target of anti-gay remarks by opposition fans.

In January 2022 a competing team were fined five thousand dollars over anti-gay abuse from spectators directed at Cavallo during a match.

“The things I'd hear were painful and disparaging towards LGBTQ people,” he explains.

“I remained calm because responding would encourage detractors.”

There was a frightening incident at a petrol station in Australia, where Cavallo was physically attacked by someone who recognised him from the coverage.

“That was a scary moment,” he recalls. “The thought crossed my mind ‘this is real - people want to harm me’.

“Should this be tolerated? Definitely not. But through my disclosure, this is what it brings.

“My wish is that future individuals who reveals their orientation while playing football at a high level doesn't have to experience the path I have endured.”

Cavallo says the constant menacing messages and hostile communications have affected his psychological well-being.

“It's quite sad because I am having to explain why I belong on the soccer pitch for being who I am,” he states.

“Heterosexual players aren't questioned and ask ‘why should you exist in football?’.

“A lot of people see me as a smiling, positive person. But sometimes when I rely on my partner, his name, and he witnesses much of what occurs behind the scenes.”

‘Premier League player coming out would move mountains’

The player's choice to reveal his sexuality helped inspire 17-year-old Blackpool forward Jake Daniels to come out as the Britain's sole publicly out playing soccer professional in May 2022.

However, there are no openly gay or bisexual players in the Premier League.

“It would create massive change,” says the footballer on the impact a Premier League player revealing their orientation would have.

“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, identifying as LGBTQ is a highly hostile environment.”

Over two decades after Justin Fashanu - the UK's initial out soccer professional - took his own life in 1998, the current athlete has discussed the “toxic masculinity” that still exists in professional soccer.

“You just need to go to a game and observe the unfriendly atmosphere and male-dominated culture that the audience creates,” he explains.

“There is still a lot of work to ensure there is a secure environment in soccer for people like myself and Jake.

“We haven't seen it (more players coming out) as much as we would like.

“My role is to continue advocating for what I think is right, and work towards eliminating the toxic masculinity in soccer locker rooms and creating a safe space.”

‘I'm here to create change’

The player says football has allowed him to have conversations within team environments about coming out.

However, he is critical of Fifa, after the Middle Eastern nation, where same-sex relationships are illegal, staged the global tournament in 2022.

Future World Cup will be held in Saudi Arabia, where homosexuality is similarly prohibited.

“Am I impressed that the global championship is in countries that criminalise same-sex marriages, where people like me will be imprisoned for just existing on that land? It's frightening,” says the athlete.

“I receive communications [from people living in these countries] saying ‘I'm about to be put in prison for my identity - is assistance possible?’.

“It breaks my heart that individuals are incarcerated for being who they are.

“Certain nations that are huge in terms of football and they don't accept LGBTQ+ people. These places that often focus on me.”

Nevertheless, Cavallo says he won't cease advocating.

“Football has enabled dialogue in the changing room. It has allowed me to speak and inform individuals who want to learn more.

“Some will disapprove for who you are. But I've discovered support. I have found my community.

“My mission is to drive progress. That's what I'm here for.”