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In the UK, LGBTQ+ rights have come a long way in a relatively short space of time.

It was only in 1967 that homosexuality was partially decriminalised in England and Wales. Scotland and Northern Ireland followed in 1981 and 1982 – just over 40 years ago.

Since then, we have seen openly lesbian, gay, bi, trans and queer people in most areas of public life.

British sport has a range of LGBTQ+ representation across the overall spectrum. Some of the most visible members of the community include Olympian Tom Daley, boxer Nicola Adams and former Wales international rugby player Gareth Thomas.

But football continues to provide a paradox, as do several other team sports such as rugby and cricket.

In women’s sport, LGBTQ+ people are widely embraced and celebrated. Inclusion is woven into the fabric of what makes these sports special.

In football, for example, there have been close to 100 players taking part in the Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand who are publicly out. That group includes Canada international Quinn, who is the first openly trans non-binary person to play in the tournament.

However, in men’s team sports – and football in particular – there is much less visible LGBTQ+ representation, both on and off the pitch. In recent years, efforts have been stepped up to improve this situation, such as through educational resources and awareness campaigns.

Worldwide, we have seen a smattering of male footballers come out in recent years. Blackpool teenager Jake Daniels came out as gay in 2022 and, as a League One player, he is the highest-level active gay men’s player in British football.

Czech Republic international Jakub Jankto – now with Cagliari in Serie A – is the highest-profile current male footballer to have come out, doing so in February. The other active out pro players are Josh Cavallo and Andy Brennan in Australia, Zander Murray in Scotland, and Collin Martin in the US.

However, as it stands in 2023, there hasn’t yet been an active out gay footballer playing in the Premier League.

‘It’s a very complex situation’

Jon Holmes, founder and lead of Sports Media LGBT+, says there are several factors and nuances to consider.

He explained: “Firstly, we’re not just talking about out gay players, we’re also talking about bisexual footballers.

“For example, Jahmal Howlett-Mundle is a former Crystal Palace scholar who has been playing in non-league for several years. He came out publicly as bi in 2021.

“LGBTQ+ individuals need to navigate their visibility. It’s not a perfect world in the women’s game either – there will be a lot of players there who don’t want to be publicly out, but they may be out within their own dressing-room environments at their clubs.

“I think that will be the case in the men’s game too. There will probably be some players who are out to their team-mates and coaches, but they don’t want the added pressure that comes with public visibility.

“Globally, we have a few out players in the men’s pro game, but it’s very limited. In the UK, there are a few out players and coaches in the non-league game as well, so that’s growing a little bit in terms of visibility.

“But it’s a very complex situation. It’s absolutely up to the individual, and there are so many different pressures that come with being publicly out.

“You’re not just thinking about your team-mates, it’s your friends and family, it’s where you live, it’s where you come from. The pressures that come with faith might play a part in that decision as well.

“Then we’re looking at what it means to be publicly out. It would invite a lot of scrutiny and attention. With social media and the media at large as well, there would be a huge amount of interest. Not everyone wants to open themselves up to that level of scrutiny.

“There hasn’t been any tradition of out gay or bi male players in the game. Men’s football in particular is still wrapped up in traditions that influence the culture of the game, the competitiveness and the rivalries. It’s also a short career for players in which to make their money before moving on to do something else.

“These are a few of the reasons that would make somebody not particularly keen to come out. It would take a strong-minded individual to take that step – someone who doesn’t just want to do it for themselves, but also to benefit other people like them, when that time comes.”

It’s a very complex situation. It’s absolutely up to the individual, there are so many different pressures that come with being publicly out… Men’s football in particular is still wrapped up in traditions that influence the culture of the game… It would take a strong-minded individual to take that step.

Liz Ward, director of programmes at the LGBTQ+ charity Stonewall, echoes those sentiments.

“In 2023 in football, I guess we stand in the same place as we do in society,” she said. “We’ve seen huge changes and lots more openness.

“But when we talk about openly gay footballers, there are still huge challenges to individuals coming out and wanting to be their true selves.

“At Stonewall, we believe in a world in which everyone can be who they want to be, no matter who you are. We work across football to create that world.

“We work with national governing bodies, leagues, the clubs themselves, and we work with fans and players either through education programmes or our Rainbow Laces campaign.

“As we’ve seen in stadiums, the stakes are very high for any footballer, whether that’s regarding your race, the team you play for, your background – to add sexuality into that increases those stakes even higher.

“In football as a whole, we have seen lots more players come out. There is visibility in grassroots football, where we have some teams that are entirely LGBTQ+. Earlier this year, we saw the first full trans men’s team playing a game of football.

“It’s definitely getting better, but in the Premier League – when the spotlight is on you so intensely and the stakes are so high – a lot of players will want to keep their private lives to themselves. At Stonewall, we support them in doing that in many ways.

“I still think we’ve got a little way to go before these individuals play as their true selves.”

Daniels: Coming out was the best thing I’ve done

However, one pro player in the English men’s game – Jake Daniels – was very visible with his coming out last year. He spoke exclusively with Sky Sports News’ Tim Thornton to tell his story, as well as working with his club, Blackpool, and Stonewall.

When discussing why he chose to come out, Daniels said at the time: “Now is the right time to do it. I feel like I am ready to tell people my story. I want people to know the real me.

“I have been thinking for a long time about how I want to do it, when I want to do it. I know now is the time. I am ready to be myself, be free and be confident with it all.”

A year on, the teenager has become a trailblazer in men’s football for gay players. When asked if he feels like he has created a pathway for others, Daniels told Sky Sports News: “I like to think I have.

“We’ve had three or four people come out since I did. I’m proud to be a role model for other people to come out.

“For me, it was ‘don’t live your life to try and please someone else’. If you’re gay and you want to come out, but you’re scared of how people will react, it’s a massive thing to be able to do it.

“But don’t just live your life to try and make other people happy – that was one thing I definitely learnt.

“I thought it would have been a scary place and time, but it wasn’t. It was the best thing I’ve ever done.”

So will we see a gay PL footballer in the coming years?

It’s worth noting that we have previously seen footballers come out as gay after playing in the English top-flight. Former Aston Villa, West Ham and Everton midfielder Thomas Hitzlsperger shared his story in January 2014, and the first openly gay professional footballer – Justin Fashanu – played in the old First Division before coming out in 1990.

But as yet, we have not yet seen a member of a Premier League first-team squad publicly identify as gay or bi.

When asked if this was likely to happen in the coming years, Liz Ward said: “I really hope so because the amount of outpouring of love and support that came for the likes of Josh Cavallo and Jake Daniels was incredible and also really inspiring.

“More than anything else, Premier League footballers are role models for young kids growing up around the country and for adults. So having a role model like that, who also shares and identifies with you, is so impactful and empowering.

“I hope we can feel that joy in the next five or 10 years, and I really hope it happens within the next 20 years.”

Daniels too is optimistic that we will see an out gay footballer playing in the Premier League.

“I’m hoping to see it in the next couple of years,” he said. “With myself coming out and others coming out after me, it’s got the ball rolling in football.

“It would be a proud moment. Being the highest [level] player to come out so far, it’s such a massive achievement for me. If someone was to come out even higher, it just shows there are more players out there.

“I think it would get even more recognition. They’re playing in front of thousands of fans each week and it would be such a massive thing for the LGBTQ+ community.”

I’m hoping to see it in the next couple of years. With myself coming out and others coming out after me, it’s geot the ball rolling in football… If someone was to come out even higher, it just shows there are more players out there. I think it would get even more recognition. They’re playing in front of thousands of fans each week and it would be such a massive thing for the LGBTQ+ community.

When it comes to a suggested timeframe, Holmes is less keen to speculate. With so many factors to consider, and a person’s own timeline the most important, he is reluctant to make any prediction.

“People were asking this question back in 2010 because of the rate of change that society was going through, such as on equal marriage and greater visibility of LGBTQ+ people in different walks of life. There was an expectation that at some point, the men’s pro game and the top-flight would have that role model figure.

“But it hasn’t happened yet, and now we’re living in a world where social media attention makes it a lot more challenging to be out.

“We know that some of these social media platforms are becoming increasingly toxic and the amount of homophobia there is online would make a player considering doing this think very carefully.

“It’s up to the individual. For example, you might have someone who’s fallen in love, and who wakes up tomorrow and wants to tell the world about that. You can’t predict if, when or how that will happen.”

The disparity between the men’s and women’s game

The conversation around gay footballers in the Premier League is in stark contrast to women’s football, where LGBTQ+ players are generally more open about their relationships. But just why is there such a disparity between the two sides of the game?

Holmes said: “You need only look at the history of the women’s game to realise that it was able to evolve away from the scrutiny.

“It was banned by the FA for 50 years in this country and that meant it became an environment where women who were more marginalised in society might have felt drawn towards football spaces.

“This was a sport where you could be yourself and you didn’t have so much attention on you. That made it very appealing to a lot of women from different walks of life.

“That’s why it’s often said that women’s football has been allowed to grow with inclusion woven into the fabric of the game.

“LGBTQ+ visibility might become more challenging, though. As we see more money, more sponsorship and marketing around the women’s game, there are indications that they’re trying to market it around the world to different audiences globally, and also to men.

“In regions such as the Gulf or parts of Africa, attitudes towards being LGBTQ+ are very different to what they are in the western world. If those attitudes prevailed in the women’s game, that would be a hugely disappointing aspect of its growth.”

Ward uses the recent men’s and women’s World Cups as an interesting analogy for where the two games currently stand on LGBTQ+ inclusion.

She explained: “Men’s football is difficult for LGBTQ+ people. It can be toxic and there are lots of issues there. Then women’s football is hugely celebratory.

“We had a World Cup in Qatar that, for the first time, was in a Muslim majority country, which is incredible. But by the same token, we were seeing fans dragged out of stadiums there for wearing a rainbow.

“There was lots of debate and discussion around a World Cup, around LGBTQ+ rights, for the first time in the history of the tournament.

“Then in Australia and New Zealand, it is this incredibly celebratory space because the visibility of women’s football around the world is bigger, and records are being broken in every market of women’s football right now.

“Then we see 2026, where there will be a men’s World Cup in some American states where it is the most liberal, accepting and wonderful place to play football. Then you have some states where the existence of trans kids is effectively being made illegal.

“I think we’re at a stage right now where we can’t ignore LGBTQ+ inclusion, either because we want to celebrate or because unfortunately, we still have to fight for the hard-won rights that we’ve had so far.

“It is wonderful to see the World Cup happening in Australia and New Zealand, but as we move through to the next men’s World Cup, I’m sure we’ll be having more conversations like this about LGBTQ+ inclusion.”

There was lots of debate and discussion around a World Cup [in Qatar], around LGBTQ+ rights, for the first time in the history of the tournament. Then there’s Australia and New Zealand this summer, which will be this incredibly celebratory space… In 2026, where there will be a men’s World Cup in some states where it is the most liberal, accepting and wonderful place to play football. Then you have some states where the existence of trans kids is effectively being made illegal.

‘We need more education and active allyship’

While we cannot put a timeframe or concrete prediction on when we might see the first out gay footballer in the Premier League, there are two things that are clear – coming out as gay or bi is an individual choice, and there needs to be safe spaces created in the male football community where those players feel comfortable.

Many clubs now have training and education programmes for players and staff to address the issues of LGBTQ+ people within the game. They actively support LGBTQ+ campaigns and initiatives, including Stonewall’s Rainbow Laces, and most clubs have their own supporters’ groups for fans who identify as part of the community, and for allies.

While social media can be a great outlet to encourage and support any players coming out, online abuse remains one of the biggest risk factors for public figures. So-called ‘trolls’ often take aim at gender, race and sexuality and the platforms remain largely unregulated.

It is also not unusual for clubs to publicly apologise for incidents of homophobic chanting after games. In July 2022, Wolves were fined £100,000 by the FA following such an incident during a Premier League home match against Chelsea in April.

When asked what needs to change in the men’s game to make it easier for a player to come out, Ward said: “There’s been a lot of work that has been undertaken already to change the game.

“When I first started supporting football when I was a little kid, I definitely didn’t feel as safe in the stadiums as I do now. That’s for both my identity as a woman and also my identity as a lesbian.

“That being said, every time Chelsea or Brighton play, for example, there will be homophobic chanting. Unfortunately, week upon week, we see clubs come out now even with pre-emptive statements about homophobic chanting in stadiums. That environment is one big barrier to LGBTQ+ people feeling safe in sport.

“The culture that surrounds football is so beautiful. It’s family, it’s religion, it’s everything to me and my community is football. Sometimes within that, there is this small minority that unfortunately is not making football a game for everyone.”

Holmes is also hopeful that education as well as popular culture can help ease the burden for those players looking to publicly come out.

He added: “We need more education and more active allyship. The word ‘ally’ has been used a lot and we’ve been involved in lots of campaigns over the years that have been really important.

“It’s also important to have players like Jake Daniels talking about their journey and making more people aware of the challenges that you would go through as a young player coming to terms with your sexuality in a male-dominated, hyper-masculine environment like football.

“But there are still people that through the language they use and their behaviour, make players who are gay or bi feel uncomfortable, maybe even unwelcome and sometimes even unsafe.

“It’s about trying to help more of those people – whether they are coaches or physios or people in all different parts of the game who players are going to come into contact with – to understand how that plays out and why that anti-LGBTQ+ language and behaviour builds up layers of anxiety or even fear.

“For a closeted player – someone who is very inhibited and who feels like they can’t talk to anyone about that – we have to recognise that there’s a mental health aspect. The more we can encourage people to open up about problems that they’re going through and allow them space and time to talk, that’s going to help alleviate some of these pressures.

“And as we don’t yet have many out players in the men’s game, we are seeing more and more fictional representations of gay players, whether it’s in TV or film dramas, advertising, or other ways that help people to empathise.

“There’s been a storyline in the most recent Ted Lasso series, about a player attempting to come out at a Premier League club and be more visible in that environment. These are the parallels we end up drawing. Through culture, we can all learn a lot about what you would go through.”

However, that is not to say that if such improved systems and education are put in place, we will certainly see a Premier League footballer come out as gay. As has been reiterated, it is a personal, individual choice with many different – and difficult – factors to consider.

But it would hopefully make for an easier environment for those players, as well as for fans in the stands who might still find men’s football a threatening space at times. There is plenty to be learnt too from the women’s game, which as things stand, remains a relative beacon of safety for LGBTQ+ football fans and players.

What is for certain though is how much of a watershed moment it would be if or when a footballer comes out as gay in the Premier League. As Daniels has done for a handful of others, it would hopefully inspire other male players to come out as their true selves.

For now though, the use of education and growing awareness of LGBTQ+ rights will continue across the board, in both men’s and women’s football. Only by listening, learning and improving can we really move towards a safer, fairer and more equal game for all.