🔗 Share this article

“You don't belong on this earth” ... “Why are you here?” ... “Don't take another breath.”

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

“When I first saw these messages, it broke my heart,” Cavallo explains. “Nobody should have to endure such words.

“I'm working to improve my skills and be the best I can be on the pitch, and then get put down due to my identity. It's disgusting.”

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

Recently he departed from Australia to join lower-tier club Peterborough Sports, who compete before audiences of about 400 in National League North, the sixth tier of the English soccer system.

The 25-year-old combines playing for the semi-professional team by advocating for inclusion matters and leveraging his platform - boasting over a million followers on social media - to promote fairness and inclusion.

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

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

‘Individuals wish to hurt me’

Several years passed for the athlete to build up the bravery to say “I am homosexual” before coming out on October 27th, 2021.

“My only desire is compete in soccer and receive fair treatment,” he said in an accompanying video.

Cavallo was twenty-one and making a name for himself at Adelaide United in Australia's top flight when, with the support of his team-mates, he publicly came out.

“I didn't know what was ahead. I didn't know what to expect,” he says. “It felt like the right time in my life. I wanted to take the next step.”

The heartfelt revelation clip, entitled ‘Josh's Truth’, went viral on digital platforms.

“My phone was flooded with encouraging words. It was overwhelming.”

A prominent club were one of many high-profile clubs around the world to show solidarity with the player, with then manager the German manager saying: “I appreciate that he did it because it sparks conversation.”

Spanish player Gerard Pique also offered support, writing on social media that “the world of football is lagging behind and your actions drive progress”, while his former club issued a statement supporting their “remarkable” and “brave” player.

Others, however, were less welcoming.

Cavallo soon turned into a target of homophobic abuse by opposition fans.

During early 2022 a competing team were penalized five thousand dollars over discriminatory chants from fans directed at Cavallo during a game.

“The comments I encountered were hurtful and derogatory towards LGBTQ people,” he explains.

“I didn't react because responding would encourage detractors.”

There was a frightening incident at a gas station in Australia, where Cavallo was physically attacked by an individual who identified him from the coverage.

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

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

“My wish is that the next person who comes out while playing football at a high level won't face the journey I have endured.”

Cavallo says the daily death threats and hostile communications have affected his mental health.

“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?’.

“Many individuals see me as a smiling, positive person. But there are days when I rely on my partner, his name, and he witnesses a lot that happens privately.”

‘Top-tier athlete revealing orientation would create waves’

Cavallo's decision to disclose his orientation helped prompt 17-year-old Blackpool forward Jake Daniels to announce he was gay as the UK's only openly gay active male professional footballer in May 2022.

However, there are zero publicly LGBTQ athletes in the Premier League.

“It would move mountains,” comments Cavallo on the effect a Premier League player coming out would make.

“But I'm not going to sugar-coat it. Numerous frightening aspects that would await this individual. In the world of football, identifying as LGBTQ is a highly hostile environment.”

Over two decades after Justin Fashanu - the UK's initial out soccer professional - died by suicide in 1998, the current athlete has spoken about the “harmful male culture” that persists in professional soccer.

“Simply attend to a match and see the hostile environment and masculinity that the audience creates,” he says.

“Much remains to be done to ensure there is a safe space in soccer for people like myself and his colleague.

“Progress has been limited (additional athletes revealing their orientation) as frequently as desired.

“My role is to continue advocating for what I think is right, and work towards taking out the harmful male norms in soccer locker rooms and establishing secure environments.”

‘I'm here to create change’

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

Yet, he is critical of Fifa, after Qatar, where homosexual partnerships are against the law, 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 World Cup is in countries that ban gay unions, where people like me will be imprisoned for merely living on their territory? It's scary,” says the athlete.

“I receive communications [from residents of such nations] saying ‘I face imprisonment for being who I am - is assistance possible?’.

“It breaks my heart that people are getting locked up for being who they are.

“Certain nations that are significant soccer markets and they reject LGBTQ+ people. These places that often focus on me.”

Nevertheless, Cavallo says he will not stop speaking up.

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

“Not everyone is going to like you for who you are. But I have found my family. I've connected with similar people.

“My mission is to create change. That's what I'm here for.”