“There's still so much to accomplish” - Cavallo on anti-gay prejudice in football
“You shouldn't exist” ... “Why are you here?” ... “Stop breathing.”
Since revealing he was gay in 2021, player the athlete has faced constant threats and hateful comments on social media.
“When I first saw these messages, it broke my heart,” the player states. “No-one wants to read things like that.
“I'm trying to get better as a player and reach my full potential on the pitch, and then face criticism due to my identity. It's disgusting.”
Midfielder the sportsman was at Adelaide United four years ago when he emerged as the sole publicly out top-flight male professional footballer in the world.
Recently he departed from Australia to sign with non-league Peterborough Sports, who compete before audiences of about 400 in the sixth division, one level below of English football.
This young athlete combines playing for the Cambridgeshire part-timers by speaking up on LGBTQ+ issues and leveraging his platform - boasting over a million followers on social media - to champion equality and acceptance.
“Definitely, there's enormous work ahead,” Cavallo comments when asked if football still has a problem with discrimination.
“I don't go more than a week without hearing about an issue.”
‘Individuals wish to hurt me’
The player was raised in Melbourne
It took years for the athlete to work up the courage to say “I'm gay” before coming out on October 27th, 2021.
“My only desire is play football and be treated equally,” he stated in an related clip.
The player was 21 and making a name for himself at Adelaide United in Australia's top flight when, with the support of his team-mates, he announced his orientation publicly.
“The future was uncertain. I had no expectations,” he says. “The moment seemed appropriate in my life. I wanted to take the next step.”
His emotional coming out video, entitled ‘Josh's Truth’, went viral on social media.
“My mobile phone exploded with messages of support. The response was incredible.”
A prominent club were one of many high-profile clubs around the world to express support for the player, with then manager Jurgen Klopp saying: “I appreciate that he took this step because now we talk again.”
Barcelona defender the athlete also expressed backing, posting online that “soccer culture is far behind and your actions drive progress”, while his former club issued a statement supporting their “extraordinary” and “brave” player.
Others, however, were less welcoming.
The footballer soon turned into a subject to anti-gay remarks by opposition fans.
In January 2022 Melbourne Victory were fined A$5,000 over discriminatory chants from spectators aimed toward the player during a game.
“The comments I encountered were hurtful and derogatory towards my community,” he says.
“I didn't react because I knew that would only feed the haters.”
There was a frightening incident at a petrol station in Australia, where the athlete was assaulted by someone who recognised him from the media attention.
“It was terrifying,” he remembers. “I remember thinking ‘this is happening - people want to harm me’.
“Should this be tolerated? Absolutely not. But by coming out, this is what it brings.
“My wish is that the next person who comes out while playing football at a high level doesn't have to experience the journey I have endured.”
Cavallo says the daily death threats and abusive messages have taken a toll on his mental health.
“It's disappointing because I am having to explain why I belong on the soccer pitch for being who I am,” he states.
“We don't sit straight people down and ask ‘what gives you the right in football?’.
“Many individuals see me as a smiling, optimistic person. But there are days when I rely on my partner, his name, and he gets to see a lot that happens behind the scenes.”
‘Premier League player coming out would move mountains’
The player's choice to disclose his orientation helped prompt teenage attacking player Jake Daniels to announce he was gay as the UK's only openly gay active male professional footballer in May 2022.
Nevertheless, there are no openly gay or bisexual players in the top English division.
“It would move mountains,” comments the footballer on the impact a elite athlete revealing their orientation would have.
“But I must be honest. There are a lot of scary things that would come this person's way. In the world of football, identifying as LGBTQ is a highly hostile environment.”
Twenty-seven years after a pioneering player - Britain's first openly gay male footballer - took his own life in 1998, Cavallo has discussed the “toxic masculinity” that still exists in professional soccer.
“You just need to go to a match and observe the hostile environment and masculinity that the crowd brings,” he explains.
“Much remains to be done to ensure there is a safe space in football for individuals like me and Jake.
“We haven't seen it (more players coming out) as frequently as desired.
“My role is to continue advocating for principles I believe in, and work towards taking out the harmful male norms in soccer locker rooms and creating a safe space.”
‘I'm here to create change’
Cavallo received an honorary doctorate from an academic institution in his former city in 2022, recognising his contributions as a inspirational figure in sport and a champion for equality
The player says football has allowed him to have conversations within team environments about revealing one's orientation.
However, he is disapproving toward soccer's global governing body, after Qatar, where same-sex relationships are against the law, staged the global tournament in 2022.
The 2034 tournament is scheduled in another Gulf state, where homosexuality is similarly prohibited.
“Am I impressed that the global championship is in nations that ban gay unions, where individuals like myself will be imprisoned for just existing on their territory? It's frightening,” says the athlete.
“I get messages [from people living in these countries] saying ‘I face imprisonment for my identity - can you help me?’.
“It breaks my heart that individuals are incarcerated for their true selves.
“Certain nations that are huge in terms of football and they don't accept LGBTQ+ people. Those are the countries that often focus on me.”
Despite this, the footballer says he will not stop speaking up.
“Soccer has enabled dialogue in the locker room. It lets me communicate and educate people who seek understanding.
“Not everyone is going to like you for your identity. But I've discovered support. I've connected with similar people.
“My mission is to drive progress. That's my objective.”
