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Words: Roy EcclestonProducer: Louise Starkey
Meet Josh Cavallo: Top soccer’s only openly gay male player
Josh Cavallo, 22, is the first top-level male soccer player in Australia to come out as gay — and the only one worldwide now playing.
But coming out was not easy for the Adelaide United left back, who hid who he was from the world until he reached out to former English professional, Thomas Beattie.
Picture: Instagram | Thomas Beattie
Beattie, a midfielder, only revealed his sexuality after a severe head injury ended his career. Cavallo decided to contact him online.
\Picture: Twitter | Thomas Beattie
 Within two minutes he’s opened [the message]. He was in Miami. He got back to me and said, ‘Josh, I feel like you’re telling my story to me.’ And from there we jumped on to FaceTime.
“
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Josh Cavallo
Adelaide United left back
Following their conversation, Beattie introduced Cavallo to his Los Angeles-based manager, David McFarland, a former US elite swimmer now "out and proud" and familiar with the challenges of LGBTQI+ athletes.
\Picture: Instagram | David McFarland
McFarland helped Beattie and other top athletes come out, including NFL player RK Russell, the first top-level American football player to declare he was bisexual while still active in the sport.
\Picture: Instagram | RK Russell
Gay players are common in women's football, but for men, it's remained taboo. When Cavallo came out publicly in October 2021, it caused a sensation.
He received more than 700,000 responses in the first half-hour of releasing a video to Twitter and Instagram. Support came from big names like Barcelona's Gerard Piqué, Manchester United's Marcus Rashford, and stars Ellen DeGeneres and Ricky Martin.
Video: Instagram | Josh Cavallo
Cavallo wants to be the role model he never had. He intends to fight prejudice against LGBTQI+ people. He wants to keep pressure for change on 2022 World Cup host Qatar, where homosexuality is a crime.
Cavallo is now one of Australia's highest profile players, with steady demand for interviews from around the globe. But there's been a price. He copped homophobic abuse at a match against Melbourne Victory in January and death threats that police are investigating.
Swipe up for more information on Josh Cavallo's remarkable tale of coming out to the world and the reactions he's faced.																		

Original URL: https://www.theaustralian.com.au/web-stories/free/the-australian/why-is-josh-cavallo-top-soccers-only-openly-gay-male-player