Jake Daniels is an 18-year-old striker for Blackpool FC, and he became the first British footballer to come out as gay since the 1990s when the late Justin Fashanu publicly came out.
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Daniels came out in 2022, and on his statement for Blackpool FC’s website, he expressed:
“Off the pitch I’ve been hiding the real me and who I really am. I’ve known my whole life that I’m gay, and I now feel that I’m ready to come out and be myself.”
Related: Blackpool’s Jake Daniels Reveals He Is Gay
Ever since publicly coming out, the athlete has been vocal about his sexuality, including his relationship with 46-year-old boyfriend named Mark, who he described as his “soulmate.” He also noted that he “couldn’t be more happy” with their relationship.
Related: Gay Footballer Jake Daniels Opens Up About 46-Year-Old Partner
More recently, Daniels opened up about “occasional slip-up of homophobic language” among his Blackpool teammates.
“If [a word] does slip out now by someone at the club, they’ll be like, ‘Oh god, sorry,’” he shared in a new interview with GQ.
And as for how he feels when hearing such language from his teammates, the football player admitted:
“It doesn’t really phase me to be honest. I know it’s not intentional. I’m not the type of person to get all annoyed at it. If it was an opponent, it would [feel more] meaningful.”
Source: attitude.co.uk
Damn, sounds like my locker room even after I came out as gay to my teammates.