Gay Australian footballer Josh Cavallo is clapping back at homophobes after an incident at a recent game. As previously reported by France 24, the 22-year-old Adelaide United player,
“came out in October as the only known gay men’s footballer playing in a top-flight league. His decision to go public won plaudits throughout the footballing world and beyond, including from major clubs such as Liverpool, Barcelona, AC Milan and Tottenham Hotspur. But little more than two months later, Cavallo said he was targeted during Adelaide’s 1-1 away draw against Melbourne Victory on Saturday.”
Related: This soccer star was tired of living a double life and hiding his true self
Cavallo took to his Instagram to express how he was feeling,
“I’m not going to pretend that I didn’t see or hear the homophobic abuse at the game last night. There are no words to tell you how disappointed I was. As a society, it shows we still face these problems in 2022. This shouldn’t be acceptable and we need to do more to hold these people accountable. Hate never will win. I will never apologize for living my truth and most recently who I am outside of football.”
Who are these vile homophobic people? It is 2022. Get out of the dark ages. And what courage and grace from Josh Cavallo. https://t.co/vExkp6sCO4
— Louise Milligan (@Milliganreports) January 9, 2022
. @gomvfc statement on homophobic abuse directed at Josh Cavallo pic.twitter.com/BuyEpDO6KR
— Joey Lynch (@joeylynchy) January 9, 2022
Cavallo then reached out to the younger generations watching him play,
“To all the young people who have received homophobic abuse, hold your heads up high and keep chasing your dreams. Know that there is no place in the game for this. Football is a game for everyone no matter of who you are, what color your skin is, or where you come from.”
Cavallo ended the post by calling out Instagram and other social media platforms for allowing the bullying, abuse, and harassment,
“To Instagram, I don’t want any child or adult to have to receive the hateful and hurtful messages that I’ve received. I knew truly being who I am that I was going to come across this. It’s a sad reality that your platforms are not doing enough to stop these messages.”
‘Hate never will win’ – Josh Cavallo calls out homophobic abuse at A-League game https://t.co/tZXx423xcl pic.twitter.com/nXGLr3zG1p
— SPORTS CIRCUS INT. (@SPORTSCIRCUSINT) January 9, 2022
The A-League issued a statement in response saying they were,
“shocked and saddened to hear reports of homophobic bullying. Our players, staff, and fans have the right to feel safe on and off the pitch. There is no place for bullying, harassment, or abuse in Australian football and we have zero tolerance for this harmful behavior. We are working with both clubs to investigate the incident and will issue sanctions to any people found to be involved.”
Related: Who joined the LGBTQ community in 2021
Cavallo ended his Instagram post, which has garnered over 36k likes, by thanking fans for all their support and love,
“Thank you to all the positive messages, love, and support, seeing that far outweighs the negativity. To the individuals that reached out after making a stand at the game. I commend you. Thank you to those fans, you had me emotional. Love will always win.”
Sources: France 24
Damn, he’s so damn sexy! It’s good to be gay. I can imagine he has to deal with homophobia whenever he plays, good for him for calling it out!