English former professional soccer star Thomas Beattie has officially come out as gay. News first broke of him doing this in an interview with ESPN before he took to his Instagram to speak about his decision further.
“It’s time to share something very personal to me,” he wrote on Tuesday, June 23. “It’s easier to sit in silence but the real challenge is to speak up and for me it’s time live my truth and hopefully affect change in some way. I am a brother, son, friend and I’m gay. It took me a long time to accept who I am and I hope it is a little easier for the next generation. Thank you to everyone who has supported me through this process and the journey to come, I appreciate you.”
Unfamiliar with the very attractive 33-year-old? Get to know him a little more and why him living in his truth is very historic.
Big Time Career. Thomas, who hails from an area called Goole in England, played soccer professional for over ten years in not just his home country but The United States, Canada and Asia. His time in the sport ended in 2015 after he suffered a serious head injury.
Staying In The Closet. “I never thought about coming out whilst playing,” he explained in his ESPN interview. “I literally felt like I had to sacrifice one of the two: who I am, or the sport I loved before I could remember. I used football as a form of escapism and in many ways it saved me, until I reached the point in life where there was some personal growth. I was standing still on that front. Society [told] me masculinity is linked to sexuality and so being an athlete playing a physical sport felt like a huge contradiction.”
3rd Times A Charm. Here’s something kind of shocking. Thomas is only the third male professional player in British sports history to come out. The first was Justin Fashano in 1990 followed by Robbie Rogers in 2013. Furthermore he’s the first one do this for anyone who has ever played in any of the major Asian pro sports leagues.
Life After Soccer. He was one of the many sports stars who found success in a different arena after their time in the game was done. Thomas has built an impressive entrepreneurial resume over the past couple of years that includes him being the founder of a digital service marketplace app called Ovvy.
Yum Yum. Thomas also has his hand in the culinary world. He’s an investor in a Singapore-based platform called Chow Social which manages social platforms related to the industry and a hip restaurant called Shake Farm.
Strike A Pose. His Instagram page is filled with him modeling outfits that range from casual to sporty to just his underwear all while looking damn good.
Adjusting To His New Normal. “It’s still a new and current process for me to be honest,” he said of being out. “I told close friends and family three months ago, which was when I decided to embark on the journey of speaking openly about it. As an athlete it was something that was unspoken about, which is why I want to share my story in hopes that there will eventually be more support for people in a similar situation. I recently started to tell some of my old team mates who have been amazing and treated me not a single ounce differently. They know I’m the same lad I was 10 minutes before telling them so that’s been refreshing.”