A 17-year-old player in the English football league has come out as gay, making him the first active professional footballer in the men’s leagues to be openly gay in over 30 years. Blackpool Football Club striker Jake Daniels is the first player to come out since Justin Fashanu in 1990, which feels like an age.
Daniels credited Aussie footballer Josh Cavallo — who came out in October — as an inspiration for him to also go public with his sexuality while still actively playing professionally.
He released a statement through Blackpool FC’s website about his journey to coming out as a professional sportsperson early in his pro career. He said he’s hated lying his whole life and feeling like he needed to change to “fit in”. Now, he wants to use his time in the football spotlight to be a role model for others.
“This season has been a fantastic one for me on the pitch,” the statement read.
“But 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.”
Daniels also recognised that there are others out there who are grappling with the same struggles with their identity and urged those to be themselves because that’s what matters the most.
“There are people out there in the same space as me that may not feel comfortable revealing their sexuality,” he wrote.
“I just want to tell them that you don’t have to change who you are, or how you should be, just to fit in.
“You being you, and being happy, is what matters most.”
In an interview with Sky Sports, Jake Daniels talked about how he felt he needed to hide his true identity as a queer man because nobody else in the professional men’s leagues was openly gay.
“Because there’s no one out I do feel like I need to hide it and maybe wait until I’ve retired to maybe come out,” he said.
“But I just knew that was just such a long time of just lying and not being able to have what I want.”
He also admitted it has had an effect on his mental health. Trying to live separate professional and private lives brought him a lot of stress and overthinking his every move.
“Now, you know, it’s just all gone,” he said.
“I’m just confident and happy to be myself finally.”
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