HOMOPHOBIA IN SPORT CONTINUES
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ecently a handful of high profile sporting personalities have come out, making headlines internationally ... but in this day and age of so-called more liberal attitudes towards the LGBT+ community, should coming out matter and should it make headline news. Earlier this year, American Pro-football player Colton Underwood came out and his coming out journey can be seen on Netflix in a 5 part series, Coming Out Colton. In May, Blackpool footballer, Jake came out, again making international news, yet the Tokyo Olympics saw more LGBT+ participants than ever before. Openly and proudly LGBT+ these sports men and women are flying the banner for acceptance, acknowledgment of their skill and talent and living their own truth. It is a brave step in any LGBT+ sports persons career to come out. For LGBT+ people, and sometimes more especially those that reach the pinnacle of their chosen sport or profession, the fear of rejection is very real. So congratulations to anyone that has the courage to do so publicly. In a recent interview with Sky Sports Blackpool’s Jake Daniels said, “I have been thinking for a long time about how I want to do it, when I want to do it. I know now is the time,” “I am ready to be myself, be free and be confident with it all.” Daniels is the first pro-footballer in the UK to come out in over 30 years, since Justin Fashanu. Fashanu’s story is a sad one that unsurprisingly does nothing to encourage footballers to have the same kind of bravery after his career was cut short, and he took his own life over homophobic bullying. Despite knowing he was gay at five or six, Daniels worried that he would have to keep his sexuality a secret until he retired. “However, I knew that would lead to a long time of lying and not being able to be myself or lead the life that I want to,” Jake Daniels said. He continued: “Since I’ve come out to my family, my club and my teammates, that period of over thinking everything and the stress it created has gone. “It was impacting my mental health. Now I am just confident and happy to be myself finally.” And Daniels firmly believes that his performance Mag 35
