For Australian soccer star Josh Cavallo, this year’s Pride round is taking on a very significant meaning.
Thanks to an Achilles tendon injury, Cavallo was unable to participate in last season’s inaugural A-League Pride celebration. But this weekend, he’ll be back on the pitch, and with a point to prove.
While sidelined, Cavallo wasn’t only dealing with a difficult rehab. The forward was also combating homophobic abuse. He opened up about the taunts he faced, sharing his experience on Instagram.
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“Being absent from football with a long term injury, the outside noise was present and unavoidable amongst this journey,” he posted. “Sadly, countless and endless death threats aimed to my everyday life and sexuality due to my football absence.”
But Cavallo didn’t allow those cruel words to derail him. He continued with his rehab, thanks to the overwhelming support he received from his fans.
“To the people that were there endlessly with positivity. Thank you, you beautiful people,” he wrote. “I returned back with my team and on the rise for my return.”
Back since January, Cavallo is ready for this weekend’s action. His club, Adelaide United, will take on Melbourne Victory in the men’s and women’s competitions. The winner will receive the coveted Pride Cup.
And we must say, he looks great in rainbow! Prior to this weekend, Cavallo showed off his new attire for the world to see.
“I’m extremely proud to announce the New Limited Addition Pride Jersey to show the world that WE’RE HERE, WE’RE QUEER and WE ARE THRIVING!,” he wrote.
“The lives we have changed together in this world is beyond beautiful. We’re changing this world to be a safer home for the LGBTQ+ community.”
Cavallo, who publicly came out as gay in October 2021, is helping to accomplish that goal. He’s one of the more visible out gay active male athletes today, campaigning for civil rights and appearing on unabashed queer programs, such as RuPaul’s Drag Race.
The native Aussie is one of only four out gay active male soccer players, along with Collin Martin, Jakub Jankto and teenager Jake Daniels (Zander Murray retired last year).
That’s one of the many reasons why it’s important for Australia’s A-League, and other pro sports leagues, to hold Pride-themed events. The outreach shows LGBTQ+ people they belong on the field, even though there’s a dearth of role models.
Now ubiquitous across sports, Pride celebrations have elicited some controversy in recent years. The most egregious example in the U.S. was last season’s NHL’s Pride fiasco, in which multiple players refused to wear rainbow warmup jerseys, sparking an ill-advised ban.
Cavallo’s club, despite his presence, is facing a similar dilemma. Earlier this week, one of his teammates, Musa Toure, announced on Instagram he disagrees with the weekend’s Pride initiative.
“For the Muslim brothers and sisters I’m an Adelaide United player but also I’m a Muslim before anything,” he said in his now-deleted post. “I do not support the pride round. I love football but I have no say … the Muslims in my team all disagree about the pride round but we also have no problem with the LGBTQ PEOPLE!! It’s their life.”
Toure, like many people who express opposition towards Pride, is contradicting himself. One cannot simultaneously support LGBTQ+ people and reject Pride.
Now, Toure is backtracking, saying he realizes his comments were “hurtful” and “insensitive.” Adelaide United released a statement, too, though the team doesn’t mention Toure’s name.
Still a teenager, there’s plenty of time for Toure to grow. But he must make the effort. It’s one thing to apologize after getting caught. But putting in the work, and learning about the LGBTQ+ community, is a much more important effort.
Fortunately for Toure, Cavallo is quite the teacher. Toure’s agent says his client plans to apologize to him.
Let’s hope it’s the start of a productive conversation.
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Louis
“One cannot simultaneously support LGBTQ+ people and reject Pride.”
I completely disagree with Alex here.
As a gay man, I of course support our people. Our rights. We should be able to date and marry who we want. Give blood when we want. Adopt when we want. Be legally protected from prejudice etc.
However, for me, I do not see the need for Pride events (in the UK at least).
Pride used to be a statement. It used to be those that didn’t have rights and who were arrested for their sexuality, marching for equality. And that was right. And that was good. And it’s the history of pride that has helped us get where we are today (in the UK).
But Pride in the UK is no longer a political message. It is no longer a call for equality. It is just a party. And by all means, we should be able to celebrate our accomplishments, and we should be able to celebrate the gains we have achieved thanks to those that came before us. But, in my opinion, there is no reason to shut down streets, cause inconvenience to motorists (myself included), and call anyone who doesn’t want to celebrate with us “homophobic”.
I don’t know enough about the player in question but the article states that he and his other Muslim teammates have no issue with lgbtq people which, if true (and why not give him the benefit of the doubt) is progressive given his strict religion, but I personally don’t believe that means he also has to support Pride.
Theres a difference between accepting homosexuality and promoting it. From the sounds of it, he and his Muslim teammates accept it (good for them to overcome the bigotry their religion, like most, tries to impose against gays) but they don’t wish to promote it which, arguably, Pride does.
linedrive
I hear what you’re saying but that’s a slippery slope. I’m willing to bet that most who reject Pride also reject the people it celebrates.
Mr-DJ
I do want to comment on a statement you made here, lest anyone misconstrue it. There is no such thing as ‘promoting’ being Gay. You cannot coax someone into being Gay.
Also, concerning not shutting down streets for a ‘Gay Celebration’, hopefully you believe the same about all other parades where streets are shut down – such as St Patrick’s Day, where they pretty much celebrate being born Irish, and drinking…
still_onthemark
More photos of Josh, please! He’s quite a cutie.
Noah
The Muslim players do not have to support Pride, nor should they be forced to wear merchandise with Pride on it. I wouldn’t wear anything promoting a religion I don’t follow/believe in. That doesn’t mean I hate or have ‘phobia’ against religious folk. Not everything is homophobia and tolerance is a two way street. It defeats the point if the players are forced to wear it, because they’ve already made it clear that they don’t support it, leave them to it!