Jake Williamson with a silver medal

Jake Williamson is getting his message out there.

The former semi-pro soccer player from the U.K publicly came out as gay a couple of years ago; and since then, he’s been talking about his experiences to young LGBTQ+ athletes and sports fans all over England. To cap off Pride Month, Williamson recently made a couple of speeches around London as part of NOBULL’s “All Pride” team.

The attendees didn’t walk away disappointed.

“Surround yourself with people who inspire you. Great night interviewing Jake and listening to his inspiring story,” wrote one of them on Instagram. “The importance of LGBTQ+ representation in sport matters.”

Williamson first spoke publicly about his sexuality in December 2021, when he told the BBC LGBT Sports Podcast he was originally in denial of his same-sex attraction, due to the lack of out role models in male pro athletics.

“You push it so far to the back of your mind that you never act on any sort of urges, obviously, because you personally don’t think it’s OK,” he said. “It says a lot about role models and feeling accepted in a community when there isn’t really a community to be part of.”

With his own history in mind, Williamson wants to share his story with anybody who will listen. He doesn’t want any young gay soccer player or athlete to feel isolated or alienated from the sport they love.

Despite living a free and open life as a fitness influencer, Williamson has experienced discrimination in the sports space. In an interview last year with Pink News, he said some of his teammates in a weekend Birmingham league weren’t supportive when he first told them he was gay.

“I was completely shut out of the team,” Williamson said. “It’s bad enough that, in the society we live in, we get made to feel like we’re the worst thing on earth sometimes–so it’s not nice when your own football team just cuts you off.”

The taunts didn’t drive Williamson away from the field, however. They motivated him to keep showing up.

“It’s bad enough that, in the society we live in, we get made to feel like we’re the worst thing on earth sometimes, so it’s not nice when your own football team just cuts you off,” he said. “It didn’t stop me playing football but it was something that made me say: ‘Right, I need to address this rather than be sad about it.’”

That’s what Williamson accomplishes these days as an ambassador for Stonewall U.K., a widely known LGBTQ+ charitable organization. And his work is already paying off.

Last year, pro British soccer player Jake Daniels came out at the start of his career, when he was only 17 years old.

Williamson says Daniels’ courage shows he’s a special person.

Williamson is so focused on visibility, because he leaned on others in his coming out process, too. He says he didn’t feel encouraged to come out until he met his current partner, Paul.

While Williamson’s story continues to inspire, he’s also continued to enjoy incredible athletic success. He’s recently tried his hand at running, and took home silver at a recent event.

He’s also slated to compete in the fitness race, HYROX, which will be held in Spain in September.

Whether he’s speaking or sprinting, Williamson always manages to make us beam with joy.

Scroll down for more pics of this inspiring hottie…

Discover more

Driven features stories and interviews highlighting the thrill of the queer journey, celebrating tenacious LGBTQers whose courage to be themselves fuels their drive to succeed.

Help make sure LGBTQ+ stories are being told...

We can't rely on mainstream media to tell our stories. That's why we don't lock Queerty articles behind a paywall. Will you support our mission with a contribution today?

Once Monthly Annually

Cancel anytime · Proudly LGBTQ+ owned and operated