As we begin LGBTQ+ history month, discussions surrounding the multitude of issues within professional sport for LGBTQ+ athletes are beginning to mount up. With sport rising in influence across the world, dominating social media and increasing its markets in places such as Saudi Arabia, the opportunities for athletes to openly come out have arguably began to diminish. Yes, there have been a host of efforts across sporting organisations to raise awareness for the LGBTQ+ campaign in professional sport, as seen in The Premier League’s promotion of Stonewall’s Rainbow Laces Campaign.

However, quite clearly there is still a substantial problem within professional sport. Even though 2024 saw a year in which a record 20 male athletes were openly out at the Paris Olympic Games, numbers such as these still feel like a symbol of how big a job each sport has to resurrect such issues. But what’s being done to address the stigma? And why do athletes feel so hesitant to come out?

Its our national sport where conversations surrounding homophobia in sport are most apparent. With homophobic chanting, abuse and especially online abuse a sadly common occurrence in football today alongside growing connections with regimes in which homosexuality is questioned or sometimes punished, the road to a more inclusive game for players is arguably becoming much harder one to navigate.

With Josh Daniels of Blackpool FC in May 2022 being the only male player to openly come out in the English game for the last 25 years, the environment for players to feel safe and comfortable in coming out is clearly lacking. Daniels himself stated in a piece with Channel 4 that, “In football being gay is a taboo… I had a choice either live my life a lie and continue to play or come out and quit.” With this clear lack of connection in many player eyes between openly coming out and continuing their professional careers, why would you expect footballers to suddenly feel comfortable in coming out under its current structure?

The F.A. has pursued in its support of initiatives such as Rainbow laces and Football vs Homophobia and you have seen captains of clubs ’wear rainbow armbands during certain matchdays to show support. Football vs

Homophobia itself being a campaign launched by the Justin Campaign, an
initiative created in the memory of former Norwich City footballer, Justin Fashanu who became the first openly gay footballer in the UK and tragically took his own life in 1998. Justin’s memory and story should provide ample
opportunity for the F.A and sporting bodies across the country to protects its players from the struggles and abuse Justin received in the years after coming out. However, clearly something is not working.

With the recent controversies of December 2024 in which some captains refused or tampered with Stonewall’s rainbow armband in support of its Rainbow laces campaign, some LGBTQ+ fan groups and organisations have been disappointed by the lack of unity from premier league players and organisations in support of the LGBTQ+ community. Therefore, no matter whether these players still supported the right for players to openly come out or not, the lack of unity towards one single goal during such a campaign could provide more opportunity for the stigma to stay an ever-present in the sport.

However, this stigma should not solely be held under the curtain of football. Especially within individual sports, the stigma surrounding sexuality is a very pressing issue. A recent survey provided by ATP ten-

nis players in response to attitudes towards homosexuality in the sport found that 75% of players who participated in the survey had heard other players use anti-gay slurs. The ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals) stated in response to the survey that the answers, “indicated a strong fear of rejection, isolation from others on tour, and loneliness as being likely
barriers to LGBTQ+ players publicly disclosing their sexuality to others.” With only one openly gay male tennis player Joao Luis Reis Da Silva, a professional player outside the worlds top 100 who only came out in December 2024, these survey results provide a clear sense that despite clear player support for the LGBTQ+ community, the environment for players to express their sexuality in major professional sports is still a major problem.

With professional sport increasingly rising its impact on cultures across the world, social media growing exponentially and therefore giving room for homophobia and abuse to reach the athletes directly and a recent move for some sporting organisations to tie itself to regimes where homosexuality is questioned or even criminalised, it may take a long time for professional male sport to truly make itself safe and accepting of homosexual athletes. The rise in openly gay male athletes at the Paris Games as well as the increasing number of individuals openly expressing their sexuality is a great thing for professional sport and is a sign that things can improve, however the next few years are massive for the progression of LGBTQ+ rights in sport and if governing bodies can tackle the issues in the right way, hopefully the stigma surrounding homosexuality in professional sport will finally begin to fade.

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