Apr 24
Report: German Gay Soccer Players Preparing to Come Out En Masse on International Day Against Homophobia
Kilian Melloy READ TIME: 2 MIN.
If things go as reportedly planned, this May 17 will be a day to remember as a number of closeted gay German soccer players are planning to come out all at once.
"According to German weekly newspaper Preußische Allgemeine Zeitung, several professional players across the nation are planning to come out on May 17," Metro reports.
"May 17 is also a significant date as it is marked as the International Day Against Homophobia," the outlet adds.
UK newspaper the Daily Mail notes that "The monumental occasion would occur during the German domestic season still, with the penultimate weekend of the Bundesliga action, its top-flight, taking place across that weekend.
"It is believed that all of the clubs the reported players are aware of the planned proposals," the Mail added.
In a thrilling twist, some of those players may turn out to be couples, according to retired German soccer player Marcus Urban, who helped found Diversero, "a global community for diversity, and hopes next month's plans do come into fruition," the Mail relayed.
Urban came out 16 years after he left the game. But, he says, for active players who have stayed in the closet until now to emerge in force will be a "liberating" development for the sport.
"Do I still want to wait until the world of football becomes the way I want it to be? Why should I wait?" Urban said, describing the thought processes of closeted gay players. "An interesting dynamic has come into play, you can see that people's minds are starting to move and are thinking about whether it really makes sense to continue to hide and deny themselves."
Several soccer players of other nationalities have emerged from the closet in recent years, including Josh Cavallo, a top-flight Australian left-back and central midfielder; Jake Daniels, an English forward; and Czech full-back Jakub Jankto.
"At present there are no active male professional footballers in Germany who are openly gay," the Mail pointed out. Maybe it's time that changed.
Kilian Melloy serves as EDGE Media Network's Associate Arts Editor and Staff Contributor. His professional memberships include the National Lesbian & Gay Journalists Association, the Boston Online Film Critics Association, The Gay and Lesbian Entertainment Critics Association, and the Boston Theater Critics Association's Elliot Norton Awards Committee.
