Matthias
I want to show other athletes that your coming out can also be welcomed, even in soccer. And that – once you feel at peace with your sexuality – there is no reason anymore to be closeted.
Arlena
Coming out hasn’t been an easy process for me, despite the many precedents I had in my club. You would expect that the presence of gay girls would make it easier. But being surrounded by them caused an opposite effect. I hated the idea of confirming a stereotype, so I resisted.
FASHANU, the Football Star we still haven’t forgotten
Exactly 20 years ago today, Justin Fashanu stepped out of life. The Briton, who caused a furore at Norwich City in the early 1980s, was in 1990 the first football player who came out. With this coming-out, Fashanu paved the way for many other LGBT athletes, but his confession also led to a lot of misunderstanding and prejudice.