Collective coming out could be solution for gay footballers, says Thomas Hitzelsperger
Aston Villa midfielder Thomas Hitzelsperger says that an organised collective coming out of gay footballers could help ‘take the pressure off’ individuals.Ex-Germany international Hitzelsperger came out as gay after ending his playing career in 2013 following a short stint with Everton, and his idea has been inspired by a similar movement in the Catholic Church in Germany.The #OutInChurch movement saw 125 priests, religious personnel and other staff members come out as a group last week, in a move designed to allow each individual to make their sexuality clear in public without having to deal with the pressure and media scrutiny of doing so alone.Hitzelsperger was 31 when he told he the world about his sexuality, having been advised against doing so when he originally wanted to as a Wolfsburg player a couple of years previously.
In doing so, Hitzelsperger became the first German player and first former Premier League player to come out.In 2014, Hitzelsperger said: ‘It really helped me to see that other professional sports people were acknowledging their sexuality.
I read about John Amaechi, Gareth Thomas and Tom Daley. They weren’t footballers but the fact that they went public gave me the feeling that I was not alone.‘I began to think that I could help other footballers who might be in the same shoes, so that they could see that here’s someone who was even an international.’Now he feels that a group of players could help one another to break down the barriers gay men unquestionably face in the football industry.
