Jill Scott: ‘Men’s football isn’t a ‘safe space’ for LGBTQ+ players’
Jill Scott talked about the different experiences that LGBTQ+ men and women footballers have with coming out. The retired midfielder was asked what it’s like to be gay footballer by campmate Seann Walsh on ‘I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here’.
She responded that gay women footballers have an easier time than their male counterparts. “In the men’s game, it’s so difficult,” she explained. “If you think about how much stick they get from chants… it’s just not a safe environment, where they feel safe enough to do that.
And that’s so sad. “But yeah in women’s football it’s just never an issue. Some have partners that are female, some are married to men.” The Lioness has been open about her sexuality throughout her football career.
She was a proud member of the winning England 2022 Women’s Euro’s team and announced her engagement to partner Shelly Unitt in 2020.
