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“You shouldn't exist” ... “Why are you here?” ... “Stop breathing.”

After announcing his homosexuality in 2021, player Josh Cavallo has faced constant threats and hateful comments on online platforms.

“Upon reading those comments, I was devastated,” Cavallo states. “Nobody should have to endure such words.

“I'm trying to get better as a player and reach my full potential during matches, and then get put down because of who I am. It's disgusting.”

Player the sportsman was at Adelaide United four years ago when he became the only openly gay elite soccer player in the world.

This summer he left Australia to sign with non-league Peterborough Sports, who play in front of crowds of about 400 in National League North, one level below of the English soccer system.

This young athlete combines playing for the Cambridgeshire part-timers by advocating for LGBTQ+ issues and leveraging his platform - he has more than one million followers on social media - to promote fairness and inclusion.

“Absolutely, we've got mountains to do,” Cavallo comments when asked if football still has a problem with homophobia.

“I don't go more than a week without encountering problems.”

‘People want to harm me’

It took years for the athlete to build up the bravery to say “I am homosexual” before coming out on 27 October 2021.

“All I want to do is play football and receive fair treatment,” he stated in an accompanying video.

The player was 21 and making a name for himself at his Australian club in the premier division when, with the support of his team-mates, he announced his orientation publicly.

“The future was uncertain. I didn't know what to expect,” he says. “It felt like the right time in my life. I needed to move forward.”

His emotional coming out video, entitled ‘Josh's Truth’, gained massive attention on social media.

“My phone was flooded with messages of support. The response was incredible.”

A prominent club were one of many high-profile clubs around the world to express support for the player, with then manager the German manager saying: “I'm really thankful that he did it because now we talk again.”

Spanish player Gerard Pique also offered support, posting online that “the world of football is far behind and your actions drive progress”, while Adelaide United issued a statement backing their “remarkable” and “brave” player.

Others, however, were not so accepting.

The footballer quickly became a subject to anti-gay remarks by rival supporters.

During early 2022 Melbourne Victory were fined five thousand dollars over anti-gay abuse from spectators aimed toward Cavallo during a game.

“The things I'd hear were hurtful and disparaging towards LGBTQ people,” he says.

“I remained calm because responding would encourage detractors.”

There was a frightening incident at a gas station in Australia, where the athlete was physically attacked by someone who recognised him from the media attention.

“That was a scary moment,” he remembers. “I remember thinking ‘this is real - people want to harm me’.

“Is it acceptable? Definitely not. But by coming out, these are the consequences.

“My wish is that future individuals who reveals their orientation while competing in soccer at a high level won't face the journey I have experienced.”

The player says the constant menacing messages and hostile communications have affected his mental health.

“It's disappointing because I am having to explain why I belong on the football field for my identity,” he states.

“We don't sit straight people down and ask ‘what gives you the right in football?’.

“A lot of people see me as a smiling, optimistic person. But there are days when I lean on my fiance, his name, and he witnesses much of what occurs behind the scenes.”

‘Top-tier athlete revealing orientation would create waves’

The player's choice to reveal his sexuality helped prompt 17-year-old Blackpool forward Jake Daniels to announce he was gay as the Britain's sole publicly out playing soccer professional in May 2022.

However, there are zero publicly LGBTQ athletes in the Premier League.

“It would move mountains,” says Cavallo on the impact a elite athlete coming out would make.

“But I'm not going to sugar-coat it. Numerous frightening aspects that would await this individual. In the world of football, being an openly gay player is a very toxic place.”

Twenty-seven years after Justin Fashanu - the UK's initial out soccer professional - died by suicide in 1998, the current athlete has spoken about the “toxic masculinity” that persists in professional soccer.

“You just need to go to a match and observe the unfriendly atmosphere and male-dominated culture that the crowd brings,” he explains.

“There is still a lot of work to make sure there is a safe space in football for people like myself and Jake.

“We haven't seen it (additional athletes revealing their orientation) as frequently as desired.

“My role is to continue advocating for what I think is right, and work towards eliminating the harmful male norms in soccer locker rooms and creating a safe space.”

‘I'm here to create change’

The player says football has enabled discussions within team environments about coming out.

Yet, he is critical of Fifa, after Qatar, where same-sex relationships are against the law, staged the global tournament in 2022.

Future World Cup will be held in another Gulf state, where same-sex attraction is similarly prohibited.

“Do I approve that the World Cup is in countries that criminalise same-sex marriages, where people like me will be put in prison for merely living on that land? It's frightening,” says Cavallo.

“I get messages [from people living in these countries] saying ‘I face imprisonment for being who I am - can you help me?’.

“It's devastating that individuals are incarcerated for being who they are.

“Certain nations that are significant soccer markets and they don't accept the queer community. Those are the countries that often focus on me.”

Despite this, Cavallo says he will not stop speaking up.

“Soccer has enabled dialogue in the locker room. It has allowed me to speak and inform individuals who want to learn more.

“Not everyone is going to like you for who you are. But I've discovered support. I have found my community.

“My mission is to drive progress. That's my objective.”