It's OKAY to be GAY
When the news broke that a male professional footballer had announced that he was gay, the first thing I did was take a deep breath and open Twitter. I was expecting a huge back lash of homophobic content, but I was pleasantly surprised. There were barely any negative comments or responses to the news. In this day and age ‘coming out’ is still accompanied with overwhelming anxiety, fear and often heartache rather than as a celebration of freedom, personhood and clarity. The response to Jake’s story has perhaps shown that this may no longer be the case.
Being a professional footballer makes you by default a role model to lots of young people and thus accountable to them. That is why, when footballers do or say things, it can often set the tone for what is appropriate and acceptable. Jake Daniels having the courage to announce his sexuality in a heavily male-dominated sport, has set the tone for young people to do the same. I can appreciate the fact that ‘coming out’ needs to be on your own terms and in your own time but doing so at such a young age on such a big platform, makes Jake Daniels very brave indeed in my eyes. Not only is this a great personal achievement for Jake, but it is a great achievement for the footballing world. To acknowledge, accept and celebrate one of our own being gay is to celebrate the LGBT community and the advancement that has been made for them within English football.
Jake Daniels has signalled to young people that you should not hide who you are, and the overwhelming support that Jake has received has showed the world as a whole that English football has taken a huge step today. English football has made clear that it is OKAY to be GAY.
