Regardless of its authenticity, the story gave so many of us hope. FootballerGay is a Twitter account that appeared recently which claimed to be run by a Championship footballer who intended to come out as gay. As more attention surrounded the account, it quickly amassed over 50, followers. Though, rather than a reveal, the account has been deleted. Over the last few weeks, the popularity of this mysterious account has got me thinking about my own story and the role that football and my identity as a gay man have played in my life.

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Her comments come as a social media account named the Gay Footballer claims that he is a player in the Championship and is prepared to come out to the public on July It's being oppressed," Amal Fashanu told Sky News. She added: "I'm very curious to know whether it's actually real or not because creating a fake account, whether you're a person or organisation, I think, is going to be detrimental. It's almost like mocking it in a way. I'm a professional footballer, playing for a club in the SkyBetChamp. I will be revealing my identity soon, but I am a proud gay man, hoping to break the mould.
It now appears to be a case of when, and not if, a Premier League footballer will follow in the footsteps of Justin Fashanu by coming out of the closet. The barrage of support being brandished about for such an eventuality is making it clear that teammates and clubs would support a gay player. Talk of marriage equality in the media and houses of parliament has been frequent, with a sway towards public acceptance of same-sex relationships and the rights these entail. Last month West Ham United player Matt Jarvis discussed possible reactions towards gay players in an interview with magazine Attitude.