Professional footballer Jake Williamson has shared his experience of coming out as gay to his team, which resulted in him being isolated by some of his teammates. Speaking on the BBC’s LGBT Sports Podcast in 2021, Jake revealed that he felt “shut out” after publicly declaring his sexuality. “I then experienced homophobia for the first time,” he told PinkNews.
Reflecting on what happened, Jake still feels “angry” and “upset” about the negative response from his teammates. “It’s not nice when your own football team just cuts you off,” he said. However, this experience didn’t stop his love for the game. Instead, he decided to address the issue rather than feel sad about it.
Had athlete and @stonewalluk ambassador @jakewilliamson4 on the pod – we covered a lot of ground from personal training tips to football in a really light hearted chat. So thanks to Jake, a real legend making change happen.
— Joseph Parsons (@josephparsonsha) February 9, 2023
Watch it here: https://t.co/SkbAMM2otQ pic.twitter.com/5APqdxNbnw
Since sharing his story, Jake has become a sports ambassador for LGBTQ+ charity Stonewall, and he believes that sharing his story is making a difference. “I’ve seen the impact it’s had. The amount of messages I’ve had, the amount of people who’ve taken part in Q&As on Instagram – it is making a difference,” Jake said.
This #LGBTHM we asked some of our Sports Champions to tell us their favourite LGBTQ+ sport heroes, past and present!
— Stonewall (@stonewalluk) February 9, 2023
🏁 @GoCharlieM
⛷️ @JDLskier
⚽️ @jakewilliamson4
Let us know your sporting heroes in the comments ⬇️🌈 pic.twitter.com/rmh4rM9Vv3
Despite the negative experience, Jake is determined to make the path easier for the next generation of LGBTQ+ footballers. “I want to make that path easier for the next generation,” he said. “To me that is absolutely astounding.”
However, Jake acknowledges that the lack of visible role models in the sporting world is part of the problem. He believes that fan culture plays a role, as footballers at top clubs have gone through a training system where there are no publicly gay people. Therefore, “people tend to come out after [they retire].”
“It’s only because I’ve stopped playing football and met my partner that I’ve realized it’s ok to be who I am,” he said. Jake admitted he’s not sure if he would have come out if he’d pursued football professionally.
Jake’s story echoes that of other gay footballers who have come out, including Jake Daniels and Zander Murray, both of whom have spoken about the moving experience of publicly declaring their sexuality in the football world.
In the face of such adversity, Jake’s goal is clear: to make it easier for the next generation of LGBTQ+ footballers.
