Gay footballer Liam Davis: ‘Every club I’ve been at has known’
By Sam Rigby
Gainsborough Trinity footballer Liam Davis has spoken about his experiences as an out gay player.
The semi-professional said that he has always been open about his sexuality, and once received abuse during a game.
Davis began his career playing for Grimsby Town, and now plays in the Conference North, six divisions below the Premier League.
Speaking to BBC Newsbeat, he said: “Every club I’ve been at has known, but how much it has been spoke about is a bit different. Obviously there was a time when I was at Grimsby when nobody knew.
“I want to show that being gay and a professional footballer is something that’s normal,” he says. The perceived contradiction between playing football, the man’s game, and being homosexual is nonsense.”
Davis said that he has “only ever had one problem” from fans, adding: “It was just a couple of comments when I was taking a corner. I got on with it at the time but afterwards was like ‘wow did that really just happen?’ If it was a black player for example it would have been a massive blow up.”
The 23-year-old also voiced his support for Stonewall’s Rainbow Laces campaign, which has been supported by Premier League teams.
The Arsenal team recently appeared in a television advert supporting the campaign – watch the video here.
“It would be nice if it stuck through the whole season rather than clubs just getting on it for one weekend and then leaving it out,” Davis said.