How We Leveled The Playing Field: Ten Athletes Whose Courage To Come Out Scored Big For The Cause

From: Queerty

Justin Fashanu

1990

Fashanu became the first and one of only two English professional footballers to be openly gay when he came out in the press in 1990. This was an unprecedented move at the time, and Fashanu faced intense backlash, especially from his family.

Justin’s brother, fellow pro footballer John Fashanu, was interviewed a week later under the headline John Fashanu: My Gay Brother is an outcast. He would later go so far as to claim Justin was only claiming to be gay for attention.

Justin committed suicide in 1998, and John has since expressed regret at how he handled things.