UK: Prince Williams lauds footballer Jake Daniels for coming out as gay

After English footballer, Jake Daniels publically came out as gay, he has received praise from his fans. Duke of Cambridge, Prince William also praised the Blackpool FC player for his bravery for coming out and expressed his hope that the athlete's disclosure would help combat sexuality stigmas on May 17. Prince William stated that football should be a game for everyone and what Jake has done requires courage, and he hopes that it will assist to tear down barriers that have no place in society. He continued by stating that he hopes that Jake's decision to talk openly about his sexuality inspires others to do so as well.

On Monday, the 17-year-old footballer released a statement saying, "I’ve been hiding the real me and who I really am." He further stated that he has known his whole life that he is gay and now he finally feel ready to come out and be himself. Jake said that being one of the first players in the UK to announce his sexuality is a leap into the unknown, but Josh Cavallo, Matt Morton and athletes from other sports, like as Tom Daley, have motivated him to have the confidence and commitment. He also said he told his team teammates about his secret and that they were supportive of his choice to go public.

The footballer further said that he hated lying his entiere life and felt that it was time to go public and by doing this, he hope to be a role model for others. He said that there are people in who may be hesitant to expose their sexuality and he just want to let them know that they don't have to change who they are or how they should be in order to fit in.

Almost half of football fans would like to see more LGBT+ people represented

The Football Supporters' Association and Kick It Out's Supporters for Diversity campaign, which tries to ensure that all fans, regardless of age, race, gender identity or sexuality, feel welcome described Jake Daniels' coming out as a "freedom." In the meanwhile, almost half of football fans polled by Gay Times in 2019 said they would like to see more LGBT+ people represented in football at all levels, including players and managers, and 69% said the Football Association should do more to combat homophobia in the UK.

Image: AP