Megan Rapinoe says ‘it’s not safe’ for elite male footballers to come out as gay

Megan Rapinoe believes that men’s football is not a safe environment for a player to openly come out as gay.

The two-time World Cup winner featured on the debut episode of the new Sky Sports YouTube show, The HangOUT, with Magdalena Eriksson and Pernille Harder, to discuss the chasm between the acceptance of queer athletes in the men’s and women’s game.

The series aims to encourage equality in sport and put representation of the LGBTQ+ community in the spotlight.

Eriksson and Harder are both household names on the pitch but are also leading role models when it comes to queer representation in football.

Rapinoe joined the Chelsea duo on the first episode of The HangOUT to discuss the comparison between LGBTQ+ visibility in the women’s game compared to the men’s.

Out lesbian footballers are supported and celebrated in the safe community that is women’s sport. Many players feel comfortable in sharing their same sex relationships and these couples have become role models for supporters also in the community.

However, even in 2022, there are still no openly gay male players at the top level of football. This has been an ongoing topic of discussion for years and one that Rapinoe has addressed.