19 July 2023 , 14:45
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The first famous footballer to come out at openly gay is set to take on a role in a new Ru Paul's Drag Race series.
Josh Cavallo, who is a midfielder for Adelaide United, came out as gay in October 2021 and is due to feature on season three of RuPaul's Drag Race Down Under.
He is the first professional player to come out as gay who is playing top-flight football in the world. The 23-year-old is one of the new judges on the popular show.
Talking about getting involved, Josh said: "I'm a big fan of the show and was thrilled to be a guest on the new season of RuPaul's Drag Race Down Under.
Josh came out on social media (Dave J. Hogan/Getty Images)
Josh plays football in Australia"As the only openly gay male professional footballer currently playing top-flight football in the world, I'm a big fan of embracing your true self, but for many in sport and the queer community this is really difficult to do.
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"This is why RuPaul's Drag Race is so important, because it inspires queer people to be their authentic self, and allows drag to become more accepted and celebrated like it should be."
Josh came out as gay in October 2021 via social media. He posted a statement to his Instagram page where he said he had something "personal" to tell his followers.
He said: "Today, I'm ready to speak about something personal that I'm finally comfortable to talk about in my life. I am proud to publicly announce that I'm gay.
"It's been a journey to get to get to this point in my life, but I couldn't be any happier with my decision to come out. I have been fighting my sexuality for over 6 years now, and I'm glad I can put that to rest."
He went on to say he is a "private person" and that when he was growing up he felt the need to "hide" himself.
Josh explained that he thought coming out as gay might have a "negative impact" on his career. He hoped that coming out would mean that other footballers who are gay would feel they "they're not alone".