David Testo

Soccer News:  Being Gay in the World of Soccer

David Testo, who played with the Montreal Impact team from 2007 until last month, went on CBC Radio-Canada in November and told the world he was gay.  Testo, who earned the Most Valuable Player award two years ago, told everyone he regretted not coming out sooner. 

“It’s hard, like living the life of a professional athlete and being gay is incredibly hard,” said Testo on the radio.

“It’s like carrying around a secret, you know, and carrying around luggage and just never being allowed to be yourself.”

According to Kevin Baxter's ON SOCCER’s article in the LA Times, David Testo's coming-out decision received strong support and the professional soccer player wasn't prepared for the reaction his confession would inspire.

"I didn't really expect to have this kind of echo. It kind of blew my mind — all the positivity and support and well-wishes. I just can't believe it." Testo, 30, has played several seasons as a midfielder for the Montreal Impact in the North American Soccer League, and the Impact will be an expansion franchise next season in Major League Soccer.

To be openly gay in any professional field has its challenges, but the arena of professional sports are especially difficult. The generic, heterosexual concept of being gay thwarts the testosterone driven soccer world.

The soccer world has not always been kind to gay players. 

FIFA President Sepp Blatter, awarded the 2022 World Cup to Qatar where homosexuality is illegal. Blatter simply advised gay fans and players to "refrain from any sexual activities" during the tournament. Sepp Blatter's history of provocative comments and controversial views on racism and homosexuality are well known.  Last year, David Beckham condemned Blatter’s racists comments.

David Beckham - last year on Blatter

Even when Gay Rights groups responded with fury over Nigeria's Soccer Coach Eucharia Uche's alleged lesbian 'Witch Hunts', the fuss seemed to calm down quickly and never gain sustained major-media attention.

I remember when Rock Hudson was the American role model for the perfect male; not only referred to as Hollywood’s most attractive male star, Hudson was the ideal catch as a husband in movie after movie.

In case you are too young to know, Rock Hudson, was an American film and television actor, recognized as a romantic leading man during the 1950s and 1960s, most notably in several romantic comedies with Doris Day.  Hudson announced he was gay after it was obvious that he was suffering from AIDS.

Last year, Belmont University Coach Lisa Howe resigned after disclosing that she was a lesbian and that she and her same-sex partner were having a baby. The campus flew into a flurry and attracted the attention of the Associated Press who reported that Lowe was forced to resign after coming out.

Although the controversy sparked a debate regarding discrimination, the dispute was short lived. The intolerance towards gays as soccer coaches did attract notable comments, most especially from the nearby Baptist Church. Randy Davis, Baptist Convention Director disagreed that gays were protected from discrimination and supported Belmont University’s decision to no longer want Howe to coach, although her record was impeccable. The executive director of the Tennessee Baptist Convention is quoted as saying "I think they have taken a very strong biblical stance, true to their own heritage, true to their own mission statement."  The ironic flip side was when Belmont President Bob Fisher responded to Howe's dismissal and assured that everyone was welcome regardless of sexual orientation.  Fisher said, “Within our stsdent community there are many gay and lesbian students as well as gay and lesbian faculty and staff.”

According to Curtis M. Wong’s article, David Testo, Former Montreal Impact Soccer Star, Comes Out As Gay in the Huffington Post, “Testo, a North Carolina native, added that he was extremely sad he didn't feel comfortable enough to thank his partner when accepting his MVP award in 2009.”

"It’s made me realize that life is so much greater than just soccer and winning and losing. It’s about the relationships you build with the people around you. In the end, when you’re laying down on your death bed, it’s not about how much money you’ve made, how many wins you have, or any of that. You want to know those connections you had to people and the difference you made in people’s lives." 

"The world has a lot of catching up to do," he says. "Maybe someone else who's bigger, in a bigger sport, might come forward. And it's only going to propel the momentum and help it continue in the right direction where it becomes normal." Huffington Post excerpt.

Billy Bean, the former Dodgers and San Diego Padres outfielder came out of the closet and let the world know he was gay and became a rights activist, he told writer Kevin Baxter, "He's done something very generous and brave," Bean says of Testo. "At the very least David is going to inspire others. We have kids who need positive, strong images."

Why the testosterone filled arena of soccer takes exception to gay players is open to debate but tolerance of race, gender or sexual orientation should be the accepted norm.

Acceptance will not come with ignorance nor the quietness of remaining in the closet.  David Testo’s brave announcement is a step towards world-wide tolerance of personal choice and gay rights.

If prejudice is to ebb, it is crucial for professional athletes to step forward.

As Testo told Kevin Baxter, "I couldn't be more happy. If I could help one person — which I know it has — that was the goal in the whole thing."

Gay players have long struggled for acceptance in the world of sports. The truth is that there are lesbian and gay soccer players at every level of the sport.

Many famous people are rumored to be gay, regardless of whether or not there is any truth to the rumor.  The Internet has rumors of Ronaldo being gay.

Maybe I am too liberal, too "from NYC," but really, I don’t care the sexual persuasion of a soccer player.  I care how good they are on the field.

Please note: This article was originally published with a reference to Moneyball and the character that Brad Pitt played.  The reference to Billy Bean has been omitted to research further.  Thank you.