The Blackpool striker came out as gay in an open letter published on Sky Sports News. Hence, he is the only active British footballer on a professional level who is openly gay.
– It’s time to do it now. I feel ready to tell my story, I want people to know my right and that lying all the time is not what I want to do, he says.
Justin Fashanu was the last active UK footballer, to talk about his sexuality in October 1990.
“I hated her”
Early in his career, Daniels is just 17 years old, fighting for play in Blackpool, which is in the second highest league in English football.
I’ve hated lying all my life and feel like I need to adapt. There are people in situations similar to mine who may not feel comfortable opening up about their sexuality. “I just want to tell them that you don’t have to change who you are, or how you should be, to suit yourself,” he said in a message posted on the club’s website.
The reactions back home were many.
“Thank you for your courage, Jake. It takes courage to get out and you will be an inspiration to so many on and off the field,” UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson wrote on Twitter.
“Coffee trailblazer. Passionate thinker. Creator. Hipster-friendly internet enthusiast.”
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