Jake Williamson has said one of the most important things a closeted LGBTQ sportsperson can do is “verbalise” their feelings to people they trust – but only when they’re ready.
The 23-year-old was playing semi-professionally in a Sunday football league in Birmingham when he came out publicly in 2021 on the BBC’s LGBT Sports Podcast.
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He later revealed he was “angry” and “upset’ when members of his team isolated him after he came out, telling PinkNews “it’s not nice when your own football team just cuts you off.’”
Speaking at London’s Rosewood Hotel yesterday, where he attended Attitude 101, empowered by Bentley, Jake said: “My biggest advice is, once you’re ready, start talking to the people closest to you. The more you can verbalise it and come to terms with things in your own head, the more confident you’ll become.
“You can never underestimate the power of being authentically you” (Image: Attitude/Kit Oates)
“The hardest part for me was coming out to myself, before I came out to others.”
Asked what the biggest different is in his life between then and now, Jake said: “Real happiness. I know it’s cliche, but you can never underestimate the power of being authentically you., and being comfortable in your own skin. There’s a difference between confidence and comfortability. I’ve always been confident, but not always 100% comfortable in my own skin.”
Jake now participates in HYROX, a a competitive, indoor fitness event combining running with functional exercises.
“There’s a guy called Hunter McIntyre, and he’s the very best at the sport. We’ve now become good friends – he’s been a massive ally. It’s a new sport, or at least the way it’s growing is new, and having that stepping stone of LGBTQ+ allyship from the beginning [speaks to] how safe it is as an environment.
“That, for me, was a big factor. This person has gone out of his way to vocally [support] a gay man in the sport and now I feel like we’re making waves in that sport. It’s hard to do that with football, because of the history.”
Issue 357 of Attitude magazine is available to order online here, and alongside 15 years of back issues on the free Attitude app.
