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Anton Hysen
Gay News: Anton Hysen, the world's only out professional footballer, has been accepted by his fans
By : Nigel Robinson
Out gay footballer wins universal support
29 March 2011
The 20-year-old player for Swedish team Utsiktens BK has received almost universal support since he came out as gay earlier this month.
Interviewed in the Guardian the left-sided midfielder, who is the son of former Liverpool player Glenn Hysén, said that everyone has been very supportive of his coming out.
“I was on the train last weekend and this girl said: ‘You’ve made the world a better place; thank you for being there for everyone,” he told the newspaper.
Hysén is currently the only professional player in the world who has come out as gay. He denies that he feels pressure to be a role model to others in the sport, before adding that he would do anything to help other players coming out.
“If there’s anyone afraid of coming out they should give me a call,” he said.
His teammates have all been supportive of him, and he admits to joining in dressing-room banter with them, including gay jokes.
In the interview he says he enjoys going to gay bars, but finds gay Pride events a “little too much”.
Despite the support of his family, teammates and Utsiktens supporters, he admits that he has received homophobic abuse from opposition fans. He says that he was initially furious, before laughing.
“I was psyched to play the game,” he told the Guardian. “It’s just talk. It’s just shouting. My attitude is: ‘I’ve got the ball – you don’t. I’m on the pitch – you’re not.’ And if you hate that I couldn’t care less.”
Read the full interview here
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