Living as your authentic self and… football?

Gary Ginnaw, London

When I joined NRF in 2010, I had only been out for a few years. This was my first job where I went in on day 1 with the intention of being out from the very beginning. Previously, I just wasn’t sure how people would react so I kept silent, and the longer I remained silent the harder it became to be my real self. I spent years with my former colleagues not really knowing who I was. When I joined NRF I was immediately accepted and in all the years here since, I have never once felt like I couldn't be my authentic self.

I would encourage anyone to be true to who you are. When you are able to live as your authentic self, you live free from fear of rejection, from anyone outing you, and you’re able to reach your full potential. We can all be allies to one another and embrace and celebrate our differences.

This advice to live authentically comes from my own journey and experiences, not just in my professional life but also… from my love of football! Sadly, both my partner Sam and I stopped playing football for a number of years, despite our love of it. I hadn’t played since I was 18 because I struggled to come to terms with my sexual orientation and unfortunately didn’t feel that football was a place where I could be myself and be accepted for being gay.

Over time my feelings began to change, I felt more self-acceptance but something was missing - it was football. In August 2017 we launched the first LGBTIQ+ football club to be formally affiliated by a professional football club/trust – Charlton Athletic FC (“CAFC”) and Charlton Athletic Community Trust (“CACT”). The Club is open to all regardless of ability, age, gender or sexual orientation. We pride ourselves on providing a safe, welcoming and inclusive football environment for people to come along and be accepted as their authentic selves at all times.

Though the launch itself was a proud moment for us both, it was more than just a celebration of hard work, it felt like we were doing something right and meaningful. Suddenly and overnight we became trailblazers. Everyone wanted to speak to us and local LGBTIQ+ people wanted to join our football club. We impacted professional football in a way we couldn’t possibly have foreseen and dramatically increased the visibility of LGBTIQ+ football. We’ve evolved to become more than just a football club and are now a group of volunteers, role models and activists in the fight for LGBTIQ+ inclusion in football and in wider society.

In 2018, in my mid-30’s, I took part in my first ever Pride in London march. I marched along 90 other LGBTIQ+ people from Charlton Athletic, local community groups, my partner, and my parents. It was an unbelievably fantastic experience. Growing up, I never really felt comfortable being my real self, but when Pride in London 2018 came around, I felt that was my moment where all the years of inner turmoil just came pouring out in one go and celebrating every aspect of the person I am.

You can too.