Thomas Hitzlsperger came out a year ago and the 52-time Germany international told a panel discussion on "Football for Diversity" that "It went well." In early 2014, the midfielder revealed his homosexuality in an interview with Die Zeit.
In a press conference held by the Magnus Hirschfeld Federal Foundation in Berlin on Wednesday, the former professional footballer remembered the “massive interest and a wave of support from the media” during the first year after coming out. “All these requests for interviews kept me really busy. I talked to a lot of people who are interested in the topic,” he said.
“We needed to talk about it”
At the same time Hitzlsperger stressed that his coming out was important for football in general and not just him personally. “The topic has been a taboo in professional football; we needed to talk about it,” he explained. However, the former player, who won the German Championship with Stuttgart in 2007, emphasised that this should not be interpreted as a call for current players to come out. “Professional football seemingly still doesn’t offer the right environment for an active player to come out,” said Hitzlsperger.
“We need to get the coaches involved,” said Claudia Wagner-Nieberding, a lawyer leading the DFB Committee for Diversity. “The DFB has taken a clear stance on this topic by signing the Diversity Charter and the Berlin Agreement,” she added.
The DFB, the Magnus Hirschfeld Foundation and Hitzlsperger want to create online services and workshops to increase respect and acceptance. “The DFB is a partner for me and the Foundation,” confirmed Hitzlsperger.
Thomas Hitzlsperger came out a year ago and the 52-time Germany international told a panel discussion on "Football for Diversity" that "It went well." In early 2014, the midfielder revealed his homosexuality in an interview with Die Zeit.
In a press conference held by the Magnus Hirschfeld Federal Foundation in Berlin on Wednesday, the former professional footballer remembered the “massive interest and a wave of support from the media” during the first year after coming out. “All these requests for interviews kept me really busy. I talked to a lot of people who are interested in the topic,” he said.
“We needed to talk about it”
At the same time Hitzlsperger stressed that his coming out was important for football in general and not just him personally. “The topic has been a taboo in professional football; we needed to talk about it,” he explained. However, the former player, who won the German Championship with Stuttgart in 2007, emphasised that this should not be interpreted as a call for current players to come out. “Professional football seemingly still doesn’t offer the right environment for an active player to come out,” said Hitzlsperger.
“We need to get the coaches involved,” said Claudia Wagner-Nieberding, a lawyer leading the DFB Committee for Diversity. “The DFB has taken a clear stance on this topic by signing the Diversity Charter and the Berlin Agreement,” she added.
The DFB, the Magnus Hirschfeld Foundation and Hitzlsperger want to create online services and workshops to increase respect and acceptance. “The DFB is a partner for me and the Foundation,” confirmed Hitzlsperger.
