Hitzlsperger on his coming out: “There is every reason to have the courage”

Ex-national player Hitzlsperger came out ten years ago. There was still no such thing as an active professional in this country. In the interview, he explains what Hitzlsperger thinks about the move today and what has changed.

tagesschau.de: Mr. Hitzlsperger, what feelings do you have when you think back to the day on which you were the first known German football professional to publicly say: I am homosexual?

Thomas Hitzlsperger: Very positive feelings, I remember the day fondly. It was exciting. I couldn’t say exactly how big the event would be, but it got very big. And I have to thank many people who supported me. A lot of good things have happened since then and I am very grateful for that too.

tagesschau.de: What was the process like before coming out publicly?

Hitzlsperger: That was a very long process. When you’re in professional football and you’re gay, you feel alone at first. You have little to no role models. I first had to admit to myself that I was gay. At some point I realized that I didn’t want to keep it a secret my whole life and have to hide. And so I found more and more supporters, people who encouraged me to talk about it publicly. In order to be able to be a role model in the end.

“In the best case scenario, there will be imitators”

tagesschau.de: What was the aim of the interview with the weekly newspaper “Die Zeit” back then?

Hitzlsperger: I wanted to advance a discussion about homosexuality in society, with a particular focus on professional football. But also about prejudices that of course existed back then and still exist today. When homosexuality isn’t visible in professional sports and other areas of society, people think it doesn’t exist.

I wanted to make it clear: you can bring homosexuality and professional football together, I am an example of this. And in the best case scenario, there are imitators, people who say: If he dares, then I’ll dare too.

tagesschau.de: Were there people who advised you not to come out as a well-known footballer?

Hitzlsperger: I asked a lot of people beforehand and some were afraid that the pressure would be too much and said: Don’t do it. Before publishing the interview, I went to a media lawyer and he also advised me against it. He said: Don’t do it, you probably won’t be able to withstand the pressure. It just became clear at some point, I felt that, it has to be said, I want to talk about it because I can make a valuable contribution to this discussion.

More diversity in professional football?

tagesschau.de: How did you perceive the mood in the clubs and teams when you were active? Did you feel like you could speak openly back then?

Hitzlsperger: If I had had that impression and feeling, then I would probably have spoken openly. But that wasn’t the case. On the one hand, I wasn’t yet very stable in my personality. And at the same time it became taboo. Talking about homophobia or homosexuality in professional football was very rare. I didn’t know who to talk to about it. I first had to mature myself and get to the point where I felt comfortable and could tolerate criticism and exclusion.

It would have been nice if I had had the courage to do so during my playing days. But I did it later and that had an effect too. I am happy about this step.

tagesschau.de: Today, football clubs and associations in Germany have the issue of diversity on their radar, for example: B. take part in CSD parades. Do you feel like you were able to initiate change by coming out?

Hitzlsperger: I notice that many clubs and associations in Germany and abroad have recognized that diversity is something positive and that there is a need, a need to talk about it, to deal with it. It is encouraging that a lot has changed politically, including marriage for everyone.

On the other hand, development in society is not linear. The climate has changed again, there is open hatred, especially on social networks. And that worries me. That’s why it’s necessary to keep raising your voice and defending yourself.

“Time has changed”

tagesschau.de: The fact is that after you, no other professional footballer in Germany has declared his homosexuality. Why is that?

Hitzlsperger: We have to ask the players it affects. I believe that this is also anchored in society. Given the large number of former football professionals, no one dared to do so. It seems to me that this fear of coming out, which extends beyond the professional days, is anchored in society. Apparently people have a very difficult time with this.

My aim has always been to emphasize the positive. I spoke out, spoke to my family, to my friends: the reactions were positive. Time has changed, there is every reason to dare to do just that.

The interview was conducted by Valerie Krall and Susanna Zdrzalek, WDR.