Craig Napier and Lloyd Wilson said they had been inspired by similar public announcements from Adelaide player Josh Cavallo and 17-year-old Blackpool forward Jake Daniels, who last month became the first active male professional footballer in the UK to come out since Justin Fashanu in 1990.
Craig Napier made the revelation in a video posted on Twitter by Scottish Football Association on Twitter.
Glasgow: Two Scottish referees came out publicly as being gay on Thursday, hoping they can help change the culture of the game.
Craig Napier and Lloyd Wilson said they had been inspired by similar public announcements from Adelaide player Josh Cavallo and 17-year-old Blackpool forward Jake Daniels, who last month became the first active male professional footballer in the UK to come out since Justin Fashanu in 1990.
Napier took charge of 10 top-flight games in Scotland last season, while Wilson officiates in the lower league.
“We need to see the climate change so that people feel they can be their true self and live happily and comfortably in their own skin.”
An important conversation with Category One referee Craig Napier. pic.twitter.com/bYygya2k23
— Scottish FA (@ScottishFA) June 2, 2022
“I have never had a bad experience when I have had these conversations. I have always felt so much lighter after speaking about it,” Napier said in a video on the Scottish Football Association Twitter account:
“This isn’t a conversation about me, this is a conversation about trying to change the culture within Scottish football.”
Napier was motivated by a desire to help others avoid the mistakes he made.
“It’s not something that you can change, it’s not something that is worth hiding,” he added.
“It’s a lot of wasted energy worrying about whether you are going to lose friends over it, whether you are not going to get promoted within refereeing because of it, whether you are not going to get selected for the first team because of it.
“I think people will be better served enjoying their life and living their true self.”
Wilson admitted to being “petrified” at putting himself forward as a pioneer for more players and officials to reveal their sexuality without stigma.
“I feel that doing this interview – which I must say I am petrified about – is absolutely crucial not just for my colleagues but my colleagues who are players, who I know many are suffering this same battle and journey that I have suffered,” he told the YouTube channel of mental health charity Back Onside.
However, he encouraged others to take heart from the support Cavallo and Daniels have received from across the football world.
“I’m talking about this because I know that there are people out there watching the game, working in clubs, playing the game, refereeing, who are continuing to live in a way that they don’t want to live,” added Wilson.
“I think it’s really important to point out as well that both Josh and Jake have had significant support from the football community.
“I’m hoping in a year or two or whenever that might be that this is completely old news and that people can just be them because people are killing themselves because they can’t be them.”
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