Madison Keys comes out in support of Australian footballer Josh Cavallo over homophobic abuse
Madison Keys has expressed her support for Australian footballer Josh Cavallo after he was subjected to vile homophobic abuse during Adelaide United's A-League match against Melbourne Victory.
Keys praised Cavallo for the bravery he exhibited in publicly speaking out against his abusers. She also expressed regret over the fact that he had to put up with such vile remarks and professed solidarity in his fight for equality.
"I’m so sorry this has happened to you. Thank you for speaking out," the American wrote on Twitter. "Sending love and support your way."
twitter.com/joshuacavallo/…
I’m so sorry this has happened to you. Thank you for speaking out. Sending love and support your way ♥️ twitter.com/joshuacavallo/…
Cavallo came out as gay in October 2021, becoming the first openly gay player in the top-flight of men's professional football. The 22-year-old represents Adelaide United in the A League, the top-most rung of club football in Australia and New Zealand.
On Sunday, Cavallo came on as a substitute for Adelaide in their match against Melbourne Victory, and was subjected to homophobic chants from the crowd. Cavallo received similar abuse on social media as well, prompting him to call out his attackers.
"I am not going to pretend that I did not see or hear the homophobic abuse at the game last night. There are no words to tell you how disappointed I was," Cavallo said. "We still face these problems in 2022 and it shouldn't be acceptable."
Like Madison Keys, many others also chimed in with their support for the Australian. The 22-year-old thanked them profusely for their messages of love, proudly declaring that the people who abused him were a minority compared to the hordes of people who stood by his side.
"Thank you to all the positive messages, love and support, seeing that far outweighs the negatitivity," Cavallo said. "To the individuals that reached out after making a stand at the game, I commend you. Love will always win."
Madison Keys is a huge advocate for the fight against cyber bullying
Madison Keys launched her own non-profit organization called Kindness Wins in 2020. Keys stated that people showing appreciation for the things she did made her day. Wanting to pay it forward, the American founded Kindness Wins to remind others that they were not alone in the fight against cyber bullying.
Kindness Wins is a platform for kindness, with special emphasis on kindness to self, kindness to youth and kindness to others in times of struggle.
We’re excited to share @Madison_Keys will be helping launch & champion this new, nonprofit initiative: kindnesswins.org https://t.co/l6SSuCGVPX
"To me, it's those small things that really make such a difference, and in the big storm of social media, it's those moments that mean so much," the American said. "Those small acts of kindness inspire me to keep going, and I'm super excited to try and do that for others and reach as many people as possible."