‘I’m a footballer, I’m gay, and I’m going to walk 339 miles to take a stand against homophobia in sport’
Jack Turner plays in grassroots football for Bristol-based AC Moose; having found a team environment in which he feels welcome as a gay man, he wants to raise awareness of the importance of creating spaces in sport that are truly LGBTQ-inclusive; he is taking on a mammoth ‘Steps Against Homophobia’ challenge and hopes to gain your support…
Football has been part of my life for as long as I can remember.
I grew up in Axminster in East Devon, in a very football-focused family. My dad was a very good player and well known in our local area, and my brother was heavily involved in the sport too. Football was part of our family life, our conversations and our identity.
From the outside, I probably looked like I fitted perfectly into that world. I played football, I was competitive, and I was even captain of my school team.
But inside, I always felt slightly different.
As I got older, I realised part of that difference was because I’m gay. It took me a while to accept myself, and I eventually came out to my family and close friends in my early 20s. I moved to Bristol a few years later.
I remember some of the language I heard around football growing up. Comments from coaches included “you’re playing like girls” or referring to a team as “a bunch of poofs”.
At the time, these comments were treated as part of football culture and probably weren’t given much thought. But for me, they made me feel like being gay didn’t belong in football. They made me question whether I could really fit into the sport I loved and whether I had to hide part of myself to be accepted.
When you’re a young person questioning whether you fit into that environment, you hear those things differently. They reinforced the idea that being gay didn’t belong in football. That if I wanted to be a footballer, I needed to fit a certain idea of what a footballer was supposed to be.
So I tried to do that.
I tried to act straight and hide the parts of myself that make me who I am. I worried that being gay wasn’t what a footballer was supposed to be, or that my family might be ashamed of me.
Looking back, I think some of those feelings came out as anger. I didn’t really know how to express them, so football became one of the places where I channelled them. I wanted to win, and I cared about being good enough.
Then I found AC Moose.
They were the first mainstream football club where I felt I could be openly gay while still being competitive. I didn’t have to choose between my sexuality and the sport I loved.
AC Moose started up in 2021 and has made good strides in the grassroots game. The first team plays in the Bristol & Suburban League Division 1. I play for the second team, in Division 3.
At our club, we make every effort to help people feel welcome. If there is an incident of homophobic language or other unacceptable behaviour, on or off the field, it gets challenged. We take the need for education and the importance of reporting really seriously.
Some things that might seem small have meant a lot to me. I remember the club introduced Rainbow Laces for everyone, and after spending so long trying to hide a part of myself, seeing my club actively show that being gay was accepted meant a huge amount.
I could turn up, put my boots on, compete, try to win, and most importantly, be myself.
AC Moose have also been incredibly supportive of Steps Against Homophobia, which is an independent awareness campaign that I’ve created.
Having the backing of the club that helped me realise I didn’t have to choose between being gay and being competitive makes this project even more meaningful.
My friends and teammates are helping me gear up for a huge challenge. On Thursday 1 April, 2027, I’ll set off from Axminster and walk 339 miles to Anfield in Liverpool over 18 days as part of Steps Against Homophobia.
The date is meaningful to me. I was travelling in New Zealand when I decided to come out to my parents back home. Because of the time difference, it was still April Fool’s Day in the UK – they thought I was joking at first! Thankfully, telling them my truth went well, so that’s one of the reasons I’ve chosen to start my walk on April 1st.
‘I want my walk to start conversations that spark change’
I wanted to do something people could see, follow and get involved with. I didn’t just want to post about homophobia online. I wanted to take on something difficult that could become a way of starting conversations.
The idea was partly inspired by “Radio 1’s Longest Ride” – Greg James’s Comic Relief Red Nose Day bike challenge – and the way a physical challenge can bring people together to raise awareness and information about a cause.
For me, every mile is an opportunity to have a conversation.
I’ll travel through different towns, cities and sporting communities, meeting clubs, supporters, LGBTQ+ organisations and people along the way. I want to hear people’s experiences, learn about the work already being done and encourage more sporting communities to think about what inclusion means to them.
There is already a huge LGBTQ+ sporting community doing incredible work to create spaces where people can belong. I want Steps Against Homophobia to add to that work and encourage more communities to get involved.
@stepsagainsthomophobia 339 miles. 18 days. One message. In April 2027, I'll be walking from Axminster to Liverpool to raise awareness of homophobia in sport. This is just the beginning. Follow the journey. 🧡 #StepsAgainstHomophobia #WalkingChallenge #SportForEveryone #InclusiveSport #EndHomophobia ♬ original sound – Steps Against Homophobia
If you can donate, your support will help make the campaign possible. I’m funding much of the project myself, but there are still costs involved in completing and documenting my epic journey.
Donations will help with accommodation, filming equipment, website and digital costs, campaign materials and essential walking equipment. Any funds remaining once the campaign costs have been covered will be donated to a chosen LGBTQ+ charity.
But you don’t have to donate to make a difference.
You can join me for a few miles, invite me to your club, share the campaign, tell me about the work you’re doing, challenge a homophobic comment or simply tell me your own story – because this campaign is personal to me.
I know what it feels like to love football but feel like there is something about yourself that doesn’t quite fit into the world around you. I know what it feels like to hide part of yourself and spend years trying to be someone you think you’re supposed to be. That’s why I want to help make a difference.
I don’t expect one person walking 339 miles to solve homophobia in sport, but I do believe that it only takes one person to start a conversation.
And conversations can lead to change.
If Steps Against Homophobia can help someone feel confident enough to keep playing the sport they love, encourage a club to think differently about inclusion, or simply remind someone that they don’t have to hide who they are to belong in sport, then every mile will be worth it.
I found a football team where I could be gay, confident, and competitive.
I want everyone to have the chance to find somewhere they belong too.
And hopefully, by the time I reach Anfield, I’ll still be able to walk…
Visit the Steps Against Homophobia website to learn more, and follow on Instagram, Facebook and TikTok.
If you can help, please donate to Jack’s crowdfunder.
Further reading…
Surge in reports of homophobia to Kick It Out compared to last season (July 2026)
New short film ‘Play On’ shows powerful impact of LGBTQ inclusive football (February 2026)
Homophobia offences continue to rise in grassroots football, highlighted by FvH campaign (December 2025)
Gay footballer talks tactics for coming out and thanks his teammates on FvH Podcast (October 2025)
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