Footballer Jessica Fishlock Opens Up About Homophobic Bullying in School

Out Wales footballer Jessica Fishlock has opened up to BBC Wales Live about her hellish experience at school.

Fishlock, who is Wales’ most capped footballer and has been awarded an MBE for her services to the game and for her LGBT+ advocacy, told the BBC: “High school for me was hell on earth.

“It was everything I hated about everything. I was personally going through stuff that I didn’t understand that I needed to figure out.

“And then you are around people your age who are going through their own stuff, and the first thing that kids do when they are under pressure or don’t understand something is they throw stuff, whether it be verbally, mentally, they don’t even know they are doing it.”

Fishlock went on to say her appearance drew further taunts: “I was very active, very sporty, short hair at that time.

“And I went through so many unnecessary things, like ‘why is she in the girls changing room?'

“If you play football and you’re a woman, 90 percent of people automatically straightaway think you’re a lesbian.”

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