Here’s what the openly lesbian footballer had to say on the matter ahead of the UEFA Women’s Euro 2025
BY NIC CROSARA, IMAGE BY KATIE CHAN (WIKIMEDIA COMMONS)
Fran Kirby is an out and proud lesbian footballer who featured on the DIVA Visible 100 list back in 2020. She’s an undeniable favourite among our readers. And before she recently reitred from international duty ahead of the upcoming Women’s Euro 2025, she was also one of the openly LGBTQIA+ players on England’s Lionesses squad.
And now, in an interview with Pink News, the athlete has defended LGBTQIA+ players’ right to privacy. When the publication asked why people speculate on female footballers’ sexuality, Kirby said: “If someone is willing to be open about who they are, what they represent and who they are dating, then I think that’s absolutely fair. And I think if someone decides to not share that information, I think it should be respected.”
The midfielder added that those playing in the women’s game are viewed as “much more accessible” in comparison to their male counterparts.
“I think a lot of people think that they know you more and that they should know you and know about your private lives, they should know what’s going on in your private life,” Fran said. “Sometimes we need to take a step back and realise that [women football players] are human beings, and first and foremost they have a family, they have partners, they have kids.”
“It’s never going to happen because everyone is going to want more and more of you, but… it doesn’t mean that you keep reaching for more and more.”
The openly lesbian sports star reiterated to let players “express who they are to you, and don’t attack them if they don’t”.
“There’s a lot of players who share what they need to share and are really driven to make a change in the world, and I think that’s absolutely fantastic and we should be championing those people.”
“But I don’t think we should be going after those who are clearly wanting to live a more quiet and private life.”
It’s undeniable that there’s something that attracts lesbians and sapphics to watch football and root for the Lionesses. This is something we recently investigated at DIVA. With that said, everyone deserves to publicly come out – or not come out – in their own time, their own way. If you want to find out more about the Lionesses who are publicly out as LGBTQIA, you can check out our deep dive.
The UEFA Women’s Euro 2025 tournament will be played in Switzerland from 2 to 27 July 2025. Find out when and how to watch it here.
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