Aussie vitamin company VÖOST has released a short film featuring Adelaide United player Josh Cavallo, the world’s first openly gay top-flight men’s soccer player, to encourage inclusivity in sport. The clip kicks off a three-year partnership between VÖOST, Sydney WorldPride and Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras.

Released on 13 February, the film sees Cavallo revisit his childhood soccer club in Melbourne. Here, he reflects on the path that led him to post his viral coming out video on Twitter in 2021, making sporting history.

Out on the field

VÖOST’s five-minute video references the first international study on homophobia in sport, which found around 70 percent of participants believe youth sport is not safe and welcoming for LGB people. (The study focussed on sexuality rather than gender-based discrimination faced by trans and intersex athletes.)

“VÖOST firmly believes this exclusion of LGBTQIA+ people in sport is unacceptable and wants to proactively work to change that,” the Melbourne-based company says in a press release.

While discrimination continues on the field and in the stands, some brands are doing their bit to right past wrongs in the realm of sports sponsorships – and of course earn some cash in the process.

Partnerships continue for Cavallo

Coming out as gay might have once negatively affected sponsorship deals for sporting champions like Martina Navratilova and Greg Louganis, but Cavallo’s announcement seems to have opened the door to his deals. Before he came out, he had no sponsorships in the pipeline. Since his announcement made global headlines, Cavallo has partnered with Ralph Lauren, Cupra, Gymshark and now VÖOST.

In August 2022, Cavallo told Marketing that he is selective about the brands with which he works.

“Yes, it’s great having these companies come to me and want to work with me, but they have to align with my brand and my messaging behind it,” he said at the time.

It seems that VÖOST has made the cut. Alongside working with Cavallo, the Melbourne-based company owned by Procter & Gamble (P&G) will activate across WorldPride and Mardi Gras. P&G is also supporting rainbow youth charity Minus18 to create Anti-Bullying Resource Kits for students across Australia.

For more on Cavallo’s experience in the public eye as the world’s first openly gay top-flight men’s soccer player, read our full interview with him last year.

The annual Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras is a chance for the LGBTQIA+ community to gather in a “colourful explosion of self-expression, celebration and protest”, according to its organisers.

While the event was built on community activism, brands are now coming to the party to demonstrate support for – and capitalise on – the rainbow community.

TikTok is one such brand. After two years as a partner for the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras, the video-sharing social platform is stepping up to Major Partner status in 2023.

Running from 17 February until 5 March, this year’s Mardi Gras offers an especially lucrative opportunity for amplification across the world stage. Sydney won the bid to host WorldPride in 2023 – a first for the Southern Hemisphere – and it will run concurrently with Mardi Gras. 

In total, organisers expect over 200 events will be staged as part of the broader Sydney WorldPride Festival, to be enjoyed by over 500,000 people.

TikTok livestreams WorldPride

As a Major Partner for both the Sydney Mardi Gras and WorldPride, TikTok will be livestreaming the event to the world, as well as offering the in-app hub #ForYourPride. The platform has also announced a string of Pride Ambassadors. These include Sugar and Spice, of RuPaul’s Drag Race and TikTok fame, and Rainbow History Class, which aims to educate the TikTok community about queer and trans history they didn’t learn in school.

“We are proud that TikTok is an open and inclusive platform, and it’s a privilege to be able to shine a light on the amazing creators across who are at the heart of the LGBTQIA+ community on TikTok,” says TikTok Australia and New Zealand’s general manager Lee Hunter.

“This partnership with Sydney WorldPride will allow us to take this incredible celebration to a global audience, who will be able to tune in to catch all the action on TikTok.”

Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras CEO Albert Kruger says he is proud of the partnership as TikTok is a “hub for creativity and self-expression”.

“As we move into Sydney WorldPride, we’re excited to see the colour and energy of TikTok come to life throughout the festival, bringing representation and visibility to audiences across the globe,” he says.