Jesús Tomillero
Spanish referee Jesús Tomillero has been forced to quit soccer due to anti-gay attacks and verbal abuse. Twitter/@Jesustomille

Jesús Tomillero has been a soccer referee since he was only 11 years old. In an act of valor, Tomillero decided to publicly come out as gay in March 2015, but sadly living his truth while doing the job he loves is no longer bearable for him.

The referee was working in Spain's Andalucian regional league and had already placed formal complaints about abuse and anti-gay slurs. In fact, he presented a formal complaint against a man from Peña Madridista Linense in the under-19 league in Andalucía, who had verbally attacked him. However, it only resulted in a nine-game ban and a fine.

Last weekend, Tomillero gave a penalty in a game between San Fernando Isleño and Portuense, and soon after taking the decision he heard some of the visitors insult him. “That’s that poof who was on the telly… You can stick the goal up your arse, you fucking poof,” one was quoted as saying according to The Guardian. The crowd immediately started laughing, which was the worst part for Tomillero, he said.

Sadly (and understandably so), this brought the referee to make his decision to leave the sport and promptly announced it to the Andalucían football federation.

In addition, the 21-year-old, part-time referee and waiter stated that he has had no support from the organization. “I can't stand it anymore,” Tomillero told The Associated Press.

Rafael Jimenez, a spokesman for the Andalusian Football Federation said he fully supports Tomillero and hopes he will change his mind and come back to refereeing. “We encourage him to continue as a ref and want him to be totally at ease and know that we will support and protect him all the way,” Jimenez said from Seville.

Many fans and supporters including Spain Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy and far-left Podemos Party leader Pablo Iglesias have tweeted in Tomillero’s support.

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