German football referee, Pascal Kaiser, proposed to his boyfriend Moritz on the pitch at FC Köln’s RheinEnergieStadion in front of 50,000 fans on 31 January.
The pair, who recently celebrated their two-year anniversary last month, said yes! They kissed each other in front of thousands, who responded with loud support.
The moment has been widely praised for its Heated Rivalry-coded nature, reminiscent of episode 5 of the gay hockey romance series, where characters Scott and Kip kiss on the ice in front of a packed arena.
When did Pascal Kaiser come out as bisexual?
Kaiser came out as bisexual in 2021 and is one of the few openly LGBTQ+ referees in professional football, alongside Ryan Atkin and James Adcock in the UK.
During the proposal, Kaiser emphasised queer visibility in sport, saying he wanted people to see “a man loving a man in football.”
The moment was widely praised online, with the post prompting one of FC Köln’s most-liked Instagram Reels, captioning it as a “special moment”. The video was liked by over 161,000 viewers.
Kaiser has long been an advocate for LGBTQ+ representation in sport. Alongside posting photos and videos with his now-fiancé, he has spoken about how important it is to be visible as a bisexual player in football.
“I see this as my mission: to create visibility” – Kaiser on LGBTQ+ representation in football
Speaking previously to Schwulissimo, a prominent German queer news outlet, during Pride Month, he said: “I see this as my mission: to create visibility. To be a voice. And to encourage people who aren’t yet brave enough to speak up.
“I know how lonely it can be to think you’re the only one. I want no one to have to feel that way again,” he added.
After publicly coming out to the German press, he said: “Since coming out, I’ve been much more open on the pitch. I don’t hide anything anymore, and that makes me stronger, not weaker. We have to dare to be fully present.”
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