Coronation Street star Nathan Graham wants to inspire first openly gay footballer of modern era

James Bailey’s plotline on the series has attracted praise from LGBT rights groups

A plotline on popular ITV soap Coronation Street depicting a gay footballer coming out of the closet has been praised by LGBT activist groups.

In the long-running series, James Bailey, played by Nathan Graham, is at risk of being outed when rumours of his sexuality spread online. In response, he decides to make his sexuality known publically.

LGBT charity Stonewall told BBC Radio 1 Newsbeat that it hopes the Coronation Street storyline will help in “moving national conversations on”.

Graham also spoke to Radio 1, explaining his hopes for the plotline.

“I think as long as it helps somebody that might be going through the struggle of telling their family or if they are a young footballer who watches the show,” he said.

“They might see it and think ‘okay, you know, I can do this. Maybe I could be the first player to come out in this era’.”

There are currently no professional male footballers in the UK who are openly gay.

Homophobic chanting in the stands is still a feature of modern football games; recently, a large group of Manchester United fans was ejected from Stamford Bridge after alleged offensive chants.