SFA Category One referee Craig Napier has publicly come out as gay in a 'significant day' for Scottish football.
The 32-year-old revealed he was inspired to do so by both Adelaide United star, Josh Cavallo and Blackpool's Jake Daniels - who are currently the only two openly gay professional top flight men's footballers in the world.
The whistler, who works as a GP in Glasgow, sat down with the SFA at Hampden to have the 'important conversation', which he said he felt was necessary to help try and "change the culture in Scottish football".
READ MORE: Glasgow named among the top ten most LGBTQ+ accepting cities in the world
He said: "It's really important that people like me are willing to sit here and do this.
"I don't think this needs to be a news story but I think at the moment it really does because we need to see the climate change so that people do feel that they can be their true self and live happily and comfortable in their own skin.
"And that needs to then transcend into football.
"This isn't a conversation about me, this is a conversation about trying to change the culture in Scottish football.
"I can't go back and change the decisions that I've made to get me to this point, I've been on my journey.
"But what I feel I can take from that is to pass on to other people, don't make those same mistakes, don't waste time that you can spend with other people and live your life."
He also said that the message he wants people to take away from viewing his public acknowledgement of his sexuality is that "people would be better served enjoying their life and living their true self".
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He added: "It's not something you can change, it's not something that's worth hiding.
"It's a lot of wasted energy worrying about whether you are going to lose friends over it, whether you are not going to get promoted within refereeing because of it or whether you are not going to get selected for the first team because of it.
"And I think people would be better served enjoying their life and living their true self.
"That's the message I want people to take away from this conversation."
