Uttiyo Sarkar

Debunking the Rumor: Is Arsenal Defender Ben White Really Gay?

Arsenal, Ben White

Arsenal defender Ben White has become a major fan favourite since arriving at the club from Leeds United thanks to his reliability and impressive consistency – despite having to operate in different areas in Mikel Arteta’s system.

On the pitch, the Englishman is an absolute warrior who is ready to put his body on the line at any given moment to help the Gunners.

When it comes to behind-the-scenes, White is an easy-going person who is widely beloved in the Arsenal squad and a bit of a shy figure who probably needs some time to really open up and be as sociable as top-level footballers are expected to be.

His easy-going demeanor has now created this awful fan-created rumour that the Englishman might actually be homosexual.

What Created The Ben White Homosexual Rumours?

There is an interesting theory that every Premier League club probably has at least one closeted homosexual in their squad.  In fact, former Manchester United captain Patrice Evra even claimed a few years ago that he believes there are two gay players in every club in Europe.

Now, over the last few years, many footballers have come out as gay. Blackpool player Jake Daniels came out as gay in 2022 and Czech Republic international Jakub Jankto also did the same last year.

However, no existing Premier League has ever made this decision – with the likes of Evra and Rio Ferdinand believing that they are scared to do so because of possible backlash and because the league hasn’t created a safe space for homosexuals to coexist with straight players.

Unfortunately, hatred towards homosexuality is still rife among football fans despite multiple efforts from clubs and organizations to curb it – such as the Premier League’s Rainbow Laces campaign and major clubs promoting their own homosexual fan clubs.

It’s some of these homosexual fans who have spread this theory that Ben White actually might be gay as well. The ‘evidence’ for this pertains to how he opts to behave in front of the camera outside a football pitch and the kind of tattoos that he’s inked into his body.

Indeed, there are some ignorant people who feel that White is showing signs of homosexuality just because he has a rose tattoo painted on his back. Others feel that just because he decides to wear earrings, sits with his legs crossed at times and has a butterfly tattoo makes him gay.

Debunking The Myth Around Ben White Being Gay

The entire perception that White might be homosexual just because of his choice of tattoos is absolutely bizarre. Rose tattoos are common for a lot of men, including straight men, because it signifies love and romance. It is also inspired by Aphrodite – the Greek Goddess of Love and can signify a person’s affection towards someone else.

A butterfly tattoo can be a representation of freedom and transformation, possibly hinting of a person’s love for independence or being a free-going soul who isn’t trapped by those around him.

A butterfly for one, is ‘freed’ from its cocoon and transforms from a restricted caterpillar to a beautiful specimen free to roam wherever they please – and perhaps a similar transformation in White (who comes from a humble background at Poole, Dorset)  compelled him to get this tattoo.

White is a tattoo freak and has a lot of different designs inked around his body, and these two particular tattoos give zero significance to his sexual preference.

On top of everything else, White is now married to his long-term sweetheart Milly Adams. The two had been dating for quite some time and even had lovable tattoos done together a few years ago before tying the knot in 2023.

The Englishman opts to live a very private life with his partner and just because he isn’t seen with her doesn’t mean he isn’t close to her. Some might find suspicion towards White being homosexual due to his closeness with Kai Havertz – but that’s just because they’ve become besties rather than anything else.

Moreover, wearing earrings has become quite common for footballers or sportspeople over the years – with Cristiano Ronaldo himself making it a trend by wearing diamond earrings quite often in public.

White wears them probably just because it’s a personal preference and his shy demeanor and manner of sitting give zero relation to possibly being homosexual.

The Arsenal defender is just someone who likes his private time and does his talking on a football pitch rather than in front of a camera, and is unlikely to be bothered by lame rumours spread about his personal preferences on social media.