Le Saux suffered years of baseless claims about his alleged homosexuality.
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"The important thing isn't whether or not there are gay players in professional football," Le Saux told BBC Radio Jersey.
"The point is that the environment is such that if they are, they feel that they can achieve and the profession will support them," he added.
"At the moment I still don't think that's there.
"I think ultimately it's up to football to really face those demons and actually say 'we're going to stand up for people, whatever their colour, creed or sexuality' and actually give them the opportunity to say 'if I want to be a football player I'm confident enough to try'."
Le Saux began his career at Jersey club St Paul's, going on to play 513 games for Chelsea, Blackburn Rovers and Southampton.
But his desire not to live the archetypal footballer's life led to unfounded accusations that he was gay.
"I think about my football career and maybe some of the negatives, and the one good thing, the one true thing, was that I've always been myself," he said.
"I've always stuck to my principles, I've always stood up and taken what I needed to take emotionally and physically, and not strayed from that.
"So to actually say to someone 'I'd probably just keep your head down' goes against my principles.
"But I think ultimately that was very much the culture of football and even now to an extent."
The rumours surrounding Le Saux's private life came to a head when Le Saux and then Liverpool stiker Robbie Fowler clashed at Stamford Bridge.
Le Saux believes the incident strengthened the myth that he was gay.
"It was humiliating on many levels because it was a culmination of many years of abuse that I'd had," he said.
"For an England colleague and a fellow professional footballer to actually endorse with his behaviour rumours that were spread about me was utterly offensive.
"I spoke to Robbie about it afterwards when we met up with England and he never apologised, not even privately."
There are currently no openly gay players in the English professional game.

The UK and Ireland are among the countries that can now sell beef to Canada. France and Germany - the EU's biggest producers - are also included.
The EU Commission said it was a welcome move, as EU farmers "are going through a particularly difficult period".
A Russian import ban and weaker Chinese demand have hit Europe's farm exports.
Last month the EU announced a €500m (£365m; $567m) aid package, following many street protests by farmers.
The dairy sector has been hit especially hard, with many producers saying current prices are barely enough to cover their costs.
The Commission - the EU's top regulator - said Canada's move was "part of a growing trend to recognise the robust, comprehensive and successful measures put in place by the EU to eradicate BSE".
The spread of Bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) in the 1990s - linked to a fatal neurodegenerative disease in humans - led to the mass slaughter of cattle and big losses for beef farmers.
The US has also resumed importing beef from the EU, under strict monitoring, a process that began with Ireland in January.
Canada has signed a far-reaching free trade agreement with the EU, which is now going through the ratification process.
Former England defender Graeme Le Saux says more needs to be done to support gay footballers.
[NEXT_CONCEPT]
Canada is reopening its market to beef exports from 19 EU member states, lifting a ban that was imposed in 1996 because of BSE "mad cow disease".