Here is a news item reproduced from a recent online article from the LGF which appeared over the summer after an interview with myself.
With kind permission from the LGF and their news team.
http://www.lgf.org.uk/news/opinion-ugly-side-to-the-beautiful-Philip Lahm calling for gay players to stay in the closet, MPs telling them to come out, FIFA President Sepp Blatter begging gay men not to have sex at the Qatar World Cup and the recent release of the report into Internet based football fans' homophobia: it's no wonder that the relationship between homophobia and football is constantly in the headlines.We're Not Homophobic, allout campaign have started a petition encouraging football's governing body FIFA to take a stand against such discrimination.change.org are currently calling on the newly crowned Premier League champions Manchester United to make an It Gets Better video to support LGB&T youth.The Justin Campaign
The Football AssociationJust a ball gameGay Football Supporters Network Village Manchester
Jack Stacey on the confusing swirl of homophobia and acceptance in the world’s most inclusive game.
Homophobia in football is nothing new, but has had a more significant focus of late. It seems that all the instances concerning the subject of homosexuality in football have culminated at the same time.
With Bayern Munich player,
The Women's World Cup kicked off this weekend and already a microcosm of the conflicting attitudes towards being gay and kicking a ball around a pitch has flared up.
On the one hand, you have host nation Germany, proclaiming "It's ok to be gay". While the Nigerian team have allegedly sent the members of their squad suspected of being gay back home. In response, the
Closer to home Everton FC got involved with a number of community projects over IDAHO (International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia), while America's
Surely in this country, it is the responsibility of the FA to take decisive action to eradicate any forms of prejudice within the sport. It is not as though there are no gay rights campaigners banging at their door; the problem seems to be that there is no one at home.
Numerous attempts have been made to launch awareness of homophobic attitudes within football. The anti-homophobia film which the FA commissioned last year received a mixed response; swirled in criticism and controversy since its inception, the one and a half minute video of a man hurling homophobic abuse at commuters and work colleagues and then at players from a football stand, had its release at Wembley postponed, leading many to question the FA's sincerity.
Prominent retired NBA basketball player, turned gay activist, John Ameachi O.B.E perhaps put it best in his blog: "Ninety seconds of bad language that will only be seen on the internet is not a solution to the problems faced by football and the concept of trying to create a 'viral video' to combat homophobia in football feels crass at best."
It seems to a lot of people, Mr Ameachi included, that no one area if addressed will solve the problem of homophobia in football. The approach needs to be holistic to tackle what appears to be a form of discrimination which is inherent and difficult to deal with, yet often based on casualness and ignorance.
The repeat offenders and hard-line homophobes need to be ejected or arrested while those who obviously don't know any better need to be educated. Too long has the terrace been a safe place for chauvinists and it is about time that they are held to account.
The We're Not Homophobic research was conducted over a period of 16 weeks last year, internet mediums for football fans were studied and it was found that just 400 links had over 8,000 threads containing homophobic wording, of these 1,500 contained homophobic abuse and anti-gay hate.
It's tragic that 13 years after Justin Fashanu's suicide - the only high profile professional footballer ever to come out - widespread homophobia still continues in the game.
The recent coming out of Swedish footballer Anton Hysen is perhaps a glimmer of hope - so to is the FA working in partnership with The Justin Campaign, but there are still lots of challenges ahead.
It seems what has emerged is a type of stand-off between the administration, the players and the fans. Surely, this means that it is about time someone plucked up the kahunas and made the first move.
Links
With kind permission from the LGF and their news team.
http://www.lgf.org.uk/news/opinion-ugly-side-to-the-beautiful-Philip Lahm calling for gay players to stay in the closet, MPs telling them to come out, FIFA President Sepp Blatter begging gay men not to have sex at the Qatar World Cup and the recent release of the report into Internet based football fans' homophobia: it's no wonder that the relationship between homophobia and football is constantly in the headlines.We're Not Homophobic, allout campaign have started a petition encouraging football's governing body FIFA to take a stand against such discrimination.change.org are currently calling on the newly crowned Premier League champions Manchester United to make an It Gets Better video to support LGB&T youth.The Justin Campaign
The Football AssociationJust a ball gameGay Football Supporters Network Village Manchester
OPINION: Ugly side to the beautiful game
Publish Date: 29/06/2011
Jack Stacey on the confusing swirl of homophobia and acceptance in the world’s most inclusive game.
Homophobia in football is nothing new, but has had a more significant focus of late. It seems that all the instances concerning the subject of homosexuality in football have culminated at the same time.
With Bayern Munich player,
The Women's World Cup kicked off this weekend and already a microcosm of the conflicting attitudes towards being gay and kicking a ball around a pitch has flared up.
On the one hand, you have host nation Germany, proclaiming "It's ok to be gay". While the Nigerian team have allegedly sent the members of their squad suspected of being gay back home. In response, the
Closer to home Everton FC got involved with a number of community projects over IDAHO (International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia), while America's
Surely in this country, it is the responsibility of the FA to take decisive action to eradicate any forms of prejudice within the sport. It is not as though there are no gay rights campaigners banging at their door; the problem seems to be that there is no one at home.
Numerous attempts have been made to launch awareness of homophobic attitudes within football. The anti-homophobia film which the FA commissioned last year received a mixed response; swirled in criticism and controversy since its inception, the one and a half minute video of a man hurling homophobic abuse at commuters and work colleagues and then at players from a football stand, had its release at Wembley postponed, leading many to question the FA's sincerity.
Prominent retired NBA basketball player, turned gay activist, John Ameachi O.B.E perhaps put it best in his blog: "Ninety seconds of bad language that will only be seen on the internet is not a solution to the problems faced by football and the concept of trying to create a 'viral video' to combat homophobia in football feels crass at best."
It seems to a lot of people, Mr Ameachi included, that no one area if addressed will solve the problem of homophobia in football. The approach needs to be holistic to tackle what appears to be a form of discrimination which is inherent and difficult to deal with, yet often based on casualness and ignorance.
The repeat offenders and hard-line homophobes need to be ejected or arrested while those who obviously don't know any better need to be educated. Too long has the terrace been a safe place for chauvinists and it is about time that they are held to account.
The We're Not Homophobic research was conducted over a period of 16 weeks last year, internet mediums for football fans were studied and it was found that just 400 links had over 8,000 threads containing homophobic wording, of these 1,500 contained homophobic abuse and anti-gay hate.
It's tragic that 13 years after Justin Fashanu's suicide - the only high profile professional footballer ever to come out - widespread homophobia still continues in the game.
The recent coming out of Swedish footballer Anton Hysen is perhaps a glimmer of hope - so to is the FA working in partnership with The Justin Campaign, but there are still lots of challenges ahead.
It seems what has emerged is a type of stand-off between the administration, the players and the fans. Surely, this means that it is about time someone plucked up the kahunas and made the first move.
Links
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