Homophobia and football

[Twinkle Toes]

Yes it is!

How lovely. Next you'll be telling me you aren't a fully paid up member of Amnesty..

Edit: Yay - 10 pages & counting!

 

[looney]

hang on....I thought it was all about living in a society that accepts ?

You mean you dont care about tolerance, you want acceptance? A conformist totolitarian state where people all share the same views?

Mind you I fully understand your cluelessness after all if patsies and makeweights like you were calling for tolerance then people may ask what about chavs? Or Huntsmen? Or various other groups.

Untill the blowhards start stating general principles I think people are entitled just to dismiss it as a political agenda and tell people like you to f*** off.

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

Its a good question. The answer is yes because thats not "banter", I see what you are saying in that homophobic chants could be construed as offensive but...

"We can see you holding hands, does your boyfriend know your here" etc etc. Thats mildly amusing (in the fact that each team think they are the first to sing that) and we have our responses.

On the other hand "you gay **** you f***ing gay bastard" bit like you "black bastard or whatever" then yes that is offensive. As you can see/hear the hatred.

I suppose its all about context innit as Bevendean so eloquently put it.

It's about context AND sentiment. The very same words can mean very different things. I've always felt its people who are generally offensive, not necessarily the words.

I personally do not find the regular gay banter offensive. In fact I take a lot of encouragement from the fact it doesnt wind up Brighton fans.

As an aside there has been an allegedly racist chant which I did not consider offensive. When Gurnham Singh first officiated our games there was a chant of 'The referee, is Tandorri'. I did not find this offensive, I actually found it funny and witty and it was not sung with any malice.

Equally, I'm not a minority and I do not know how they feel about such issues.

 

[Stat Brother]

For the record, although 10 pages in, this must have been done already.
One of my favourite and funniest chants on the subject, is:-

'You're to ugly to be gay'.

 

[thejackal]

As a Brighton fan I do find all the other teams chants about "does you boyfriend know you are hear" etc deeply offensive. I am also fed-up with the idiots who support Brighton who think that it is fun to be camp.

I have a strong dislike of poofs, and do not like to think that those who live in "camptown" are giving all Brighton supporters such a bad name. It is not funny!

The ADAMS study

Only the homophobic men showed an increase in penile erection to male homosexual stimuli.

Just a simple observation...

Oh! What a surprise, the bigoted pr1ck's been banned for a week...

Seems we'll all have to wait another few days for true enlightenment.

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

It's about context AND sentiment. The very same words can mean very different things. I've always felt its people who are generally offensive, not necessarily the words.

I personally do not find the regular gay banter offensive. In fact I take a lot of encouragement from the fact it doesnt wind up Brighton fans.

As an aside there has been an allegedly racist chant which I did not consider offensive. When Gurnham Singh first officiated our games there was a chant of 'The referee, is Tandorri'. I did not find this offensive, I actually found it funny and witty and it was not sung with any malice.

Equally, I'm not a minority and I do not know how they feel about such issues.

On reflection I'd feel a lot more comfortable if there was a greater demographic mix within the Albion crowd. I guess the fact there isnt says a lot.

 

[looney]

36 - Your score rates you as "non-homophobic."

In his 1996 study of 64 white, male college students, Dr. Henry Adams classed 29 participants as "non-homophobic." Their mean score was 30.48. This is not conclusive, however. Dr. Adams, the researcher who helped develop this scale, writes that "a major difficulty of this area of research is in defining and measuring homophobia." Elsewhere, he cautions: Since there is no universally accepted definition of homophobia, the scales currently in use may not measure all aspects of homophobia.

frontline: assault on gay america: how 'homophobic' are you?

I answered indiferent to most, pro to about 25% and hostile to gay marrage.

 

[looney]

"Only the homophobic men showed an increase in penile erection to male homosexual stimuli."

Erm, if your well closeted or anti-gay are you going to allow people to oggle your cock while being bombed with gay porn?

Sounds a well dodgy study imo.

 

[Twinkle Toes]

Just a simple observation...

Oh! What a surprise, the bigoted pr1ck's been banned for a week...

Seems we'll all have to wait another few days for true enlightenment.

Awwwww, that's a shame. And just when we were starting to get on too..

 

[Twinkle Toes]

Erm, if your well closeted or anti-gay are you going to allow people to oggle your cock while being bombed with gay porn?

Thanks for that Loonsta - I've had my 1st lol moment today.

 

[Wilko]

Thanks for some very interesting discussion and debate so far. I am quite keen to quote some of the replies on this thread so I will PM some of you to get your real names if that is ok.

Can I just say (for the benefit of some who do not seem to understand) that I am not looking to stir up a hornets nest here, nor am I trying to be a do-gooder or a right on PC campaigner. I am just interested to hear responses, I will be looking to remain objective in the writing of the article and the fact that many consider the chants to be 'harmless banter' I think is key as it suggests that often people join in chants as a ritual rather than with malice and bile.

I think my main point of interest is why racism is so condemned by society while homophobia seems to lag quite some distance behind. Any more comments on this would be very much welcome.

 

[Scampi]

Even though I am Brighton born and bred, was around long, long before Brighton became associated with homosexuality, .

You were born in the 18th century?

 

[Gully]

36 - Your score rates you as "non-homophobic."

As a lifelong bleeding heart Liberal my mantra is live and let live.

10 - High grade non-homophobic

 

[thejackal]

You were born in the 18th century?

Brighton's been associated with deviant royalty, homosexuality, opium smoking and general toff-related debauchery for hundreds of years.

Any Brightonian worth his or her salt knows and celebrates this fact, in my incredibly bigoted, drug-fuelled opinion.

 

[skipper734]

49. Right on.

 

[The Merry Prankster]

.........or encourage homeless people to stay homeless by giving them some lentil soup.

Or even encouraging people to deliberately make themselves homeless in order to get their grubby little hands on delicious lentil soup.

 

[Lady Whistledown]

Those being unashamedly bigoted on this thread: does it never occur to you that there are perfectly normal, perfectly decent Albion fans on this board who just happen to be gay? I can never understand why the homophobes seem to think someone is completely defined by their sexuality, any more than they'd be defined by any other element of their character.

If you have a ginger girlfriend, does that say something about you? Or does it just say that you happened to fall in love with that particular person? Most of us on here are defined by our shared support of an admittedly crappy football club, not who we choose to be with. What difference does a person's choice of partner make to anyone else, and why would that offend someone if you're just getting on with your life?

On the football chanting note, I would also add that there's a world of difference between "does your boyfriend know you're here?", for example, (even when sung by a bunch of sniggering Beavis & Butthead-alikes as they pat each other on the back for their originality), and "town full of faggots".

Personally I view the former as tedious and unoriginal, but not necessarily offensive, whereas the latter most definitely is, "faggot" being an unpleasant and plainly derogatory term along the same lines as "Paki". I suspect many gay fans, male and female, would feel the same.

 

[SussexHoop]

even when sung by a bunch of sniggering Beavis & Butthead-alikes as they pat each other on the back for their originality

But is that any different to a bunch of sniggering Beavis & Butthead-alikes from the South coast singing the equally original 'Town full of inbreds'?

Personally I view the former as tedious and unoriginal, but not necessarily offensive, whereas the latter most definitely is, "faggot" being an unpleasant and plainly derogatory term along the same lines as "Paki". I suspect many gay fans, male and female, would feel the same.

Any more offensive than 'town full of bombers' aimed at us after the 2005 bombings?

So where do you draw the line? Problem is everyone would draw the line in a different place ... one man's banter is another man's offensive chanting. To keep everyone happy, do you then ban all chants aimed at the opposing fans and players?

 

[Lady Whistledown]

But is that any different to a bunch of sniggering Beavis & Butthead-alikes from the South coast singing the equally original 'Town full of inbreds'?



Any more offensive than 'town full of bombers' aimed at us after the 2005 bombings?

So where do you draw the line? Problem is everyone would draw the line in a different place ... one man's banter is another man's offensive chanting. To keep everyone happy, do you then ban all chants aimed at the opposing fans and players?

I was comparing those two chants against each other, not those chants with anything else, as this thread is about homophobia.

(But if you really want an answer, well, the "inbred" one, while old hat and unfunny, is pretty inoffensive, but I'd feel a little uncomfortable with the bombers one. Just my opinion).

 

[Return of the Rev]

You disgust me homophobe!

hi all,

i am currently writing an article on homphobia in football and in particular on the terraces. I am obviously putting a fair amount of emphasis on brighton as it gains more homophobic chanting than other clubs. I am in discussions with the stonewall group on this who are working hard to raise awareness of the issue.

Anyway, i would like some thoughts and quotes from brighton fans on the issue. Do you find the chanting offensive or not? Should fans be ejected from the ground or not? Is it as bad as racism on the terraces or not?

I would also be keen to chat to any gay fans on this site (pm me if you wish).

Also, are there any confirmed gay footballers? I know the rumours about le saux (false), campbell, ljundberg etc but are there any openly gay players?

Honest and serious responses please, if you are used in the article then of course i will quote you and you will have your name in black and white

dont care what people do with there squidgy bits! I think you are slightly strange wanting to discuss players prefrences in the gunk shooting stakes,i find you slightly homophobic to be honest