Foster House
New member
As an openly gay Albion fan-there are a few, as indeed there are in all clubs, I have finally felt the need to wade into this 'homophobia' debate as some responses on here are spot on and others ignorant and at worst homophobic themselves.
I have experienced homophobia. I have attended many Albion football matches. The previous two sentences are rarely linked though. I have not really experienced any homophobia at Albion games from the opposition supporters.
Let me define what I regard as 'homophobia' and give it perspective. The very word is a bad interpretation of the greek that forms it, as indeed is many of the new words the tabloids have entered into the common language. This makes it an abused catch all phrase which I will try to bring an understanding to by raising what is relevant in terms of what should be allowed in a civil society and what shouldn't.
Homophobia is hatred, it is condemnation, it is discrimination and is delivered through attitudes more than words. There are words that have come to spearhead its thrust such as 'faggot' (which is freely used on this forum) and some others which have a nasty historical significance from the days when gay people in this country experienced really homophobic hate (those two words are linked and important to my next paragraph).
When assessing the 'homophobic' chants of opposition fans we should ask which category they fall in. Are they hatred/deeply offensive? ('Faggots'. 'HIV,HIV' (Portsmouth 1990-very upsetting)) Are they an assertion against the alpha males sexual identity? or are they just annoying? If they fall into the category of the last two questions they are not homophobic.
I salute those Albion fans who have responded with their own witty tunes that totally emasculate the oppositions fans ultimate objective which is not to incite hatred (with the occasional exception) but to goad and jest to ferment a tribal atmosphere.
I do not salute those who complain at the drop of the hat in the same way as Jason Donovan complained about a magazine that suggested he was gay and ended up looking the most foolish as he appeared, if anything, to be the homophobe. (Which he wasn't and isn't-like many of those fans).
Please do not dilute hatred against gay people just because you are irritated by a few chants personally and not on behalf of homosexuals. As someone pointed out, when asked if their boyfriend knew they were here a gay person would have just a yes or no response. When called a faggot or a queer, with the historical venom associated with it, a gay person would get very upset.
It was only at Fratton Park in 1990 that I got really upset.
Lets kick real hatred out of sport, but not make a mockery of this objective by diluting its interpretation.
I have experienced homophobia. I have attended many Albion football matches. The previous two sentences are rarely linked though. I have not really experienced any homophobia at Albion games from the opposition supporters.
Let me define what I regard as 'homophobia' and give it perspective. The very word is a bad interpretation of the greek that forms it, as indeed is many of the new words the tabloids have entered into the common language. This makes it an abused catch all phrase which I will try to bring an understanding to by raising what is relevant in terms of what should be allowed in a civil society and what shouldn't.
Homophobia is hatred, it is condemnation, it is discrimination and is delivered through attitudes more than words. There are words that have come to spearhead its thrust such as 'faggot' (which is freely used on this forum) and some others which have a nasty historical significance from the days when gay people in this country experienced really homophobic hate (those two words are linked and important to my next paragraph).
When assessing the 'homophobic' chants of opposition fans we should ask which category they fall in. Are they hatred/deeply offensive? ('Faggots'. 'HIV,HIV' (Portsmouth 1990-very upsetting)) Are they an assertion against the alpha males sexual identity? or are they just annoying? If they fall into the category of the last two questions they are not homophobic.
I salute those Albion fans who have responded with their own witty tunes that totally emasculate the oppositions fans ultimate objective which is not to incite hatred (with the occasional exception) but to goad and jest to ferment a tribal atmosphere.
I do not salute those who complain at the drop of the hat in the same way as Jason Donovan complained about a magazine that suggested he was gay and ended up looking the most foolish as he appeared, if anything, to be the homophobe. (Which he wasn't and isn't-like many of those fans).
Please do not dilute hatred against gay people just because you are irritated by a few chants personally and not on behalf of homosexuals. As someone pointed out, when asked if their boyfriend knew they were here a gay person would have just a yes or no response. When called a faggot or a queer, with the historical venom associated with it, a gay person would get very upset.
It was only at Fratton Park in 1990 that I got really upset.
Lets kick real hatred out of sport, but not make a mockery of this objective by diluting its interpretation.
