8 Gay Footballers in Premiership

[Lady Whistledown]

I completely agree. Gay footballers coming out would be very much pushing at open doors. They don't realise it.

If a footballer was courageous enough to be the first to come out, and someone sat near me starting shouting abuse at him on that basis, I'd be embarrassed, not just personally, but that someone would degrade the Albion's reputation in that way. Most people would be the same, I'd wager.

 

[Lady Whistledown]

But then no one sings "what a waste of money" to me at work. They would if I was on a pitch.

At most clubs this might be the case but at places like West Ham and Millwall it will be 90 minutes of abuse. Let's not forget West Ham have sung songs about brain tumours before. If they can stoop that low, some "gay banter" is nothing.

But many years ago it was socially acceptable to sing racist songs at games. Whole crowds would join in. You don't see that now, do you, because (even Millwall and West Ham) fans realise it's unacceptable. Plus if the FA showed some balls over it and threatened to penalise clubs in the event of players being targeted, I think that would have great effect.

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

But many years ago it was socially acceptable to sing racist songs at games. Whole crowds would join in. You don't see that now, do you, because (even Millwall and West Ham) fans realise it's unacceptable. Plus if the FA showed some balls over it and threatened to penalise clubs in the event of players being targeted, I think that would have great effect.

True. But that's racism. There has been plenty of homophobic singing at games involving Brighton. Sadly I cannot believe supporters would hold back if there was a real live gay person on the pitch.

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

Plus if the FA showed some balls over it and threatened to penalise clubs in the event of players being targeted, I think that would have great effect.

Agree. I really don't know why the FA are so lenient with players and clubs over all manner of misdemeanours. What have they got to lose? And no one will come out and say they're being too harsh on racism or homophobia.

 

[Lady Whistledown]

Agree. I really don't know why the FA are so lenient with players and clubs over all manner of misdemeanours. What have they got to lose? And no one will come out and say they're being too harsh on racism or homophobia.

Apart from Brendan Rogers probably.

 

[Goldstone Rapper]

True. But that's racism. There has been plenty of homophobic singing at games involving Brighton. Sadly I cannot believe supporters would hold back if there was a real live gay person on the pitch.

What you are doing is helping to perpetuate a world of fear by talking up how much homophobia there would be if a player came out and how gay players would not be able to cope with the abuse. If you want more gay players to see coming out as a do-able act, isn't it time to relate to them as capable of being bigger than whatever hostility they may or may not face?

 

[Lord Bracknell]

As long as there are people in football management positions who can boast that "i'll have nae poofters in my team", there are reasons for players to be wary of coming out.

 

[Goldstone Rapper]

As long as there are people in football management positions who can boast that "i'll have nae poofters in my team", there are reasons for players to be wary of coming out.

Who said that?

 

[Lady Whistledown]

As long as there are people in football management positions who can boast that "i'll have nae poofters in my team", there are reasons for players to be wary of coming out.

It sounds Scottish, yet I can't quite see Fergie coming out (no pun intended) with that.

 

[Tricky Dicky]

I genuinely believe that the crowds would be far less of an issue than some people expect. Pretty much everyone on here must have friends or family or work colleagues who are gay, and I doubt very much that they go round singing abusive songs towards them.

I suspect that 98% of people would be perfectly respectable, and while the odd pissed idiot might think himself witty to yell something, I do believe he'd soon be told to pipe down by those around him (or slung out). It's just basic human decency, and most people do actually possess that.

The trouble is, I suspect, people behave differently in crowds, and would shout/sing things in a group of people that they would never say on their own. There's enough people who do it already, and hide behind the term 'banter'. It will be interesting to see how many people who profess not to care, who join in the songs when they start. It would be nice if it were otherwise, but I suspect it's not - at least until a number have come out, and over a few years it becomes unremarkable.

 

[Lord Bracknell]

Who said that?

It doesn't really matter. My point is that it's not just homophobic fans that are the problem.

 

[Goldstone Rapper]

It doesn't really matter. My point is that it's not just homophobic fans that are the problem.

Was it Brian Clough? But death has seen to him as a barrier.

 

[glasfryn]

Gareth Thomas managed to come out he is a 100 cap Welsh rugby player he was a very angry person and to be quite honest I never liked him (mind you that goes for most if not all welsh rugby players )but he has my respect he did something that really went against the grain (welsh,rugby, gay are not even in the same book let alone sentence) and it went a long way to making people understand why he might have been so angry.
Justin Fashinu was no ones mug either but he played in the times when a lot of people just did not understand, I am sure if he was playing now he might have had a little more sympathy but in the end it all became to much(RIP).
did'nt we have a french player at the Albion not that long ago that sort of came out ??

 

[dejavuatbtn]

I care, because these people are afraid of the public knowing their sexuality. That shouldn't happen in this day and age.

And you know this, how? With what authority are you speaking on behalf of "these people", as you call them?

 

[Neil]

One of them has been loaned back to Palace alledgedly

 

[Lady Whistledown]

The trouble is, I suspect, people behave differently in crowds, and would shout/sing things in a group of people that they would never say on their own. There's enough people who do it already, and hide behind the term 'banter'

I do think one of the factors in that is that someone's sexuality is largely invisible, whereas their ethnicity generally isn't. By which I mean that the sort of supporter who might be minded towards hurling racial abuse, say, would steer clear of it if there were visibly people of different ethnic backgrounds around, be they other players or fans. Look at someone like Ron Atkinson: he would never in a million years have used the terminology he did if Marcel Desailly or any other black person had been standing in front of him. He thought he was in a "safe environment" amongst his golf buddies and so it slipped out.

Sexuality, on the other hand, tends to be invisible. As an example of this, years ago at work, I ended up doing some kind of training exercise (yes, I know, bear with me here). We were asked in turn to come up with as many derogatory terms as we knew, for different categories- racial ones, sexist ones, homophobic ones and so on. This was a room mostly filled with white people, and I think both male and female. When people had to step up and write racist or sexist terms on the board, the entire class was quite solemn: it genuinely felt deeply uncomfortable to have to write the N word, say, for all to see. When it came to the homophobic ones, on the other hand, there was an awful lot of schoolboy style smirking and sniggering, all around the room. Writing "shirtlifter" or whatever provoked hilarity around the room. Nobody thought anything of it.

At the end, the trainer stood up and pointed this out to us (we hadn't noticed), and then pointed out "How do you know that none of the people in this room are gay?". At which point there was a rather unpleasant realisation that he was right, and that we could have all been sitting there making someone feel horrendous. We didn't have a clue if any amongst our number was gay. The point being, that because it doesn't actually occur to a lot of people that footballers (or fans) might be gay, they feel safe in shouting or singing stuff that's out of order. If there were footballers who were out of the closet, I genuinely think it would do a lot to stop those chants, rather than provoke them.

 

[Tricky Dicky]

One of them has been loaned back to Palace alledgedly

A great example of why we don't see it, when it's used as a term of abuse.

 

[Lady Whistledown]

A great example of why we don't see it, when it's used as a term of abuse.

I presumed that poster was about twelve.

 

[Lady Whistledown]

A great example of why we don't see it, when it's used as a term of abuse.

I presumed that poster was about twelve.

 

[Thunder Bolt]

Sol Campbell got stick when he played for Portsmouth and two were in court over it. I appreciate that wasn't a crowd of fans but it happened.

Pair guilty of homophobic chants at footballer Sol Campbell | UK news | guardian.co.uk