- Aug 7, 2003
- 8,087
That's fine, you carry on getting all precious about it. And, no, I'm not a bigot.
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Important: Reporting homophobic chanting
- Thread starter Bozza
- Start date
That's fine, you carry on getting all precious about it. And, no, I'm not a bigot.
Turns to Stone
New member
- Nov 1, 2011
- 4
Just for the record. I'm with you. I never bother singing at the opposition.
But I do also like the buzz of excitement created by a bit of needle and a bit of aggro. That's why deep down, Brighton love travelling to Croydon, and we love a trip to Milwall. And whilst I've never felt the need to march up and down the street in huge numbers wearing ludicrous caps, I do think that a football match is better-place to be when opposing fans interact with each other.
Take out the interaction and you lose some of the excitement. There's no need to be abusive of course, but I think if you look at everything that is said, sung during the course of a football game, you have to look at the environment around that. I'm not saying judge it by different standards, but I do think that allowances need to be made. Some may disagree and I'm happy to do that, but take away some of the vitriol and pretty soon the passion disappears with it. Then what would we be left with?
But I do also like the buzz of excitement created by a bit of needle and a bit of aggro. That's why deep down, Brighton love travelling to Croydon, and we love a trip to Milwall. And whilst I've never felt the need to march up and down the street in huge numbers wearing ludicrous caps, I do think that a football match is better-place to be when opposing fans interact with each other.
Take out the interaction and you lose some of the excitement. There's no need to be abusive of course, but I think if you look at everything that is said, sung during the course of a football game, you have to look at the environment around that. I'm not saying judge it by different standards, but I do think that allowances need to be made. Some may disagree and I'm happy to do that, but take away some of the vitriol and pretty soon the passion disappears with it. Then what would we be left with?
Thunder Bolt
Silly old bat
Are you saying there has to be vitriol to have passion?
BensGrandad
New member
I cannot see the problem and just ignore it as the chants about boyfriends etc have become a little boring and unoriginal. I think that complaining will do more harm than good and make them think they have won and have got to us.
Turns to Stone
New member
- Nov 1, 2011
- 4
Of course not.
I'm saying that encouraging fans to report 'abusive' behaviour could be the beginning of a very slippery slope. As this thread has proved, it's nigh on impossible to distinbuish between what the majority feel is 'acceptable banter' and what any of us would consider 'abuse'.
Let's be honest, there's very little said in a football stadium that any of us would say or shout in the street. So different rules have to apply.
I'm saying that encouraging fans to report 'abusive' behaviour could be the beginning of a very slippery slope. As this thread has proved, it's nigh on impossible to distinbuish between what the majority feel is 'acceptable banter' and what any of us would consider 'abuse'.
Let's be honest, there's very little said in a football stadium that any of us would say or shout in the street. So different rules have to apply.
Gilliver's Travels
Peripatetic
Do they? Have another look at post 239
Horton's halftime iceberg
Blooming Marvellous
[yt]1270cn0YxSo[/yt]
arfer guinness
Well-known member
- Feb 15, 2007
- 351
I agree, I'm not queer but if a chant went up does your wife know you're here it wouldn't offend me, so why should does your boyfriend know you're here offend the poofs
Apologies if this has been asked, I got bored catching up on all the threads about this.
Has it been confirmed that the abuse that is reported is the "does your boyfriend know you're here?" chant? Do we know there wasn't something more vile and offensive yelled by a handful of individuals directly at some of our fans?
People seem to focus on the boyfriend chant as if it's the only sort of homophobic abuse that exists.
Has it been confirmed that the abuse that is reported is the "does your boyfriend know you're here?" chant? Do we know there wasn't something more vile and offensive yelled by a handful of individuals directly at some of our fans?
People seem to focus on the boyfriend chant as if it's the only sort of homophobic abuse that exists.
BensGrandad
New member
I assumed it was either that or "we can see you holding hands" as they are the only ones that I have heard to any degree and neither offend me being a normal hetrosexual married man.
severnside gull
Well-known member
Does all this mean that I can't join in with "1-0 to the batty boys" when we score. It's my favourite chant and I'll be mortified to give it up.
portlock seagull
Well-known member
- Jul 28, 2003
- 17,777
If precious means sticking up for gay friends who don't see this as banter then I'm proudly precious. You carry on with your homophobic nature which so adds to making this world we live in...Not!
- Jul 5, 2003
- 1,495
I'm gonna repeat myself here from another thread, so sorry if you've already read this, but I meant to post on this threading originally.
This topic goes comes around every year on this board, usually tying in with Pride, but I guess a little late this year.
I've been thinking about the whole thing all day to be honest and what I think should be done and what I think will be done.
I don't agree with Bozza's initial post. I think if people want to report it, especially if they're supporters who are in the ground, then they should irrespective of what it costs the club in time and money investigating. If people feel that uncomfortable with the chanting then the club should step in, after all we are their customers. The whole 'man up' argument is pretty obvious and predictable, but for some reason we always demote homophobic chanting to the back burner, something that's always seen as banter amongst fans due to Brighton's gay community, the same as Cardiff/Swansea being sheep shaggers etc. For some of us it isn't. I'm gay and do I find offensive? I'm not sure, having been round it so often I find it a little sad that in 2011 its still an issue and people still seem to want to hush it up hoping it will die down and people will see it as good natured 'banter'. It isn't really. Yes plenty of Brighton fans reply in kind and its seen as a good laugh, but the longer term implications are damaging. You may think I'm being over-dramatic here, but I don't think I am because every season this isn't seriously challenged is another set of young fans who think its acceptable behaviour. Now they may not understand that its 'banter' and quite happily take it outside of the stadium, into the streets or playgrounds and think its acceptable there as well. Now the vast majority wouldn't tolerate it there, so why inside the ground? If you're kids turned out to be gay and their school lives were a living hell because some other kids thought it was acceptable to constantly taunt them, would you accept his argument that he learnt it at the football? Is that still just banter and he/she should 'man up'? I came out later in life, when I was 29, because I was shit scared to admit being gay and it took me that long to realise how liberating it was just to be me. Now the mates I go to watch the Albion with didn't bat an eyelid when I told them, as I knew they wouldn't, but neither do they now join in in the songs that are chanted back to the away fans. I never asked them to do that, but I guess they suddenly realised that maybe it isn't such a laugh after all and that it may actually genuinely upset me.
What will be done about it? The club took the initiative a few years back and I was quite hopeful then, but in all honesty they've pretty much only paid lip service to the problem. I know there's been a hell of a lot of upheaval in the past few years and the club have been concentrating on others areas, but you can't start something and want to be in the fore-running and then when it actually comes to the crunch do nothing. And in all fairness from what I've seen, and I emphasis that as I have no idea what the club has done in the background and they haven't communicated anything, there seems to be little movement on the subject, until now. Now is the time for the club to take a stand, just as it was when racist chanting became wholly unacceptable, homophobic chanting is unacceptable as well. It wouldn't take a lot. Making sure visiting clubs knew the policy and that breaches would result in ejection from the ground. If the club was highly public with it then fans would soon get the message. Might need extra policing for a season or two, but if you're going to take the lead then you can't make half-hearted efforts.
Will it happen? Nope I doubt it very much, especially as the FA couldn't care less, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't take a stand as a club. Its amazing that in 2011 even players are still shit scared about being honest about their sexuality because of the 'consequences'. Surely that isn't right? For all those that say its just banter, surely someone living in that fear can't be right? Will it stop me going to watch the Albion, nope, but it does still sadden me every time i witness it.
This topic goes comes around every year on this board, usually tying in with Pride, but I guess a little late this year.
I've been thinking about the whole thing all day to be honest and what I think should be done and what I think will be done.
I don't agree with Bozza's initial post. I think if people want to report it, especially if they're supporters who are in the ground, then they should irrespective of what it costs the club in time and money investigating. If people feel that uncomfortable with the chanting then the club should step in, after all we are their customers. The whole 'man up' argument is pretty obvious and predictable, but for some reason we always demote homophobic chanting to the back burner, something that's always seen as banter amongst fans due to Brighton's gay community, the same as Cardiff/Swansea being sheep shaggers etc. For some of us it isn't. I'm gay and do I find offensive? I'm not sure, having been round it so often I find it a little sad that in 2011 its still an issue and people still seem to want to hush it up hoping it will die down and people will see it as good natured 'banter'. It isn't really. Yes plenty of Brighton fans reply in kind and its seen as a good laugh, but the longer term implications are damaging. You may think I'm being over-dramatic here, but I don't think I am because every season this isn't seriously challenged is another set of young fans who think its acceptable behaviour. Now they may not understand that its 'banter' and quite happily take it outside of the stadium, into the streets or playgrounds and think its acceptable there as well. Now the vast majority wouldn't tolerate it there, so why inside the ground? If you're kids turned out to be gay and their school lives were a living hell because some other kids thought it was acceptable to constantly taunt them, would you accept his argument that he learnt it at the football? Is that still just banter and he/she should 'man up'? I came out later in life, when I was 29, because I was shit scared to admit being gay and it took me that long to realise how liberating it was just to be me. Now the mates I go to watch the Albion with didn't bat an eyelid when I told them, as I knew they wouldn't, but neither do they now join in in the songs that are chanted back to the away fans. I never asked them to do that, but I guess they suddenly realised that maybe it isn't such a laugh after all and that it may actually genuinely upset me.
What will be done about it? The club took the initiative a few years back and I was quite hopeful then, but in all honesty they've pretty much only paid lip service to the problem. I know there's been a hell of a lot of upheaval in the past few years and the club have been concentrating on others areas, but you can't start something and want to be in the fore-running and then when it actually comes to the crunch do nothing. And in all fairness from what I've seen, and I emphasis that as I have no idea what the club has done in the background and they haven't communicated anything, there seems to be little movement on the subject, until now. Now is the time for the club to take a stand, just as it was when racist chanting became wholly unacceptable, homophobic chanting is unacceptable as well. It wouldn't take a lot. Making sure visiting clubs knew the policy and that breaches would result in ejection from the ground. If the club was highly public with it then fans would soon get the message. Might need extra policing for a season or two, but if you're going to take the lead then you can't make half-hearted efforts.
Will it happen? Nope I doubt it very much, especially as the FA couldn't care less, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't take a stand as a club. Its amazing that in 2011 even players are still shit scared about being honest about their sexuality because of the 'consequences'. Surely that isn't right? For all those that say its just banter, surely someone living in that fear can't be right? Will it stop me going to watch the Albion, nope, but it does still sadden me every time i witness it.
A lot of people seem to be making that assumption. But why? Why assume that the reported homophobic abuse is something that people generally don't actually find offensive, rather than something else that was maybe delivered on a more small scale?
Horton's halftime iceberg
Blooming Marvellous
Insider has since posted that the club do want people to report any homophobic behviour, but to direct it to stewards and the club and not the media, other 3rd parties. So the thread has been highjacked more on what is deemed offensive...
Go with you and needs campaigns like this to make long term changes.