Homophobia in football

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Murray3007 said:
no i cant crouch is getting called that because of his height which he cant do anything about, one is getting called it because the colour of there skin which they cant do anything about, the other is because the are gay which they cant do anything about. so whats the difference because tall people dont come out to complain about it ?
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Okay. One more try.
Okay, let’s see. Have tall people generally ever been considered as lesser humans because of their height? Been deprived of basic human rights? Been forcibly subjected to medical treatment to “fix” their height? I’d say the answer to that is ‘no’. Ie, being tall/lanky doesn’t come with the implication that there is something wrong with you or that you’re lesser. It’s never been used as an adjective for something that sucks; no one says “That’s so lanky” when they want to insult something.
You cannot compare 'gay' or 'black' to something that doesn't have that connotation.

Pogue Mahone said:
*shuffles sideways a bit*
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Appreciated!

Leroy The Red said:
Honestly, nuts. On a side note, The guy didn't even have the capability to quote you properly so it looks like that daft comment came from you. Defamation of character right there.
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Right? Perhaps I could sue.
 
sallycinnamin said:
Thing is football as in life is so contradictory. For example the term " all handbags" can be interpreted or at the very least towards the slang for a person who is gay as in the slang " he is a handbag" or insinuating that gay people don't fight and are not able to fight. I don't know what peoples thoughts are in relation to the " Jew goal " which stemmed from FIFA, being able to differentiate colloquial slang or sayings can be testing as in do people find offensive in these quotes or sayings that pundits and commentators some being ex-players regularly say and is seen as the norm:

" All handbags there"

" Suicidal defending or like a car crash"

" Diving is spreading like a cancer"

Also references if players are big or fall to " The Twin Towers". There is a litany of sayings or proverbs that are rife through the game even in life we have heard the saying " there's more than one way to skin a cat", so where do you draw the line... with great difficulty " under the sand".. he says.
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I honestly hope that a certain Portuguese footballer happens to have the sexual preference for men that some have suggested he may, and that I find entirely believable, and that he comes out (realistically, after his career ends). We've had players come out but we haven't had a big name come out (or close). Even post-career I think that would change things, a lot.
 
Murray3007 said:
Maybe there is currently no gay players playing in the premiership at the moment which is why they dont come out?
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478px-Sexual_Identity_in_the_UK%2C_2012.png

The chance of there not being an homosexual player in the English football leagues is, statistically speaking, fairly low.
 
Leroy The Red said:
Christ, some of the stuff in this thread. Jojose having an absolute mare. "Lanky bastard" being compared to "black bastard":rolleyes:. It's really where you can seperate the normal people from the backwards idiots.
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At the risk of jumping headlong into a pretty murky pool, I agree with the point he made that people making reference to a physical characteristic of a player ('he's big, he's black...') or even a perceived trait of their character ('you soft twat' if he's ducking out of the wall or a 50/50 challenge) is not in of itself unacceptable. The context in which the words were said and the intent behind them goes a long way here.

However while I also agree that a player coming out would be more likely to get jokey, bantering references to their homosexuality from the fans on match day ('makes sense *snigger snigger*' if he ducks a 50/50) rather than outright hatred it still should be made crystal clear that even this attitude is unacceptable. The insidious racism/homosexuality/sexism that is passed off as nothing more than banter is hurtful to people. If you don't want to hurt people, don't partake in it. If you do partake it in, don't be surprised if people are hurt by it.

I think it would be great if a dozen or so top level guys clubbed together and said 'yes, we're gay', there was a bit of media hooha then it was business as usual and football could show how good it can be bridging gaps and doing good in the world. Unfortunately I fear we're quite a way off at present.
 
I have some Irish friends out here, and they find nothing offensive about being called "Fenian". (literal meaning something on the lines of "Irish Republican".)

However they say when they are called "Fenian Bstd" by a non Irish, then that changes the meaning and feeling all together.

Likewise, "Oyibo" means "white man" in Nigeria. If a street-food selling lady in the street greets me "Oyibo" with a smile, there is nothing offensive about that. However if said with a miserable or unfriendly facial manner, then I know they are not making me feel very welcome at all.

Ps being an Oyibo married to a Nigerian with a mixed race child, I've watched this thread with interest....
 
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Oyibo said:
I have some Irish friends out here, and they find nothing offensive about being called "Fenian". (literal meaning something on the lines of "Irish Republican".)

However they say when they are called "Fenian Bstd" by a non Irish, then that changes the meaning and feeling all together.

Likewise, "Oyibo" means "white man" in Nigeria. If a street-food selling lady in the street greets me "Oyibo" with a smile, there is nothing offensive about that. However if said with a miserable or unfriendly facial manner, then I know they are not making me feel very welcome at all.

Ps being an Oyibo married to a Nigerian with a mixed race child, I've watched this thread with interest...
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Gay marriage...?
 
he he. nice one.

No, due to the many racism references. Everyone has an opinion, well I am right here in the middle of it, 24/7 365
 
Kentonio said:
There are 20 teams in PL, and if you only count the 25 man squad that still adds up to 500 players. Roughly 1 in 10 people are gay. There being no gay players in the PL is about as likely as you winning the lottery next week.

There have been numerous stories about people in the PL saying they know team mates who are gay, but it's just kept secret. Crying shame that we're still at that point in 2016.
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Yes stories, still dont see what the big deal is why the media is so desperate to get the 1st gay premiership player.
 
Murray3007 said:
Yes stories, still dont see what the big deal is why the media is so desperate to get the 1st gay premiership player.
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It's not about 'trying to get the 1st gay premiership player', it's about a culture in football that means that there's right now dozens of players who are not comfortable openly being themselves. Something that the rest of us don't even think about, because its such a totally natural and expected thing. Think about that for a moment, not being able to walk down the street with a partner, in case the tabloids decide to print it on the front pages. Not being able to live together openly, not being able to get married, because if you do mindless pricks will make your life a living hell and suddenly all anyone will want to talk about isn't the decades of hard work you've put into becoming one of the very best athletes in the world, but just the fact you were born liking men instead of women.
 
Kentonio said:
It's not about 'trying to get the 1st gay premiership player', it's about a culture in football that means that there's right now dozens of players who are not comfortable openly being themselves. Something that the rest of us don't even think about, because its such a totally natural and expected thing. Think about that for a moment, not being able to walk down the street with a partner, in case the tabloids decide to print it on the front pages. Not being able to live together openly, not being able to get married, because if you do mindless pricks will make your life a living hell and suddenly all anyone will want to talk about isn't the decades of hard work you've put into becoming one of the very best athletes in the world, but just the fact you were born liking men instead of women.
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Cracking post.
 
staubsauger said:
478px-Sexual_Identity_in_the_UK%2C_2012.png

The chance of there not being an homosexual player in the English football leagues is, statistically speaking, fairly low.
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Yes i understand that but aint impossible, just dont get why its made such a big deal of.
 
I dont think there would be much of a backlash if a footballer came out as gay from his own fans, and rightly so.
The only real issue I think is during matches opposing fans may target said player because he was gay. That would be a problem.

If theres racism in football then there will most likely be homophobia.
 
Kentonio said:
It's not about 'trying to get the 1st gay premiership player', it's about a culture in football that means that there's right now dozens of players who are not comfortable openly being themselves. Something that the rest of us don't even think about, because its such a totally natural and expected thing. Think about that for a moment, not being able to walk down the street with a partner, in case the tabloids decide to print it on the front pages. Not being able to live together openly, not being able to get married, because if you do mindless pricks will make your life a living hell and suddenly all anyone will want to talk about isn't the decades of hard work you've put into becoming one of the very best athletes in the world, but just the fact you were born liking men instead of women.
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I doubt there are many gay players in the PL at the moment never mind dozens, why do people struggle to such an extent to accept that most professional athletes are less likely to be gay then regular citizens.

Stereotypes exist for a reason.
 
I read an article recently that said 8% of fans would have a big problem with gay players at their club, but the fans that will be homophobic may well not be the stereotypical football thug types that will be chanting obscenities on the terrace. I'd imagine a large chunk of these people will be those who are taught to be homophobic by whatever religion they follow. Homophobic language on the terraces does exist though, the problem is that it's not actually directed at gay players, so fellow supporters will generally tolerate it. Will many people will see a difference between calling John Terry a faggot or a wanker? They're both just used as general terms of abuse in this context. If there was an openly gay player getting targeted with homophobic abuse though, I suspect there would be far less tolerance to it. Most people would see this to be just as offensive as racist language directed at a black player and I think it would soon be mostly eradicated just like the racist abuse has been. I guess it's a Catch 22 situation. Gay players might not want to come out until homophobic language from fans is treated seriously enough, but it probably won't be treated seriously enough until it's actually being directed at gay players.
 
the unknown one. said:
I doubt there are many gay players in the PL at the moment never mind dozens, why do people struggle to such an extent to accept that most professional athletes are less likely to be gay then regular citizens.

Stereotypes exist for a reason.
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Yup its a fact, if your occupation wasnt in the village people you cant be gay :wenger:
 
I've got a sneaking suspicion that coming out is something that is discouraged by senior figures at clubs, sponsors and even the FA. It'll be said it's for their own protection but these corporations are trying to sell their product to every living room in the world. Sadly, there's a good portion of the world that is still very conservative and would not view a Footballer coming out as being something to applaud.
 
Pexbo said:
I've got a sneaking suspicion that coming out is something that is discouraged by senior figures at clubs, sponsors and even the FA. It'll be said it's for their own protection but these corporations are trying to sell their product to every living room in the world. Sadly, there's a good portion of the world that is still very conservative and would not view a Footballer coming out as being something to applaud.
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You could be right in what you're suggesting here. I think it would be wrong, though. I can't see there being much of (if any ) public backlash to an openly gay footballer, that would be bad enough to effect the brand of the club or premiership as a whole.

America (as we have seen recently) have millions upon millions of intolerant people, yet when major sporting stars, came out as gay, it only really got positive attention.
 
Dominos said:
Yes.

The conclusion is when you adjudge people who consider themselves hetrosexual to be gay, then the figure could have some plausibility. It's far from conclusive enough to be considered fact.
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People who have engaged in homosexual activity but call themselves straight. In a world where there are still major impediments to social acceptance for people who are openly gay.
 
It's jarring that football (rightly) accepts that racism is abhorrent, but doesn't seem to have the same stance for homophobia, despite the fact that in modern society, most people and institutions see racism and homophobia as equally unacceptable.

I think it's just something that will take place over time. Homophobia is no longer as rampant as it used to be in the workplace. While macho sports may be a kind of last bastion of toxic masculinity, that is something that will simply change over time as more tolerant attitudes replace the knuckledragging ones.

Hopefully, in the future more players will come out but the problem is inevitably the media making a big song and dance about people's sexuality and wanting to 'expose' people who simply want to be who they are and get on with their life.
 


I thought this was a good interview. Rylan has surprised me in the past few years. Went from an annoying git to a really sound bloke.
 
People who take part in homophobic behaviour are obviously struggling to come to terms with their own sexuality.

Why else would you give a stuff what somebody else's sexual preference is?
 
padzilla said:
People who take part in homophobic behaviour are obviously struggling to come to terms with their own sexuality.

Why else would you give a stuff what somebody else's sexual preference is?
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Nah, that's an oversimplification. Most of the time in those footie crowd situations it's to do with group think/herd mentality imo. People see others doing it and join in, wanting to be part of something. The fact that they're doing it as part of a bigger crowd also makes them feel safer and makes them feel legitimized in doing it
 
Pickle85 said:
Nah, that's an oversimplification. Most of the time in those footie crowd situations it's to do with group think/herd mentality imo. People see others doing it and join in, wanting to be part of something. The fact that they're doing it as part of a bigger crowd also makes them feel safer and makes them feel legitimized in doing it
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Yes there's no doubt I am being somewhat reductive but, also, there's a grain of truth in that people who are uncomfortable with the sexuality of others are also uncomfortable with their own.
 
padzilla said:
People who take part in homophobic behaviour are obviously struggling to come to terms with their own sexuality.

Why else would you give a stuff what somebody else's sexual preference is?
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It's not that. Some people just aren't very empathetic towards anything they don't identify with. It's why Ukraine got so much media coverage in comparison to some of the equally horrendous stuff going on across the world.
 
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