Homophobia issues in football

[Lord Bracknell]

Its not really a football issue, its a society issue with the fans. Some things are that awful word, banter. For example "We can see you holding hands" is banter. "You take it up the arse" pushes it a bit, but I wouldnt call it homophobic. The chants involving HIV and Aids certainly are homophobic and of course illegal, these are the sort of things why away fans have been getting arrested at the Amex. If you said it in a public place anywhere you would probably get arrested anyway. It isnt about coming family orientated, its called equality - simple as that. Though business does come into it as if LGBT dont feel comfortable at a football match, then they wouldnt go.

"We can see you holding hands" isn't banter directed at footballers. It's directed at Albion fans, because most of us are Brightonians.

Personally, I enjoy the fact that Brighton, in its own way, is a culturally vibrant and diverse city - and that's why the banter doesn't bother me.

And I know that there are many other aspects of Brighton's social structure where the population make-up varies significantly from the UK 'average'. One of these is a relatively small proportion of residents from black and minority ethnic backgrounds. But, thankfully, there are no chants from opposition fans drawing attention to this.

 

[The Large One]

"We can see you holding hands" isn't banter directed at footballers. It's directed at Albion fans, because most of us are Brightonians.

Could you say that about the people who live in Brighton's 'theatrical quarter' - as your aunt used to euphemistically put it?

 

[Lord Bracknell]

Could you say that about the people who live in Brighton's 'theatrical quarter' - as your aunt used to euphemistically put it?

It wasn't my aunt. It was the landlady of the place I lived in (Burlington Street, Kemp Town), when I first came to Brighton - when, incidentally, homosexual activity was still an imprisonable offence.

 

[soistes]

Then perhaps you should realise that there were large swathes of the country discriminated against by virtue of not being from the Home Counties.

Thatcher's disastrous de-industrialisation policy, which disproportionately affected large swathes of the country (not just the north incidentally -- South Wales didn't have a good time of it, if I remember correctly) is not "discrimination" in the sense of racism or anti-gay discrimination, and I suspect you know it

 

[Husty]

All it would take for a gay footballer player to be hesitant about coming out is the knowledge that the manager is homophobic and doesn't tolerate gay players in 'his' team. That's a situation that has certainly prevailed at BHAFC during the past ten years.

And no, I'm not going to identify the individual concerned.

Obviously that's not a scenario anyone should have to be in, I'm not sure it's very commonplace though. I'm also not sure what fan pressure is going to do about a situation like that.

 

[symyjym]

"We can see you holding hands" isn't banter directed at footballers. It's directed at Albion fans, because most of us are Brightonians.

Personally, I enjoy the fact that Brighton, in its own way, is a culturally vibrant and diverse city - and that's why the banter doesn't bother me.

And I know that there are many other aspects of Brighton's social structure where the population make-up varies significantly from the UK 'average'. One of these is a relatively small proportion of residents from black and minority ethnic backgrounds. But, thankfully, there are no chants from opposition fans drawing attention to this.

Though it is highly irritating for Brighton to have been given a gay stereotype label by the media and is promoted as such. How can we sound like a diverse city as you say, when it is regarded as insular for one type of person?

Cultural City of Brighton sounds good, but Brighton the Gay Capital of Britain misrepresents the City as a whole, and is just a cheap marketing tool I think.

I don’t care if people are gay, straight or bilingual but also at the same time I don’t want to be branded whether on the terraces or not.

 

[The Large One]

Though it is highly irritating for Brighton to have been given a gay stereotype label by the media and is promoted as such. How can we sound like a diverse city as you say, when it is regarded as insular for one type of person?

Cultural City of Brighton sounds good, but Brighton the Gay Capital of Britain misrepresents the City as a whole, and is just a cheap marketing tool I think.

I don’t care if people are gay, straight or bilingual but also at the same time I don’t want to be branded whether on the terraces or not.

Was that deliberate?

 

[symyjym]

Was that deliberate?

Yes, I don't care how many languages one can speak

 

[public school boy]

We can see you holding hands, does your boyfriend know you're here? So offensive it makes me want to hide under the bed and cry my eyes out. Being a screaming Queen myself and living with my hunky butch love Selywn,
I just take it with a pinch of salt and have a good chuckle.

 

[Buzzer]

We can see you holding hands, does your boyfriend know you're here? So offensive it makes me want to hide under the bed and cry my eyes out.

How about when you're with your young son coming back from a game and you get a condom chucked at you and told that if you're going to rape him makes sure to wear a condom so you don't spread Aids in that town. Is that offensive enough for you?

 

[public school boy]

How about when you're with your young son coming back from a game and you get a condom chucked at you and told that if you're going to rape him makes sure to wear a condom so you don't spread Aids in that town. Is that offensive enough for you?

That's a totally different matter. A few mild chants is hardly in the same league.

 

[Thunder Bolt]

That's a totally different matter. A few mild chants is hardly in the same league.

Which is what the debate is about. Nobody is talking about mild chants, but homophobia.

 

[public school boy]

Which is what the debate is about. Nobody is talking about mild chants, but homophobia.

There are enough complaints after the above mentioned chant which must suggest that some people get extremely upset by them. If these are to be stamped out I would suggest that certain Brighton supporters should stop singing one nil to the nancy boys and so on.

 

[El Presidente]

I have had to liberally apply large amounts of canesten this morning due to the extremely VIGOROUS sexual activity we were engaged in !!!

 

[Goldstone Rapper]

All it would take for a gay footballer player to be hesitant about coming out is the knowledge that the manager is homophobic and doesn't tolerate gay players in 'his' team. That's a situation that has certainly prevailed at BHAFC during the past ten years.

And no, I'm not going to identify the individual concerned.

No, it doesn't. It also takes a lack of courage on the part of the player, something that the discussion has tended to overlook. If homosexual footballers want to be a part of a world where there are footballers that are openly gay, they need to be doing the very thing that makes this happen, not waiting for someone else to do it. They need to stop hiding behind other people's homophobia to justify their inaction.

 

[El Presidente]

No, it doesn't. It also takes a lack of courage on the part of the player, something that the discussion has tended to overlook. If homosexual footballers want to be a part of a world where there are footballers that are openly gay, they need to be doing the very thing that makes this happen, not waiting for someone else to do it. They need to stop hiding behind other people's homophobia to justify their inaction.

It's none of our business if they want to come out or not, no more than if a player is into crossdressing, reacharounds, Cleveland Steamers, S&M or Boston Pancakes.

 

[Buzzer]

There are enough complaints after the above mentioned chant which must suggest that some people get extremely upset by them. If these are to be stamped out I would suggest that certain Brighton supporters should stop singing one nil to the nancy boys and so on.

If you're offering advice can I be so bold as to offer you some? People might actually take what say seriously if you posted such opinions as your main account rather than as this excruciatingly unfunny second wind-up account.

 

[public school boy]

It's none of our business if they want to come out or not, no more than if a player is into crossdressing, reacharounds, Cleveland Steamers, S&M or Boston Pancakes.

Oh, the thought of the above mentioned has made me feel all of a doo dar. I remember when I came out I felt totally liberated, fresh, like a heavy burden had be lifted and over joyed. My new life style suits me down to the ground. I'm just so happy

 

[Goldstone Rapper]

It's none of our business if they want to come out or not, no more than if a player is into crossdressing, reacharounds, Cleveland Steamers, S&M or Boston Pancakes.

While it's down to everyone what they disclose about themselves, a gay footballer not disclosing their sexuality is directly feeding into a world of fear about being gay and a professional footballer. They can't have many complaints about that being the environment in which they operate, when they are unwittingly contributing to it.

 

[El Presidente]

While it's down to everyone what they disclose about themselves, a gay footballer not disclosing their sexuality is directly feeding into a world of fear about being gay and a professional footballer. They can't have many complaints about that being the environment in which they operate, when they are unwittingly contributing to it.

Perhaps they have more important things in their lives than being a poster boy for The Guardianista though?

I work in education, and some of my colleagues have come out to staff, but not to students and parents, wonder why? I think you will find the same issue in relation to football, but players (to their credit) tend to keep their mouthes shut about it.