My most recent article looked at the issue of homophobia within football, and how it still appears to be a taboo subject. Unlike racism, which particularly in light of recent events has dominated our newspapers, the topic of sexual orientation is still left in silence; ‘no one wants to talk about it, so let’s leave it that way’.
A PhD student at the University of Bristol came across my article and as a part of an exploratory study into homophobic issues, asked me if I could take part in an interview, which I duly obliged in. Here is my interview with him…
1. Why do you think homophobia in football is an important issue?
It’s an important issue for several reasons, but it all boils down to the evolving game. Football has grown incredibly, and is now regularly watched and played by hundreds of millions across the globe. Yet as attitudes have developed over time towards homosexuality, it is still somewhat of a taboo subject within the sport. With football having such an influence in many people’s lives, it is ridiculous that homophobia has still not been addressed and, on par with racism, is surely the next big thing that needs to be targeted.
2. To what extent do you think has the overall climate of homophobia in professional men’s football changed over the last decade?
Honestly, I don’t really feel that it has changed at all, because everyone involved in the game refuses to speak about it in order to avoid a stigma that is attached to it; if you discuss sexual orientation, there is a fear that you yourself will become targeted. Members of particular groups in charge (such as the FA) have mentioned the topic, and surveys have been undertaken suggesting that people, largely the fans, would accept a homosexual player.
We do seem to be more accepting of homosexuality in a global context; just look at how many gay celebrities there are, while there is certainly less discrimination in a lot of countries (although sadly there are many that still do), but I’d like to be confident that there would be no repeat of Justin Fashanu’s tragic story; instead there would be a huge amount of support. Yet until the professionals directly involved within the game, be it the players, coaches or board members, truly attempt to tackle homophobia and speak out, I don’t think that there will be any change.
3. Do you think enough is being done by the key actors in the game, such as the FA and the PFA? What do you think is the most effective way of tackling homophobia in professional men’s football?
Definitely not; such key actors have been terribly poor. Campaigns such as ‘Respect’ and ‘Kick It Out’ have been pushed and, although they haven’t been great, at least have drawn attention to the issue and has attempted to address it. But without doing my own personal research, I have seen nothing regarding homophobia; this coming from someone who clichéd ‘eats, sleeps and breathes’ football.
Certainly the most effective way to tackle homophobia would be to promote a new campaign; even if it is just initially in order to draw a more widespread attention to it. I’m not necessarily saying that the campaign needs to be a success (although obviously that would be the hope), as other campaigns haven’t been ground breaking, but small acts can really help to promote ideas. ‘Kick It Out’ started in 1993, but just look at how much media interest there has been from Jason Roberts publically stating he wouldn’t wear the t-shirt. Many other players have since followed, and it has dominated our newspapers over the last several weeks.
It needs to escape the ‘taboo’ tag that it currently holds; everyone has an opinion on racism and referees, but rarely is sexual orientation discussed. Such actors have the opportunity to release the taboo and make it a more acceptable topic at the forefront of football.
4. Given that homophobia is often trivialised as ‘banter’, do you think there is an awareness among stewards or police officers as to what constitutes homophobia? If not, what are adequate ways of creating more sensitivity to homophobic language?
I don’t believe that the line between banter and homophobic abuse has truly been distinguished yet. Fans will regularly shout abusive language at players, yet while a racist term would be seen as quite horrific, a homophobic word would be seen in the same light as a regular swear word. Of course, if fans were to continually use homophobic language police may intervene, but thus far it appears that while it is clearly distinguished between banter and racism, homophobic abuse still generally comes under the banter bracket, as would any other swear word. The stewards and police tend to merely be there to ensure safety of both the fans and players, but until the FA, or another organisation, properly come out and start announcing action against homophobic language, it will still be a normal thing.
I think that the biggest reason that it is still trivialised as banter is due to the fact that there are still no gay players, as far as the fans are aware anyway. There are black players in the game, so they may be targeted by racist abuse which is clearly wrong; but if there are no gay players, how can using homophobic language be considered abusive? That is the big issue.