Homophobia in Football: Is enough being done?
By Joel McCalmont
With recent developments in Western politics and elections, it can be argued that it is a bad
time for diversity and inclusion. Fears of the restriction and removal of certain rights for
different groups of people creep into all aspects of life, including sports. Many of those who
cry, “Stick to what you’re good at!” or “Keep politics out of sport!” are often those doing the
opposite and creating toxic environments and allowing many forms of hatred to breed, such
as homophobia.
Recently in women’s football, Chelsea striker Sam Kerr and West Ham United midfielder
Kristie Mewis announced that they are expecting a baby together. Following their
announcement on the 18 th of November 2024, the couple were inundated with homophobic
abuse from mainly male football fans, to the extent where they had to limit who can comment
on their post on Instagram. It is sad and unfair that a couple cannot make an announcement
of a massive personal development to their fans and the world without receiving such hatred
and abuse from certain individuals.
I spoke to Zoey, a lifelong Chelsea fan and trans woman, where she said,
“there is a long road ahead for acceptance across the whole footballing community.”
When asked about her thoughts on the abuse sent their way, she said,
“The whole thing is just emblematic of the hypocrisy in football. Men claim to not care about women’s football, then they have a problem with what is going on in the women’s game.”
She emphasised that the league has historically had many lesbian players, “…but now it’s suddenly a problem. They’re not the first and won’t be the last couple to have a baby in the WSL (Women’s Super League).”
When asked about how she thinks the footballing community could move forward, she sadly
sees a lot of work to be done, saying,
“Unfortunately until the men’s game is made a safe space for LGBTQ+ people and we have out gay players then this kind of outrage will continue to ruin the beautiful game.”
We are obviously aware of many schemes within modern football attempting to de-
stigmatise the amalgamation of LGBTQ+ people and football, with the English FA having
their “Football v Homophobia” initiative, which includes the “Rainbow Laces” campaign
where players lace their boots with rainbow laces in support. However, these schemes have
resulted in some negative incidents, such as former Everton footballer Idrissa Gana Gueye
refusing to play in a match for Paris Saint Germain to avoid wearing a rainbow symbol on his
kit in support of LGBTQ+ rights in 2022. Such actions open up the opportunity for hatred to
continue to fester and breed within footballing fanbases, further reinforcing stigma.
Another example of a controversy of this fashion was when former Liverpool captain Jordan
Henderson left the club in 2023 to join Al-Ettifaq in the Saudi Pro League, despite
consistently advocating for LGBTQ+ rights as LFC captain. Pride in Football, an organisation
advocating for these rights openly condemned his move and stated that it could be “more
harmful” to the local community, after Henderson suggested the move to Saudi Arabia could
be a “positive” despite homosexuality being illegal there. Henderson only stayed at the club
for half a season before returning to Europe with Dutch outfit Ajax.
So what is the way forward if we still face these issues in 2024? Based on what has been
discussed, we can confidently say that many footballers have a large influence on their
fanbases, and that they might be swayed based on their favourite players’ opinions and
advocacies. For example when Mohamed Salah joined Liverpool in 2017, hate crimes within
the city dropped by 18.9%, and anti-Muslim tweets by supporters were “halved”, according to
a study produced by Stanford University in the USA. There is no reason that similar
treatment and responses could not be shown by footballing fans if a big-named footballer
came out as gay or openly condemned homophobia from fans to de-stigmatise
homosexuality in football.
However, as much as we would love to be able to end all hate within sports and worldwide
following a celebrity’s tweet, we must be realistic; such work starts at home, and we all have
a part to play. We can challenge those who use anti-gay or homophobic slurs and do our
best to stomp out any negative stereotypes being reinforced online and in-person. We can
make football, other sports and life a welcoming and safe space for everyone, regardless of
sexuality, gender, race, religion etc. Kind words and actions go a long way, and we can start
right now.