I tend to agree with Beddytare as a person's sexuality is not really interesting. It is a bit of a non-event. Where I think there might be repercussions is where clubs are sponsored by companies with a less tolerant attitude so that this may entail a negative reaction where you could see sponsors looking to having players moved on. It would be interesting to see the reaction if the player came from a club like Arsenal or Manchester City where the finance is provided from within the Middle East. Any "negative" reaction is more likely to come from abroad than from within the UK where I feel there will be little real interest. The lack of real publicity with footballers from Ireland refusing to wear poppies on their jerseys in November is probably indicative of how accommodating spectators have now become.
Does it matter who it is ,jesus christ in this day and age who gives a damn! I cant believe it we have a thread devoted to it.
Why not? Don't be so touchy, it's just a laugh. Having a thread doesn't necessarily mean we are gonna be negative about the issue/players. I would very much like to write a message of support if/when those two players do come out. Does anyone know why the two players are being said to 'come out' at roughly the same time? Could it be they are a couple? Now wouldn't that be wonderfully scandalous? Tadic and Pelle? Oh wait, England player. Bummer.
Pelletron has a confident Gaydar. Football is a tribal culture and at its root is that anyone who is not part of your tribe is no good, is the enemy and is fair game. Likewise, anyone who is part of your team will be defended and protected. A few football fans are so entrenched into that tribal culture that they dehumanise anyone who is outside of it. To some supporters being homosexual will just be another tool to try and bully or belittle someone with
This day and age were people are still called by gay slurs.... As I said the big thing isn't that they are gay. The big thing thing is coming out and admitting it while still playing professional football. There is a reason why a well known player hasn't come out as gay publically in the sport. As much as many don't want to admit it there are far too many bigots attached to football. Football for many is seen as a mans game that gays and women can't play. So yeah coming out and saying you are gay in a sport like this is kind of big.
I wonder what Duckhunter will make of it? Massive credit to them as and when they decide to announce this publicly. Of course it shouldn't matter, but it's a boundary still to be broken. The sooner it's shattered and thrown in the bin, the better.
Both of these views are right. Beddy is right. Why does he need to know, it really ought to be a non-event in 2015. Archers is right that we still live in a society where people are scared to keep what they perceive as is an important secret. It's an important secret because those that lead society deem it as an important secret and it impinges upon those that live within our society of 2015. The thing is, significant numbers/many/most [choose which] have completely reasoned this one out and compartmentalised it for themselves. It's almost ridiculous that we are writing abut it on here, but society evolves with the slowest persons, so there's bumpy roads still to travel on this one.
Coming out as gay when a Prem season is on going or coming out gay when there are no games. If it was me I would do the 2nd as well.
Hmm someone who has an interest in ballroom dancing and spends WAY too much time on personal grooming, we don't know anyone like that, do we?...
I agree with Beddy on this,society in general is accepting I have some very good friends who are gay (genuine) and some who are overweight all occasionally get comments from strange people. Very few people sat in football stadiums have any idea of the sexuality of the persons sitting next to them (even if they are m&f) Fact is you don't know and you don't need to,maybe heterosexuals should "come out".
When someone comes out as gay or lesbian, or even transgender, although this is significantly rarer in the public eye [but more common in everyday life than you imagine] there are those who say ‘what is the need?’ or ‘what is the big deal’? What I’ve noticed is that these people are invariably straight, cis [that’s identified with the gender they were assigned at birth] people who’ve never had to experience this ‘big deal’ for themselves. One look at the suicide rates, both attempted and successful, of LGBT (that’s lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender/transsexual) youth and you instantly realise that this world which we believe is full of tolerant souls like ourselves is actually a hostile place for anyone who doesn’t fit within the ever-narrowing band of what is considered ‘normal.’ When the day comes that a Premier League footballer comes out, and that day will come because statistics tell us that with 20 teams in the division, each with 25 squad players, there should be at least 30-50 gay men playing football at the top level at least, it will be momentous. It will be a brave decision, regardless of what those people who have never had to question their sexuality say. Five minutes on Twitter will tell you all you need to know about the hate, arrogance and ignorance which awaits anyone who dares be themselves. For some, no amount of support can counteract the bile they receive from strangers. For many, the ire comes from those they hold close. Society has come a long way in recent years, but it still has so far to go. Racism hasn’t been successfully dealt with yet and, as a society, we know that white people have no right to tell black people what they can and can’t take issue with when it comes to racial abuse. Stories of racism and racially-motivated attacks make the news because they rightfully cause outrage in the majority of society. LGBT-attacks are rarely reported in the mainstream and their numbers would make your head hurt and your heart bleed. Don’t tell me it’s ‘not a big deal.’ Until you have wrestled with feelings of hatred for something which is as natural to you as breathing, and coped with self-loathing for something you have no control over and then faced the possibility of being rejected, beaten up, raped or murdered for merely being true to yourself, don’t tell me it’s not a big deal. And don’t tell me a Premier League footballer coming out isn’t a huge step forward in saving the lives of many people. For hundreds, perhaps more, seeing someone at the top level of a game they adore coming out as gay could be the one thing which makes them set down the pills or walk away from the rope. Visibility is important. If you think that all seems too dramatic, just go, take a minute, Google those suicide stats. Now tell me it’s not a big deal. Read more: http://metro.co.uk/2014/03/16/why-a...gay-is-a-very-big-deal-4590800/#ixzz3paIoeRq2 This person gets it. People saying coming out as gay isn't a big thing or it shouldn't happen aren't seeing the bigger picture.
Yes, Gareth Thomas came out to his Welsh team-mates who basically turned round and said, "So what?" which was the best reaction they could have given. Nigel Owens (the Welsh rugby ref) came out on a Welsh-language variety show a few years before but it's well known that Nigel attempted suicide once because of hiding who he was and the terror of telling people that he's gay. Until everyone's reaction is "So what?" without sniggering or recoiling then unfortunately, the world needs brave people like Gareth, Nigel and these footballers to speak up.
