Eight per cent of fans ‘wouldn’t watch team containing gay player’

Is that a valid defence?
Sounds a bit like those killers who say "We were just playing an aggressive sex game and I made a mistake". Ridiculously, there are moves to say that can't be a defence despite it may be a valid defence in 1 in a 1,000 and the other 999 times should be treated with scepticism.

 

Yes.

Tolerance/acceptance and education is not the same thing.

For example, I like to think of myself as not racist and have in the past used the sentence 'I don't see colour' however during the recent conversations around BLM I realised that many people don't actually like this phrase as it ignores the experiences they go through in society.

That makes sense to me and I wouldn't use it again. Education can help create a more supportive environment.

Similarly, the people who say 'it doesn't matter to me who they sleep with'. Not a homophobic statement, but a statement that misses the intricate nature of the debate and shuts down conversation. I bet there's a lot of people who aren't homophobic who would use that, maybe they would open their minds to why this isn't particularly helpful and in turn create a more supportive environment.

 

I have some personal experience of this and I'd like to think I dealt with it in the correct manner but I'm open to opinion.

Some years ago my youngest Daughter,now 32,was on the verge of taking her own life and had in fact threatened to throw herself off a bridge.When we got her home,my wife and I sat her down and asked her what was wrong? She was inconsolable and crying her eyes out and eventually told us she was gay and didn't know how to cope with her feelings and emotions and that she was so anxious about telling us( her parents) that she considered taking her own life.

Obviously that hurt, as we both are fairly open and openly accept all walks of life.I explained to my Daughter that I loved her the same as her other 3 siblings and I told her this....'I don't ask your Brother and your 2 older sisters what goes on in their bedrooms and I don't dictate their choice of partner so I'm not going to start that with you now'!! My Daughter now has her own home,lives with her girlfriend and is loving life.Her friends(male and female) are predominantly gay and all of them are frequent visitors to our home when we've got family events going on and every single one of them treat my wife and I as second parents.I

Tolerance ,to me,is the wrong choice of word on this subject,it just doesn't sit well with me...I'd boil it down to love and understanding.

 

It absolutely isn't for me to judge but if its any help it sounds like you were great. I'm sorry both you, your wife and daughter had to go through that but I'm really pleased it's all worked out.

When you are dealing with it yourself it can seem impossible, I didn't even like telling my reflection that I was gay. I just couldn't say the words.

I don't like the word tolerance, it really is just accepting and respecting each others life paths and I think education can help society with that, in all forms.

 

I think my Daughter was much the same,call it confusion? My Daughter is the only one out of the 4 that I really don't have to worry about...She lives her life to the full and her partner is a lovely,lovely girl.I'm so happy for her not me.

 

I don’t the word tolerance either, although not from as personal a perspective as you.
I just think using it sounds like there’s something wrong, and shouldn’t really be accepted, but I’m such a nice person I tolerate it nevertheless.

 

Ok ‘defence’ was the wrong term then.
Fact remains that if the person going through the issues suggests education would help then who the **** are we to suggest it wouldn’t help.
Matters not if it’s a placebo or whatever, but if they think it might help then just do it.
No reason not to is there?

 

so who decides who needs to be "educated"?

 

peter you are obviously passionate about this subject - but you are coming across as a right bigoted old fart....... if you have a strong opinion state it.... if not stfu....

 

Thats you on ignore mate
If you wasn’t already

 

haha good!! Means I won’t have to read his poorly veiled ****e again!!

ps- I’m getting smashed, seems like the appropriate response after today’s pathetic display.
#TerryOut

 

The employer, in consultation with any recognised Trades Unions, but personally I’d go for all employees.

 

What about the self employed?

 

I'm deciding and I'm gonna go with...

You. You need to be educated in how not to openly be a ****.

 

Pay attention
We were talking about a footballer, at a football club, employed by a football club.
There may be self employed around the club but if any club wanted to do it then they should do their employees first. If that was successful then they’d be perfectly in their rights to say that any self employed/contractors had to do the same training before they worked at the club.
So employer/buyer of services decides.

More importantly what reasons have you come up with, given the circumstances and the views the gay player has expressed, for not educating anyone at a football club?

 

What would this "education" consist of? As far as I can see, not much more than "if you call a gay person names it will upset them." "If you are looking to employ somebody or considering people for promotion you should also consider gay people". I'm not trying to be negative. I'd love you to give an idea of what the "education" would consist of other than the "bleeding obvious".

 

Maybe you’re such an enlightened individual it’s obvious to you. It may not be to others.

Why shouldn’t a club educate their staff?

 

OK, so this is just about footballers. Is there any evidence that employees have a negative view of gay footballers? I've asked what you would include in this "education" in another comment.

 

So are the two examples I have given the kind of things that would be taught?

 

I'm not saying that a club shouldnt educate their staff. What I am saying is that any education should be effective.