Former British
soccer player Paul Elliott recently claimed at a forum
against homophobia that he knew of 12 top professional
players who were gay but could not come out of the
closet because of the wide antigay feeling in that
sport.
The former
Chelsea defender explained that he felt a lot of sympathy
for those players because, as a nonwhite man, he could
understand what being the subject of virulent
discrimination felt like.
And indeed, in
stadiums, racist and homophobic abuses often join together
in one hateful hubbub. "Just like racism, homophobia
does not have its place in sport," Elliott told
reporters.
British LGBT
associations have been very active in trying to alleviate
homophobic tensions in soccer, and their efforts have paid
off. As an example, the Football Association --
England's central body for soccer, or
"football," as the sport is known there -- now
often provides news on its website about Stonewall
F.C., Britain's gay football team,
which won the gay football world cup in August.
But despite some
improvements in the acceptance of homosexuality, gay
professional football players are still reluctant to talk.
As the French gay magazine Tetu points out, their
fear could stem partly from the story of Justin
Fashanu. This British man was the first -- and only --
professional football player to publicly divulge his
homosexuality. After doing so in 1990, he never
received a long-term contract again, and he committed
suicide in 1998. (Thibault Chareton, The Advocate)
