BEING GAY IN FOOTBALL - WHY SUCH A FUSS?

[jenni_blog]

I wanted to reprint two recent articles about being gay in football.

First, there is an ongoing investigation in Colombia concerning an apparent sexual assault by one referee against another, which is escalating into a full-blown expose on the politics of 'getting ahead'.

http://colombiareports.com/colombia-news/sports/21899-gonzalez-alzate-in-order-to-be-a-referee-in-colombia-you-have-to-be-gay.html

Secondly, a very interesting blog article by Ed Malyon on being a gay footballer, entitled 'Forlan, Football and Fairies - Why No Players Are Coming Out of the Closet':

http://theboludo.wordpress.com/2012/01/31/186/

Both are food for thought. The main thing that strikes me, as a heterosexual woman, is that this issue in sports seems to be buried somewhere in the last century. In my experience, having worked all my life alongside gay people in the office and everywhere I've ever worked, is that there is no difference between people - we are all human beings - and we all want the same things in life. Number one is probably respect, if not love.

Comments

[turk152.livejournal.com]

And yet in women's football, out lesbian players are an everyday occurrence and nobody in the female game has issues with them.

[just-jenni.livejournal.com]

Right. There shouldn't be any issues with any gays coming forward, IMO, but I can understand why some would want to avoid the negative attention in some backward-leaning countries where it is considered an 'unacceptable choice'. :(