Stonewall Campaign Battles Football Homophobia
Professional football stars across England and Scotland are being invited to support a new campaign addressing homophobia in the sport by wearing rainbow-coloured bootlaces.
The campaign, led by gay rights charity Stonewall, will see all 134 of England and Scotland’s league sides sent the accessories in a bid to make a change in the sport.
Stonewall has now teamed up with bookmaker Paddy Power for a series of adverts with risqué slogans to promote an anti-homophobia attitude.
This week’s campaign, named Right Behind Gay Footballers, hopes to exploit advertising and also social media with the hashtag #RBGF.
The charity’s deputy chief executive, Laura Doughty, said: ‘It’s time for football clubs and players to step up and make a visible stand against homophobia in our national game.’
‘By wearing rainbow laces players will send a message of support to gay players and can begin to drag football into the 21st century.’
The move by Stonewall comes amid concerns that there are currently no known openly gay footballers in the English and Scottish professional leagues, with continued complaints of homophobia amid crowds.
Justin Fashanu, who killed himself in 1997, is the only British professional footballer to come out as gay.
The campaign is also being supported by Joey Barton, who helped launch the movement on twitter.
The QPR midfielder tweeted: ‘Join the rainbow laces movement. Sexuality in sport should not be an issue in the 21st century. #RBGF’
