Footballer in gay magazine

[pauliewalnuts]

Perhaps there just genuinely aren't and haven't been that many gay footballers?  I've worked with hundreds of people over the years, and the number of openly gay people I've known in that time you could count on the fingers of one hand.

I've also worked with hundreds of people over the last ten years and could quite comfortably name thirty or forty openly gay people that I've known in that time.

Me too.

In fact, I've worked in a company, admittedly a small one, a dozen or so staff, where half the staff were gay.

I think the key word is "openly". If you've no reason to know about someone's sexuality, then why would you know it?

[Ger Regan]

It would certainly need a very strong individual to decide to come out, and it should most definitely their own decision, not a case of someone being outed.
Homophobia really is one of the most fucking idiotic things imaginable. As some wag put it, its essentially someone's fear that gay men will treat you the way you treat women

[saunders_heroes]

Justin Fashanu killed himslef after allegations of sexual assault were made against him in the US, not because of homophobic comments made on the terraces, sick that they are.

I never said that. Just that his brother disowned him. Fashanu liked to preach about the horrors of racism back in the day while his own prejudices against his gay brother were very much alive. Double standards indeed.

[Risso]

Perhaps there just genuinely aren't and haven't been that many gay footballers?  I've worked with hundreds of people over the years, and the number of openly gay people I've known in that time you could count on the fingers of one hand.

I've also worked with hundreds of people over the last ten years and could quite comfortably name thirty or forty openly gay people that I've known in that time.

Me too.

In fact, I've worked in a company, admittedly a small one, a dozen or so staff, where half the staff were gay.

I think the key word is "openly". If you've no reason to know about someone's sexuality, then why would you know it?

If most of the people were in heterosexual relationships, then the chances are that they're probably not gay.

[Ger Regan]

Justin Fashanu killed himslef after allegations of sexual assault were made against him in the US, not because of homophobic comments made on the terraces, sick that they are.

I never said that. Just that his brother disowned him. Fashanu liked to preach about the horrors of racism back in the day while his own prejudices against his gay brother were very much alive. Double standards indeed.

My memory is hazy but I don't think he came out of his daughter's recent documentary on the subject too well either.

[MarkM]

About 1.5% of the population consider them selves gay or lesbian.

you could assume that that would mean that about 1.5% of the football players are gay, however only 1% of men consider themselves gay so that reduces the potential gay footballers to 1%.

Now we can probably assume that a portion of gay people may not be drawn into football and then reduce that again by the number who actually make it.

So the numbers of actual players who are playing that may be gay is more than likely very very small

[Dave]

Justin Fashanu killed himslef after allegations of sexual assault were made against him in the US, not because of homophobic comments made on the terraces, sick that they are.

I never said that. Just that his brother disowned him. Fashanu liked to preach about the horrors of racism back in the day while his own prejudices against his gay brother were very much alive. Double standards indeed.

My memory is hazy but I don't think he came out of his daughter's recent documentary on the subject too well either.

His basic premise was "he wasn't really gay, he was just attention-seeking".

[Chico Hamilton III]

John Fashanu lives in Nigeria now? a country with just about the worst record when it comes to anti-gay legislation.

He should stay over there. Am I being racist, telling a black homophobe to go back to where he didn't come from?

[Risso]

Fair point - I expect if someone were daft enough to come as as 'one of those queer folk' on your rock then they'd have the wicker man built and ablaze before you could blink!

Indeed.  It was still illegal as recently as 1992, although I think that was just a case of nobody bothering to update the law rather than actually persecuting homosexuals.

I think that some industries probably just naturally attract more gay people than others.  I'd imagine that working in the creative arts would find more people being tolerant than on a building site for example.  Maybe gay people shun a career in football for similar reasons?

[Can Gana Be Bettered!?!?]

About 1.5% of the population consider them selves gay or lesbian.

you could assume that that would mean that about 1.5% of the football players are gay, however only 1% of men consider themselves gay so that reduces the potential gay footballers to 1%.

Now we can probably assume that a portion of gay people may not be drawn into football and then reduce that again by the number who actually make it.

So the numbers of actual players who are playing that may be gay is more than likely very very small

HA! How on earth can you come up with a statistic like that? Does this include all nations where being homosexual is considered a crime because I'm guessing they would not come forward freely to state they are gay. Also, I think this country, on the whole, is not set-up for homosexuals to just be themselves. I can imagine it being very difficult. Look at the stupid and ridiculous chanting that goes on when a footballer is even alleged to be homosexual!

[Risso]

Justin Fashanu killed himslef after allegations of sexual assault were made against him in the US, not because of homophobic comments made on the terraces, sick that they are.

I never said that. Just that his brother disowned him. Fashanu liked to preach about the horrors of racism back in the day while his own prejudices against his gay brother were very much alive. Double standards indeed.

My memory is hazy but I don't think he came out of his daughter's recent documentary on the subject too well either.

His basic premise was "he wasn't really gay, he was just attention-seeking".

Didn't Justin Fashanu go out with Julie Goodyear for a while?  Talk about a messed up life.

[eastie]

Justin Fashanu killed himslef after allegations of sexual assault were made against him in the US, not because of homophobic comments made on the terraces, sick that they are.

I never said that. Just that his brother disowned him. Fashanu liked to preach about the horrors of racism back in the day while his own prejudices against his gay brother were very much alive. Double standards indeed.

My memory is hazy but I don't think he came out of his daughter's recent documentary on the subject too well either.

His basic premise was "he wasn't really gay, he was just attention-seeking".

Didn't Justin Fashanu go out with Julie Goodyear for a while?  Talk about a messed up life.

Her of the catchphrase-  Get it , got it , good!

[DrGonzo]

Jimmy Anderson did this years ago, and let's face it the MCC are about the biggest bunch of intractable old bastards the world has ever seen, saving the Tories.  Fair play to Jarvis, to all the gorillas in the stands that think it's a problem: "Grow up or fuck off".

[Chico Hamilton III]

Are we inlcuding women footballers in these stats. Surely they'd bump up the straight/gay ratio?

[Can Gana Be Bettered!?!?]

We've all done it!

No, we haven't.

Agreed. I, and mates, take no part in any kind of chanting with an anti-homosexual sentiment to it.