U.K. Soccer Stars Shy Away from Pro-Gay Ad

A planned video against homophobia in the U.K. that would have relied on the star power of soccer greats has been left high and dry, and the GLBT equality advocate who proposed the campaign is unhappy about it.

EDGE previously reported on the ad campaign, which was proposed to the U.K.'s soccer authority, the Football Association, by Peter Tatchell, a British politician and the leader of OutRage!. In the wake of the video's being pulled before its premiere, Tatchell issued a press release condemning the project's abandonment--which, claims the Football Association, is only temporary. Tatchell, however, is having none of it.

"The Football Association's commitment to tackling homophobia has taken a severe battering," Tatchell declared in his release. "After removing many key individuals and groups from its highly effective Tackling Homophobia Working Group, it has now suddenly postponed this week's planned launch of its ground-breaking anti-homophobia video advert."

The video is not available to view on YouTube, but it can be seen at American gay news site AfterElton. The AfterElton posting also notes that GLBT equality advocates such as John Amaeche have expressed disappointment in the video, which was to have premiered Feb. 12 at Wembley Stadium; even Tatchell admitted that the video was not what he had envisioned.

Even so, Tatchell sharply denounced the delay of the video's premiere. "While the FA and other national football associations have long challenged racism, the video is the first high-profile attempt to give homophobia the red card," Tatchell wrote. "A world first for football, it's release this week would have given the FA huge prestige; stamping its mark as a trail-blazing organization that is leading the world in making football welcoming and safe for gay players, fans and officials."

Tatchell went on to explain the strategy for video's release. "The plan was to put it on YouTube, do a viral campaign via the Internet and get all professional clubs to broadcast it on stadium screens at half-time.

"The last minute postponement came just days before the launch and weeks after the official invites were sent out," Tatchell wrote, "causing dismay among football and gay groups who were backing the project, including the football diversity and equality campaign, Kick It Out, and the gay rights groups OutRage! and the Gay Football Supporters Network.

"Although there are fears that the video might be quietly shelved, the FA insists that the launch has been delayed, not cancelled. It justifies the postponement with the claim that it needs to review its strategy on tackling anti-gay prejudice and how the video fits into the overall campaign," Tatchell wrote. "The FA's justification is hard to swallow. The video and strategy was agreed nearly two years ago and reconfirmed late last year. I know because I proposed the idea and have helped guide it through the FA's decision-making procedures. It was conceived as one strand in a multi-strand strategy to challenge prejudice on the pitch and on the terraces. The FA saw and approved the video script. It delegated Kick It Out to produce it in association with the Ogilvy ad agency. "

Harsh language

"I suspect the real reason for the deferment is that when top FA officials saw the video they felt uneasy over its visceral homophobic language, even though this abuse is intended to expose and shame bigots," Tatchell went on. "They lacked the confidence to defend the video they commissioned, in the same way they have often failed to robustly condemn homophobia on the pitch."

AfterElton reported that the openly gay Amaeche, who came out after retiring from the NBA, characterized the video as "expletive-laden rant," with the article going on to encourage readers to view the video--but not while at work: the language is far too strong, AfterElton cautioned.

The ad shows a man behaving in every-day life the way that soccer fans sometimes conduct themselves at matches, with a man hurling homophobic slurs at a newspaper vendor, a man on the subway, and office colleagues, calling them "queer scum," "ass bandit," and "faggot," among other epithets. The ad asks why behavior that is plainly not acceptable on the street or in a professional environment should be tolerated in the stands. "There's nothing like showing someone how bad they look to change behavior," the AfterElton article read. "But is it something you can play in a football stadium, with families and kids?"

"The video that has been produced was not my first preference," acknowledged Tatchell in his release. "I always argued for an MTV-style format, with an uplifting, positive message, featuring a good music track and top straight players speaking out against homophobia. I wanted to see big-name stars like David Beckham, Rio Ferdinand, David James and Stephen Gerard give homophobia the boot. Their involvement would have sent an influential message to fans in Britain and worldwide; helping promote the idea that homophobia is uncool and unacceptable. Sadly, I was out-voted." However, Tatchell went on, "The video agreed by the Football Association and Kick It Out takes a different, but also valid, angle to challenge homophobia. It features strong, arresting homophobic language."

Tatchell explained the logic behind the approach that was ultimately chosen. "The ad agency's advice was that shock tactics could be an effective psychological device to expose and shame bigoted fans into toning down their homophobia," he wrote. "I can see their reasoning and believe the video will help challenge some of the bigots we are targeting."

Tatchell went on to put the ad's delay in the context of other factors. "The video launch postponement comes on top of the FA's dissolution of the broad-based Tackling Homophobia Working Group," he wrote. "Set up several years ago, the group had helped push forward many of the FA's constructive initiatives to rid football of homophobia. These include amending the FA's ground rules to render people who chant anti-gay taunts liable to eviction from stadiums and arrest. Regrettably, enforcement is still weak and patchy. The FA needs to be more robust in requiring stewards to identify fans who shout homophobic abuse and to insist that the police arrest and charge them--in the same way that they arrest and charge racist fans."

Tatchell: Anti-Homophobia Group's Reorg Unsatisfactory

"The FA has now reconstituted the Working Group with a hand-picked, much smaller and less representative number of members," Tatchell continued. "It no longer includes all interested stakeholders. Many relevant lesbian and gay groups are not included. This does not inspire confidence. Even now, the FA will not explain why the old Working Croup was disbanded. Nor has it made public who is on the new Working Group."

Tatchell went on to argue the importance of well-run initiatives to counter homophobia in the realm of athletics. "Sport is one the last great bastions of homophobia, and football is one of the least gay-friendly of all sports," he claimed. "Among other future initiatives, I would like to see FA securing the agreement of all clubs to feature anti-homophobia messages in their match programs, on tickets and on billboards inside and outside football grounds. Why not? Why the reluctance?

"True, not all footie fans, officials and players are homophobic. Most are not. But there is a homophobic hard-core. They need to be challenged, to rid the beautiful game of the ugliness of prejudice. Not next year. Now."

Even in the breach, the video has sparked debate about anti-gay slurs and homophobic attitudes among soccer fans and among the athletes themselves. SoccerAmericaDaily reported in a Feb. 12 article that U.K. newspaper The Guardian carried an op-ed by Patrick Barkham declaring that, "While English football's administrators dither, homophobia endures in the modern game. The stadiums may be plusher than ever but they still reverberate to offensive anti-gay chants, and homophobic 'banter' is widespread in dressing rooms."

SoccerAmericaDaily noted that there are 4,000 pro soccer players currently active in England and Wales, but that none of them have come out of the closet. Even if conservatives' estimates that gays constitute only about 1% of the general population is true--and that claim is disputed--at least 40 pro players should, by that reckoning, be gay. But the only gay soccer pros that have publicly disclosed their sexuality have done so after retiring from the game--a trend that reflects how American athletes, whether in football, baseball, or basketball, approach the issue.

Exceptional Gareth

One exception is Cardiff Blues rugby player Gareth Thomas, who came out as gay late last year, setting off a media frenzy. In the midst of the shockwaves that Thomas' coming out generated, British publicist Max Clifford said that U.K. sports has plenty of homosexuals on the pitch, but that fans are still not ready to accept that pro athletes can also be gay. Clifford said that he had advised two gay athletes to stay in the closet because coming out would be harmful to their careers.

Clifford's view would seem to be the received wisdom: the delayed video ended up following an everyman, but was initially meant to feature pro soccer stars stepping up to the camera to denounced homophobia. The problem was that none of the athletes wanted to be involved with a "gay video," and so the project was re-imagined, according to a Feb. 12 ESPN article.

The chief executive of the Professional Footballers' Association, Gordon Taylor, stuck up for the Association's membership, saying, "Everybody assumes footballers are full of confidence, but it is not easy on issues like this. Remember there was a time when even black players did not feel they could talk about race." Taylor also addressed the issue at the PFA Web site, writing, "The PFA are proud of our work in the field of anti-racism demonstrating that in football we are all united regardless of race, color or creed." Added Taylor, "The English game is a beacon of diversity with players from many backgrounds, countries and continents demonstrating their skills on the field of play. It is unacceptable for them to be subjected to abusive chanting be it racist or homophobic whilst they play.

"It is vital that we continue to work towards eradicating all forms of discrimination including homophobia. I applaud the ongoing work in this area.''

GiveMeFootball.com reported in a Feb 12 article that there was another, equally important facet to the story, according to Taylor: "Contrary to newspaper reports, no player has refused to be part of the anti-homophobia DVD because NO player was asked." Added Taylor, "This initiative was instigated by the players' organization on behalf of its members and, as such, our support of this campaign is generic."