Gay Gooners celebrate 10 years as UK's first LGBT football supporters club | UK News | Metro News

Contents:

• PROUD LILYWH AND GAY GOONERS FLY (RABOW) FLAG FOR LGBT FOOTBALL FANS
• GAY GOONERS CELEBRATE 10 YEARS AS ENGLAND’S FIRST LGBT FOOTBALL SUPPORTERS CLUB
• ‘NOT THE WORLD CUP FOR ALL THAT FIFA PROMISED’: GAYGOONERS MAKE QATAR PROTT
• GAY GOONERS: AT THE FOREONT OF FAN CLN
• THE GAY GOONERS: SEAN MONCRIEFF TALKS TO THE LARGT LGBTQ FOOTBALL SUPPORTERS GROUP ENGLAND

PROUD LILYWH AND GAY GOONERS FLY (RABOW) FLAG FOR LGBT FOOTBALL FANS

Gay Gooners exists to provi a social group for LGBT+ Arsenal fans, alli and their iends to meet up, provi a safe and welg space, and mpaign to kick homophobia, biphobia and transphobia out of football.

Gay Gooners holds meet-ups near Emirat Stadium before home fixtur, group trips to away gam and anis regular social events.

Gay Gooners’ patron and lifelong Arsenal supporter, edian Matt Lus says he is “immensely proud of and grateful to the club” for s support for the group and how “young gay fans now feel clud by the club a way my generatn never uld”. The club works directly wh members of the Gay Gooners to tackle anti-LGBT+ discrimatn football by vg members to take part cln trag for staff. Gay Gooners also send a team to the club’s annual Arsenal for Everyone tournament at the muny hub.

GAY GOONERS CELEBRATE 10 YEARS AS ENGLAND’S FIRST LGBT FOOTBALL SUPPORTERS CLUB

Katie McCabe and members of Gay Gooners joed club staff to celebrate LGBT+ History Month and plete a workshop on genr inty, sexualy and allyship. Durg the ssn, which was livered by Stonewall and Premier League accreded staff traers, McCabe relled the lastg imprsn that seeg the Gay Gooners flag had on her durg her first ever vis to Emirat Stadium.

“I remember seeg the Gay Gooners flag hangg si the stadium and was massive for me. That was warmg for me and is cred to all the work Gay Gooners have done, and that the club have done supportg them. “Havg a group like Gay Gooners is massive, ’s about a sense of belongg and havg a safe space a football environment where you n be yourself.

‘NOT THE WORLD CUP FOR ALL THAT FIFA PROMISED’: GAYGOONERS MAKE QATAR PROTT

That’s what Gay Gooners are dog – not jt for me but for fans around the world, and I thk ’s fantastic. As the UK’s first and world’s largt LGBT+ football fan group, Gay Gooners have played an tegral role batg prejudice and raisg awarens of LGBT+ issu the football muny.

McCabe is jt one example of the many supporters and players that have felt wele due to Gay Gooners’ ntued prence si Emirat Stadium and at away match.

“The ia that jt our visibily and the fact we exist n make supporters or players feel wele jt mak everythg worthwhile to me, ” explaed Gee Rice, -chair of Gay Gooners. Instead, the g together of north London rivals on a ld Tuday afternoon at a five-a-si centre Edmonton was a celebratn of a growg and important movement English football, that of LGBT (lbian, gay, bisexual and transgenr) supporters groups.

GAY GOONERS: AT THE FOREONT OF FAN CLN

Two of the most proment are the Proud Lilywh and Gay Gooners and unr the watch of Frnd, a one-time Spurs player and ach, the former marked their first birthday celebratory five-a-si match London’s Edmonton was refereed by Tottenham ach and former midfielr Steffen Frnd.

Photograph: David Levene for The GuardianThe growg strength of Proud Lilywh and Gay Gooners is wele news, as is that of the other regnised LGBT supporters groups that have been set up across the untry recent years – Canal Street Blu (Manchter Cy), LFC LGBT (Liverpool), Pri of Irons (Wt Ham), Proud and Palace (Crystal Palace), Proud Canari (Norwich Cy), Rabow Toffe (Everton) and Rabow Tractors (Ipswich Town) their very existence is also a shame, highlightg that even 2015 homophobia remas a signifint enough problem English football that fans om the LGBT muny feel they need reprentatn and protectn. “There’s no doubt discrimatn still exists among supporters here, ” sists Gay Gooners’ media ordator, Dave Raval.

Football remas an unacceptg environment for gay people and for our members; part of the reason for jog Gay Gooners is to have the assurance of safety numbers whenever they go to a Lilywh members enjoy the atmosphere at a five-a-si match to celebrate the group’s one-year anniversary. Photograph: Andy Hall for The Guardian“The way to overe that fear is to normalise homosexualy English football and make the prence of openly gay fans the stands – as well as openly gay players, managers and refere on the pch – a plete non-issue.

THE GAY GOONERS: SEAN MONCRIEFF TALKS TO THE LARGT LGBTQ FOOTBALL SUPPORTERS GROUP ENGLAND

”Statistics piled by the equaly mpaigners Kick It Out show that homophobic abe at football match this untry remas a prevalent issue and, worrygly, uld be on the rise. ”Tottenham ach Steffen Frnd wh members of the Proud Lilywh and Gay Gooners LGBT supporters groups.

Photograph: Andy Hall for The GuardianKick It Out has an app by which spectators n report homophobic abe to them, while the Football Associatn has a siar facily on s webse. The erng body also striv to mata an active prence the fight agast homophobia English football, seen the workshops anised last year which brought together reprentativ om the Premier League and Football League wh those volved the LGBT supporters movement, most notably the Gay Football Supporters’ Network, which provis umbrella backg for the ne fan groups and is the procs of helpg set up others at clubs cludg Aston Villa, Sunrland and Readg. ”Unlike Proud Lilywh and Gay Gooners, LFC LGBT do not have an official lk wh Liverpool but the two work closely together, so much so that the former was able to get updated anti-discrimatn signage put up at the club’s stadium.

It reads: “Anfield has given vlence racism, foul language and homophobia the boot.