Chelsea: The Death of a Gay Neighborhood, Murred by Neo-Hetero-Homophob | HuffPost Voic

Contents:

• 'I WOULDN'T FEEL SAFE AS A GAY CHELSEA PLAYER RIGHT NOW' - HOW THE BLU' LGBT+ FAN GROUP IS CHALLENGG -STADIUM ABE
• NEW YORK GAY DISTRICT: CHELSEA
• CHELSEA LNCH LGBT FAN GROUP LLABORATN WH GAY FOOTBALL SUPPORTERS' NETWORK
• ABOUT THE CENTERSCE 1983 THE CENTER HAS BEEN SUPPORTG, FOSTERG AND CELEBRATG THE LGBT MUNY OF NEW YORK CY. FD MORE RMATN ON AND OUR WORK ABOUT THE CENTER. VIS ABOUT THE CENTEROUR MISSNCYBER CENTERCENTER HISTORYRACE EQUYMEDIA CENTERLEARSHIP & STAFFEMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNICORPORATE PARTNERSHIPSANNUAL REPORTS & FANCIAL INFORMATNCONTACT USHOURS & LOTNSEMAPSUPPORT THE CENTER
• CHELSEA: THE DEATH OF A GAY NEIGHBORHOOD, MURRED BY NEO-HETERO-HOMOPHOB
• CHELSEA’S RUBEN LOFT-CHEEK NI HE’S GAY, BUT SUPPORTS A PLAYER G OUT
• EXCLIVE: ‘1000% AGAST PROMOTG GAY RIGHTS’ – CHELSEA FAN GROUP CHAIRMAN’S HOMOPHOBIC MENTS

'I WOULDN'T FEEL SAFE AS A GAY CHELSEA PLAYER RIGHT NOW' - HOW THE BLU' LGBT+ FAN GROUP IS CHALLENGG -STADIUM ABE

Goal's seri of terviews wh supporters' groups reprentg gay, lbian, bisexual and transgenr fans ntu at Stamford Are The Shed, a die-hard group of Chelsea season ticket holrs, may not be the most stereotypil alli to the LGBT+ muny,.

The ‘Chelsea rent boys’ chant is a mon homophobic slur ed by supporters of rivals clubs when visg Stamford Bridge, and has been -opted by many Blu fans by way of fiance. It mak Brown immensely unfortable, and while ntu to be sung, she nnot see how LGBT+ fans of the club n be persuad to attend match – let alone for a gay player to e out.

Goal"Governg bodi and the law need to change, so that if there is homophobia wh the stands, you n actually be prosecuted and banned jt the same way as you n for racism.

NEW YORK GAY DISTRICT: CHELSEA

A club statement said: "Chelsea FC is mted to ensurg our club is a safe and welg place for LGBTQ+ people, and their iends and fai, and is lighted to be able to work alongsi other London clubs and football bodi, through this semar, to addrs homophobia, biphobia and transphobia and stop hate across the game. The semar will nsir what n be done to better support LGBTQ+ fans, how LGBTQ+ fan groups n keep diversifyg, and what is beg done to addrs homophobic, biphobic, and transphobic hate.

CHELSEA LNCH LGBT FAN GROUP LLABORATN WH GAY FOOTBALL SUPPORTERS' NETWORK

Chelsea Pri is a reprentative voice for lbian, gay, bisexual and transgenr (LGBTQ+) Chelsea FC supporters, their iends and fai. More than jt a social group, our aim is to raise awarens and mpaign to kick homophobia, biphobia and transphobia (HBT) out of work together wh other anisatns and LGBTQ+ supporter’s groups up and down the untry to tackle discrimatn on all levels and to promote cln and diversy for all. Chelsea Pri’s missn is to:· Support and be a work for LGBTQ+ supporters of Chelsea Football Club· Further Chelsea FC’s work as a champn of cln and diversy and the No To Hate mpaign · Work to tablish a safe space and a social environment for Chelsea FC’s LGBTQ+ supporters, their iends and fay· Work wh the LGBTQ+ muny wh a view to tacklg homophobia, biphobia and transphobia football· Promote the visibily of Chelsea FC’s LGBTQ+ muny and to celebrate s pri the club.

ABOUT THE CENTERSCE 1983 THE CENTER HAS BEEN SUPPORTG, FOSTERG AND CELEBRATG THE LGBT MUNY OF NEW YORK CY. FD MORE RMATN ON AND OUR WORK ABOUT THE CENTER. VIS ABOUT THE CENTEROUR MISSNCYBER CENTERCENTER HISTORYRACE EQUYMEDIA CENTERLEARSHIP & STAFFEMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNICORPORATE PARTNERSHIPSANNUAL REPORTS & FANCIAL INFORMATNCONTACT USHOURS & LOTNSEMAPSUPPORT THE CENTER

In this meetg, Tracy Brown, chair of Chelsea Pri and Lou Englefield, director of Pri Sports and a leadg voice on LGBTI cln sport for over 10 years, joed to discs how the club and Foundatn are supportg the LGBTQI+ activy clus our first-ever float appearance at London Pri llaboratn wh Chelsea Pri, hostg our hight-ever attend ffee morng on the Internatnal Day Agast Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia, and the troductn of a rabow adorned Shed End Wall at Stamford Bridge and entrance to Kgsmeadow, showsg the club’s allyship.

They beme the first uple to do so, and their donatns are pledged to PlayProud, a global iative that aims to make team sports a safer and more welg environment for youths who intify as this meant that we were shortlisted for the first time and received send place at the 2023 Football v Homophobia eveng’s Fom provid an troductn to what homophobia is, key termology and how that n impact on experienc of football. Disver the Metropolan Communy Church of New York (446 Wt 36th St) which serv as the church for the LGBT muny, and where gays n get married. Chelsea lnch LGBT fan group llaboratn wh Gay Football Supporters' NetworkThe group, found alongsi a Stamford Bridge season ticket holr, will attempt to make LGBT fans feel more fortable at Chelsea's stadiumIniative: Chelsea have lnched their first LGBT groupChelsea have lnched their first LGBT (lbian, gay, bisexual and transfenr) fan group.

CHELSEA: THE DEATH OF A GAY NEIGHBORHOOD, MURRED BY NEO-HETERO-HOMOPHOB

The club have worked tanm wh season ticket holrs and Gay Football Supporters' Network chairman Ed Connell to form the group.

"I have been mpaigng agast homophobia football for the bt part of 12 years and spent the first seven or eight feelg very trated tryg to get people to realise there was an issue so for me to see the thgs happeng is fantastic. Beg told that somethg is homophobic, that ’s hurtful to both many Chelsea fans as well as many wh the Liverpool fanbase, should be enough to stop anyone sgg . It should be enough, and given those who did attempt to start the song on Saturday after beg told of s homophobia by Kop Outs and Jürgen Klopp himself ahead of the match were, by most reports, quickly shut down, perhaps even will be.

Rather than tryg to nvce anyone for whom that isn’t enough, though, this article is tend as a rource for anyone who has felt trated tryg to expla the homophobia herent the chant to someone who sists they “don’t mean anythg by . ” For most, beg told a homophobic song is alienatg to queer supporters of any club, cludg fellow Liverpool supporters, would be enough to stop sgg the song. This article, then, is my attempt to pay forward: someone explaed to me, and I hope this n be a helpful gloss that n be ed for anyone who matas a willful ignorance so as to be able to keep sgg the song whilst claimg they aren’t exprsg homophobia while dog so.

CHELSEA’S RUBEN LOFT-CHEEK NI HE’S GAY, BUT SUPPORTS A PLAYER G OUT

They do this bee they worry that they would receive physil or verbal abe om homophobic people — often fans of their own team — if they didn’t. Chants like the rent boy chant — and reactns that suggt removg homophobic chants is beg “overly PC” — serve to remd queer supporters that they still don’t que belong. But when a group of people sgs somethg homophobic, those queer fans are remd that realy they aren’t que part of that llective.

While the chant self don’t explicly abe LGBT fans, what do do, both general and pecially now that everyone has been told ’s homophobic, is ntribute to the general hostile atmosphere many queer people ntue to experience. If you thk the sual homophobia herent the chant — ed, the homophobia that mak the chant work — is not important, you are sayg that you feel that sgg a homophobic chant is more important to you than allowg other supporters feel like they belong. While at the Chelsea, they wrote six novels, cludg what is often nsired their magnum op, Never Too Rich (1990), which featured the first gay sex scene one of their novels.

Assistance om a Guggenheim Fellowship, Gay Men’s Health Crisis, and the Estate Project for Artists wh AIDS helped Bby rever, however, and he has sce wrten over 600 mic piec (and untg) here. Bce Wayne Campbell (1946-1983), known by his stage name Jobriath, is nsired by some to be the first openly gay rock mician.

EXCLIVE: ‘1000% AGAST PROMOTG GAY RIGHTS’ – CHELSEA FAN GROUP CHAIRMAN’S HOMOPHOBIC MENTS

His reer as a glam rocker lasted only two years due to rampant homophobia and his overhyped persona, but Campbell went on to perform baret unr a new stage name, Cole Berl, while livg the rooftop pyramid apartment om 1973 until his AIDS-related ath 1983.