Ryan Atk: From lman to champn - first openly gay referee on experienc - BBC Sport

Contents:

• STEVE STRIMLG WILL OFFICIATE A NATNAL SEMIFAL, THE FIRST OUT GAY REFEREE TO DO SO
• OPENLY GAY PRO-FOOTBALL REFEREE AMANDA SER-COOK WILL BE PART OF DIVERSE XFL OFFICIATG CREW
• RYAN ATK: FROM LMAN TO CHAMPN - FIRST OPENLY GAY REFEREE ON EXPERIENC
• GAY FOOTBALL REFEREE THKS ’40 PER CENT’ OF PLAYERS AND OFFICIALS ULD BE LGBTQ+
• "YOU WOULD BE SURPRISED" - FIFA'S ONLY OPENLY GAY REFEREE IGOR BENEVENUTO BELIEV 40% OF FOOTBALLERS ARE GAY OR BISEXUAL
• RABOW LAC: REF RYAN ATK ON BEG GAY FOOTBALL
• FOOTBALL REFERE OUT AS GAY TO SHOW THAT THE BETIFUL GAME IS FOR EVERYONE

STEVE STRIMLG WILL OFFICIATE A NATNAL SEMIFAL, THE FIRST OUT GAY REFEREE TO DO SO

Football referee Jam Adck speaks to the BBC's LGBT Sport Podst"I'm very appreciative of the fact that I'm an openly gay man football. "Adck has worked as a fourth official the Premier League'People know I'm gay and jt accept - I'm fortunate for that'As a child of the '80s and '90s, Adck was ed to hearg the same tired stereotyp - that people who loved sport uldn't be gay as, who is om Long Eaton Derbyshire, didn't e out until he was 27 - but his experienc wh the game have been nothg but posive.

And, to be hont, there's been tert om lleagu sayg, 'I'm proud of you Jam, that you're able to be openly gay sport, ' bee they know the barriers that are still place.

OPENLY GAY PRO-FOOTBALL REFEREE AMANDA SER-COOK WILL BE PART OF DIVERSE XFL OFFICIATG CREW

"They're fully supportive and don't change the way they are around me or the way they speak to me bee they thought I was a heterosexual guy, and now they fd out I'm a gay guy.

RYAN ATK: FROM LMAN TO CHAMPN - FIRST OPENLY GAY REFEREE ON EXPERIENC

"I don't need to wear a T-shirt sayg: 'I'm Jam Adck and I'm a gay guy. "I've not had any homophobic abe thrown at me, and I n't tell you a story where I've had to bat or overe that.

GAY FOOTBALL REFEREE THKS ’40 PER CENT’ OF PLAYERS AND OFFICIALS ULD BE LGBTQ+

"To e out as gay or not e out as gay, you have to choose that as a person and not as a ref.

I'm not refereeg bee I'm gay, I'm refereeg bee I'm refereeg a game of football - so jt treat me as a normal human beg.

"YOU WOULD BE SURPRISED" - FIFA'S ONLY OPENLY GAY REFEREE IGOR BENEVENUTO BELIEV 40% OF FOOTBALLERS ARE GAY OR BISEXUAL

"That's where my fay, my iends, and my football lleagu have been so supportive - bee don't matter that I am gay and volved sport, and refereeg the Football League. Steve Strimlg is breakg more ground as an out gay football referee, this time leadg the entire group of officials for the upstart USFL.

“The articl I read about other gay people sports each say how much they helped others, ” he told me at the time. But Ser-Cook is breakg new ground as the first openly gay official to work a major natnal profsnal football league, last year the short-lived Alliance of Amerin Football and this year the XFL. The head of officials for the Atlanta chapter of the Natnal Gay Flag Football League was there, heard me, and suggted I e help out on the weekends.

RABOW LAC: REF RYAN ATK ON BEG GAY FOOTBALL

“Sce I me out at 20, [beg gay] on the field has never been an issue, and has never been a terrent, ” he said.

[avatar er=”lewisj163″ size=”thumbnail” align=”left” /]Football Zebras wrer Josh Lewis has officiated adult flag-football leagu, cludg the Natnal Flag Football League of Atlanta, the Chigo Metropolan Sports Associatn, the New York Gay Football League, and the Natnal Gay Flag Football League. No doubt, Strimlg beg publicly out as a gay man mak him a trailblazer for the LGBTQ muny.

FOOTBALL REFERE OUT AS GAY TO SHOW THAT THE BETIFUL GAME IS FOR EVERYONE

For gay men who may not otherwise see the possibily of officiatg llege football, Strimlg is an spiratn.