Chelsea lnch LGBT fan group llaboratn wh Gay Football Supporters' Network - Mirror Onle

Contents:

• 'I WOULDN'T FEEL SAFE AS A GAY CHELSEA PLAYER RIGHT NOW' - HOW THE BLU' LGBT+ FAN GROUP IS CHALLENGG -STADIUM ABE
• CHELSEA FOOTBALLER RUBEN LOFT-CHEEK RPONDS TO GAY MOURS
• CHELSEA LNCH LGBT FAN GROUP LLABORATN WH GAY FOOTBALL SUPPORTERS' NETWORK
• CHELSEA FC LNCH CLUB FOR GAY SUPPORTERS
• CHELSEA’S RUBEN LOFT-CHEEK NI HE’S GAY, BUT SUPPORTS A PLAYER G OUT

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

The 'rent boy' chant has been heard at at least four Premier League and FA Cup gam wh the first two months of 2023, wh Chelsea Pri hopg to te supporters on why is homophobicThe start of 2023 has seen an explosn of chantg of the homophobic 'Chelsea Rent Boy' song beg chanted An explosn of cints at Premier League and FA Cup gam has brought the homophobic 'rent boy' chant back to public attentn.

A Liverpool fan was also recently fed after beg charged wh a homophobic hate crime for sgg at the FA Cup fal last May. And was also allegedly heard on Sunday as Tottenham beat Chelsea, wh Spurs nfirmg one fan had been arrted for homophobic chantg. Many supporters do not unrstand why the chant is viewed as beg homophobic by the LGBT+ muny, the Crown Prosecutn Service and the FA.

But Tracy Brown, chair of Chelsea's LGBT+ supporters group Chelsea Pri, has sisted that the homophobic nature of the chant is clear to see.

CHELSEA FOOTBALLER RUBEN LOFT-CHEEK RPONDS TO GAY MOURS

And actually, go back to many moons ago and Earl's Court beg a well-known area for male sex workers and had a very large gay scene. You are attackg the gay muny that sense, bee you are almost mockg that. Instead, she enuraged others to be empathetic towards the LGBT+ muny, who have been facg a risg ti of homophobia.

"But is homophobic. It's classed as a homophobic hate crime by the CPS and at the end of the day, we have to see that way. The pot is 's seen as beg homophobic, is homophobic and the CPS n charge as a hate crime.

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

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 .

CHELSEA FC LNCH CLUB FOR GAY SUPPORTERS

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. A recent spate of homophobic beatgs Liverpool speak to this fact. It would not work if there was no associatn between the area the club is and gay people.

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

While sex work is certaly monized popular culture, the punchle of this particular chant is specifilly to gay sex.

The “gay” part is not cintal, ’s central. And if a joke reli on gay sex as the target of the punchle for to land is necsarily homophobic.

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.