Contents:
- PREMIER LEAGUE FOOTBALLERS OPENLY GAY RELATNSHIP AMID WORLD CUP NTROVERSY
- GIANT MURAL ON NORWICH PUB HONOURS JT FASHANU, ENGLAND'S FIRST OPENLY GAY FOOTBALLER
PREMIER LEAGUE FOOTBALLERS OPENLY GAY RELATNSHIP AMID WORLD CUP NTROVERSY
Even relatively tolerant untri like Bra, homophobia is still an issue wh the hypermascule culture of football, where the sual e of gay slurs among fans has only recently e unr wispread scty. Wh this World Cup takg place Rsia — famo both for pervasive homophobic attus society as a whole and for cints of hooliganism and vlence among soccer supporters — fears are multiplied several tim.
”The immediate thought was jt, ‘I’m not gog to be safe that untry, ’” said Ella Barreiro, a gay soccer fan om Atralia. “It jt seems like, not jt for gay people, but for women too, a much more opprsive environment, wh the rise of the Orthodox church over there and that sort of stuff.
GIANT MURAL ON NORWICH PUB HONOURS JT FASHANU, ENGLAND'S FIRST OPENLY GAY FOOTBALLER
The so-lled gay propaganda law, which passed 2013, crimaliz the distributn of “propaganda” portrayg same-sex relatnships a posive light — a law whose tentnally vague wordg effectively allows thori to apply as they see f. Gay Rsians have been subject to vlence both om the state and om anti-gay mobs. Sce Marseill, officials have ma an effort at least to stop sanctng vlence, if not que to crack down on , but a recent report by the Fare (Football Agast Racism Europe) Network noted that both racist and homophobic chants football stadiums have been on the rise the lead-up to the World Cup.
Ined, officials both at FIFA and Rsia seem tent on preventg large-sle vlence and crackg down on homophobia and racism stadiums. Anti-discrimatn monors at each match will have the power to stop gam to issue warngs, and even to abandon gam altogether if any racist or homophobic behavr by spectators don’t stop. Official attus — when to the gay propaganda law, for stance — are also expected to adjt when to travelg fans.
That’s ultimately the cx of the whole issue: the enforcement of anti-gay legislatn Rsia is always up to lol officials. The Rsian Football Unn has stated, for stance, that the gay propaganda law will not be an issue for travelg fans who want to display rabow flags at gam. ”But of urse, when the World Cup is over, ” Agapov adds, “the antigay law is still there.