Coronatn Street actor who plays Jam Bailey says 'football is ready to have a gay player' | London Eveng Standard | Eveng Standard

Contents:

• CORONATN STREET'S GAY FOOTBALLER STORYLE CHANGG NVERSATN ON HOMOPHOBIA
• CORONATN STREET WILL EXPLORE HOMOPHOBIA FOOTBALL AS NEW GAY CHARACTER JOS THE ST
• CORONATN STREET NEWER NATHAN GRAHAM REVEALS FIRST TAILS OF GAY FOOTBALLER CHARACTER JAM BAILEY
• DAN BROCKLEBANK ‘HONOURED’ BY CORONATN STREET’S FIRST EVER SUCCSFUL GAY WEDDG
• CORONATN STREET TO EXPLORE HOMOPHOBIA FOOTBALL WH ARRIVAL OF NEW GAY CHARACTER
• CORONATN STREET ACTOR WHO PLAYS JAM BAILEY SAYS 'FOOTBALL IS READY TO HAVE A GAY PLAYER'

CORONATN STREET'S GAY FOOTBALLER STORYLE CHANGG NVERSATN ON HOMOPHOBIA

Jam received support when he me out as gay to his mum and brother last year, but after tellg his dad Ed Febary, the reactn was far om posive. A social media slip-up then saw mours beg to circulate around the County fanbase, leadg to Jam flectg awkward qutns om the club's manager and prs the soap havg been stretched longer across the schl due to the panmic, Jam' difficulti have been prolonged - and last Friday, a nontatn on the bbl wh a supporter who was makg homophobic tnts threatened to turn vlent.

CORONATN STREET WILL EXPLORE HOMOPHOBIA FOOTBALL AS NEW GAY CHARACTER JOS THE ST

Jam was terpted while talkg to Tim Metlfe and reacted aggrsively when the fan ed homophobic abe. "Graham is speakg to Sky Sports to mark the Internatnal Day Agast Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia, an annual awarens day that has been observed for over 15 years.

CORONATN STREET NEWER NATHAN GRAHAM REVEALS FIRST TAILS OF GAY FOOTBALLER CHARACTER JAM BAILEY

In the absence of a visible gay or bi role mol men's profsnal football the UK, the story will be havg a particularly signifint impact on anyone who se themselv reflected Jam. "If starts to create nversatns wh different muni or areas of the football world, and if young kids are watchg who play football and who might be gay themselv, shows 's important to she a light on this subject.

DAN BROCKLEBANK ‘HONOURED’ BY CORONATN STREET’S FIRST EVER SUCCSFUL GAY WEDDG

'Rpect for gay player would help'. He's now the Diversy and Incln Officer at the Football Associatn and has been playg as a forward for Stonewall FC - the UK's first gay football club, currently playg at Step 7 of the non-League pyramid - for several years.

"I didn't know anybody who looked like me who may or may not have been gay.

CORONATN STREET TO EXPLORE HOMOPHOBIA FOOTBALL WH ARRIVAL OF NEW GAY CHARACTER

"A lot of my difficulti were tryg to fd a sense of belongg the football muny whilst knowg that beg gay was this element of my inty that didn't rencile, " says Lemoni.

CORONATN STREET ACTOR WHO PLAYS JAM BAILEY SAYS 'FOOTBALL IS READY TO HAVE A GAY PLAYER'

The tertwg of both homophobia and racism the Fashanu story has ma him a totemic figure the fight agast discrimatn; a charable foundatn Jt's name was recently lnched by his niece Amal.

Somebody uld be watchg the show and see a mirror of themselv, pecially if they're a young black man who's gay.