So there's a big push at the moment to "out a gay footballer", not sure why to be honest but seeing as Joey Barton and the rainbow lace brigade are all over the press i thought it might be a bit of fun to guess who you think might be the first PL player out of the closet. Apologies if any players happen across this thread and are offended by the suggestion that they may bat for the other team!

Here are my two pick, and I've not checked if they have partners or not and am basing it on......well on nothing now i come to think of it. Anyway I reckon its a two horse race (or two jokey race if you get the pun) between Scott Parker and Damien Duff, though i couldn't see Duffer wanting the attention of being first.

i think it will be joe hart, maybe chris smalling

Edited September 22, 201312 yr by Lane

Well, somebody is bound to say it and it might as well be me: who cares?

I don't think it's any of our business really. As much as the gay rights movement within football could do with a poster boy, it is this idea that someone's private life is inherently public business just because they are famous that the movement should be trying to fight against, not encourage.

Then again I'm hardly surprised that Joey Barton has eschewed nuance in favour of making a big public hullabaloo...

 

Also for what it's worth, Damien Duff is married:

 

Darren Bent...

 

I think the laces thing is a good idea tbh. Something that people on Sunday League can also get involved in but if any player came out as gay it wouldn't change my opinion of them

I'd go gay for the Drog.

I imagine most squads have at least one closet bender.

...and this thread perfectly demonstrates the boneheaded attitudes that prevent gay footballers from coming out.

Why?

to be honest I'd be more than happy if none come out, i think less gay role models is a positive thing (i know that goes against the grain but that's me I'm afraid). Having said that, if any do it should in no way have any impact on their careers, positive or negative. These people are footballers and should, and i think will be judged on that.

Also for what it's worth, Damien Duff is married:

 

So is Sol Campbell.

Robbie Fowler.

Roy Keane.

Who here remembers Roy Keane's dog?

Why?

to be honest I'd be more than happy if none come out, i think less gay role models is a positive thing (i know that goes against the grain but that's me I'm afraid). Having said that, if any do it should in no way have any impact on their careers, positive or negative. These people are footballers and should, and i think will be judged on that.

 

Let's face it, this thread is just an open invitation for people to start calling players "benders", and since you have previously aired openly homophobic views it's hard not to detect an undertone of noxiousness in your post. I was just relieved to log on today to find that nobody had dignified your question with a serious answer.

Who here remembers Roy Keane's dog?

he was a gay old dog.

I wouldn't really care.

Let's face it, this thread is just an open invitation for people to start calling players "benders", and since you have previously aired openly homophobic views it's hard not to detect an undertone of noxiousness in your post. I was just relieved to log on today to find that nobody had dignified your question with a serious answer.

Fair comment and I fully understand, though I would say that although I don't necessarily agree with homosexuality and don't like it to be held up as something positive for kids to see/be around, i fully accept that some people are and that's their business - I would never and have never agreed with someone being held back in life because of who they choose to spend their private time with.  Not sure I'm homophobic just because I don't agree with it?

 

The reason I started this thread is that there has been so much in the press recently and it's become a hot topic in pubs and things.  Yes most of it revolves around name calling but I actually thought it could be a bit of fun and knowing the people that use this site it was unlikely to get spiteful.

I remember Rio Camelface* calling Chris Moyes a f*ggot...He apologised though and said he's not homophobic so thats ok...Obviously had John Terry said it there would have been a prosecution.

 

I have never agreed with outing people unless they wish to be outed and want to make a point, I feel the same about straight footballers personal lives as well, I am simply not interested in who they are sleeping with. 

 

As for the rainbow laces, it is more of a publicity stunt by Paddy Power, their slogan "Getting behind Gay footballers" tells me all I need to know about their motives.

 

Ashley Cole and Chelsea get homophobic abuse all the time, regardless of sexuality, ditto Brighton and I'm not sure wearing brightly coloured shoe laces is going to make a great deal of difference to anyones attitudes.

 

* I am in no way Camel phobic

Fair comment and I fully understand, though I would say that although I don't necessarily agree with homosexuality and don't like it to be held up as something positive for kids to see/be around, i fully accept that some people are and that's their business - I would never and have never agreed with someone being held back in life because of who they choose to spend their private time with.  Not sure I'm homophobic just because I don't agree with it?

 

The reason I started this thread is that there has been so much in the press recently and it's become a hot topic in pubs and things.  Yes most of it revolves around name calling but I actually thought it could be a bit of fun and knowing the people that use this site it was unlikely to get spiteful.

 

Well homophobia is defined as "prejudice against homosexuals", which as far as I can tell, does apply to you. Of course I don't know you personally so I can only go on what you've said on here.

 

While I accept that everybody's entitled to their view, I find it very hard to let this sort of thing pass without comment. For me homophobia is every bit as repellent as racism, sexism or any other prejudice, and it's a bugbear of mine how less seriously homophobia and homophobic language is taken in our society compared to (for example) racism. I just don't see the difference personally.

Well homophobia is defined as "prejudice against homosexuals", which as far as I can tell, does apply to you. Of course I don't know you personally so I can only go on what you've said on here.

 

While I accept that everybody's entitled to their view, I find it very hard to let this sort of thing pass without comment. For me homophobia is every bit as repellent as racism, sexism or any other prejudice, and it's a bugbear of mine how less seriously homophobia and homophobic language is taken in our society compared to (for example) racism. I just don't see the difference personally.

 

Very fair comment. It doesn't seem right that you can get away with any kind of joke (offensive or not) in respect of homosexuals and yet a similar joke involving race / colour and you would get castigated.

 

Think a lot of that boils down to all of the gay people on the TV and media these days and how they play on it - the likes of Graham Norton, Lois Spence, Alan Carr Chatty man and the blokes on Strictly etc.

Very fair comment. It doesn't seem right that you can get away with any kind of joke (offensive or not) in respect of homosexuals and yet a similar joke involving race / colour and you would get castigated.

 

Think a lot of that boils down to all of the gay people on the TV and media these days and how they play on it - the likes of Graham Norton, Lois Spence, Alan Carr Chatty man and the blokes on Strictly etc.

 

But how many black comics etc regularly drop the N word.

 

Those that you mentioned are openly gay and are not ashamed of it.

 

Just seems to be that by many racism is the worst kind of verbal insult but homophobic comments can be easily brushed off. 

While I accept that everybody's entitled to their view, I find it very hard to let this sort of thing pass without comment. For me homophobia is every bit as repellent as racism, sexism or any other prejudice, and it's a bugbear of mine how less seriously homophobia and homophobic language is taken in our society compared to (for example) racism. I just don't see the difference personally.

 

Robbie Fowler sat alongside Alan Hansen on the MOTD sofa on Saturday night.

 

I don't imagine John Terry will ever get that call.

 

Of course it helps that Robbie Fowler is a loveable Scouse scamp.

 

He offended gay rights activists with his gesture towards Graeme Le Saux on the pitch.

 

Now imagine he'd made monkey gestures ..

 

I don't remember anyone asking for Robbie Folwer to be sacked and I don't see anyone objecting to his presence on the BBC, even though his fee is paid for by the general public.

Well homophobia is defined as "prejudice against homosexuals", which as far as I can tell, does apply to you. Of course I don't know you personally so I can only go on what you've said on here.

 

While I accept that everybody's entitled to their view, I find it very hard to let this sort of thing pass without comment. For me homophobia is every bit as repellent as racism, sexism or any other prejudice, and it's a bugbear of mine how less seriously homophobia and homophobic language is taken in our society compared to (for example) racism. I just don't see the difference personally.

okay so me being homophobic or not now boils down to the meaning of the word "prejudice". I say this seriously because it actually matters to me, tonight I've looked up the word prejudice in the dictionary and seen some contradictory meanings, some which result in me being homophobic and some which result in me having opinions on a subject (maybe that i don't have much knowledge of). Either way I'm a little confused and a bit regretful for starting this thread.

I do have my own strong opinions on things that i won't apologize for, but i do try to treat people fairly and with respect until they give me a reason not to (and being gay isn't a reason not to for the record).

Anyway I'd be more than happy for someone to give me an English lesson and explain for once and all the accurate meaning of the word "prejudice", I'd also be interested to know why homophobia is a phobia and not an "ism".

One other thing; be it an ism or a phobia i agree that discrimination is an equal failing regardless of the cause of the discrimination.

I also regret that you started this thread but I suspect for slightly different reasons.

 

Your written English is as good as mine so I think you know what prejudice means and I'm not going to copy and paste a googled definition here. Since prejudice can be either positive or negative I would say that the word that comes next ("against") is also quite important. With that in mind, I think it should be quite clear to you whether or not you're homophobic. I may have formed my own opinion (and like you, I'm entitled to my opinions and make no apologies) but, as I said before, I don't really know you and it's based on a few posts in this thread and in the past, so it's quite possible I'm wrong but only you can know for sure.

 

As for why homophobia is a phobia and not an ism, I really don't see why this is important. Xenophobia and racism, for example, have similar meanings (although there are some specific differences). I guess you could call it "homosexism" if you really wanted and the meaning would still be clear, but for whatever reason homophobia is the standard.