Other kids called me a lesbian for playing football – homophobia pushes so many of us off the pitch
England Women’s Euros team triumph will help to break down this stigma and it’s a monumental step forward for the women’s game in the UK.The Lionesses’ win was a victory for queerness and LGBTQ+ inclusion.
Seven players in the team are openly gay or bi, which is more than the number of out players in the entire men’s football pyramid.For me —and many other queer people — the win was personal.To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 videoI played football for most of my childhood in the 90s and credit much of my personal strength to the skills I learned in youth sport.Unfortunately, when I was 12, I left a team after a year of bullying from some teammates which, looking back on now, was homophobic.I was a powerful defender on the pitch — taller and stronger than most my age.
Although this was a bonus during play – it came alongside names like ‘beast’ and ‘lezzer’. I didn’t even know what a lesbian was, but I knew I didn’t want to be one.The bullying spread to school, where other kids caught on and called me the same names.
I was fortunate that I was able to join a different team and thrive in the inclusive environment they offered, but many aren’t so lucky.Sadly, homophobia, biphobia and transphobia are still rampant.
