“It’s common sense,” said Manny Pacquiao. “Do you see animals mating with the same sex? Animals are better because they can distinguish male from female. If men mate with men and women mate with women they are worse than animals.” Well, it’s not common sense. But his intolerant attitude is too common in sport. Pacquiao was not the first athlete to air homophobic views this week. The Paris Saint-Germain defender Serge Aurier was suspended before their match against Chelsea after he called his manager a “faggot” on social media.
We are midway through Football v Homophobia month, but sport seems to be behind the times when it comes to accepting people of all sexualities. Last year the Out on the Fields survey found that 85% of people believe an openly gay, lesbian or bisexual person would not be safe in the stands at a sporting event. Almost two thirds of respondents polled in the UK said homophobia is more common in sport than the rest of society, and six in 10 gay men said they had experienced homophobia in sport.
The statistics make for sad reading, but we want to hear about your experiences of homophobia in sport. If you have been the victim of homophobic abuse or have witnessed other people being singled out for their sexuality, tell us your story. How did you react and how would you advise others to respond to prejudice? And do you have any heartening stories about the way you were treated? Thanks for sharing.
