Premier Clubs & QPR Role Vs Homophobia

I've noted that as far as I've seen, there's been no QPR announcement on its Official Site re this charter... (Even as Joey Barton, has to his credit, been active on this matter)

Today's Independent

Football's new hate shame as top clubs snub drive on homophobia

Ministers furious over alleged failure by Premier League big guns to tackle sport's last taboo
Matt Chorley Author Biography , Paul Bignell

Sunday 19 February 2012


England's biggest and most lucrative football clubs came under fire from the Government and equality campaigners this weekend for dragging their feet over plans to stamp out homophobia in the professional game. Ministers are privately furious at the “mealy-mouthed excuses” of Premier League teams when asked if their grounds could be used as the backdrop for the launch of a high-profile campaign against homophobia in sport.

As the annual international Football v Homophobia campaign begins this weekend, campaigners also voiced their dismay that only 16 of the 160 clubs in seven English divisions responded positively to a call to arms to tackle sport's last taboo. The campaign wrote to every professional English club asking them to get involved. The letters suggested a number of ways in which clubs, players and coaching staff could raise the profile of the issue – from mentioning it on Twitter to promotions in match-day programmes or PA announcements. Only six Premier League clubs agreed actively to help.

"Football's in the gutter at the moment," said a senior government source. "And they've got real problems with homophobia in dressing rooms and on the terraces. It needs top clubs to speak out repeatedly and as publicly as possible."

David Cameron will host a No 10 summit on racism in football on Wednesday, after a string of cases of alleged abuse aimed at black players by rival teams and fans. However, tough questions will also be asked about why there are no openly gay players in the entire English league at the moment.

No UK professional player has come out except Justin Fashanu, who committed suicide in 1998. Even now, Anton Hysen, who plays for the Swedish team Utsiktens BK, remains the only out gay professional footballer in the world.

The publicist Max Clifford recently said that among footballers he had known over the past 15 to 20 years, there were "probably half a dozen I know are either gay or bisexual". Lou Englefield, of Pride Sports, said: "There is still a reticence to talk about this."

Facing claims that it has so far failed to get a grip on the issue, the FA will meet tomorrow and is expected to launch a new strategy to engage with the lesbian and gay community.

Earlier this month Lynne Featherstone, a Home Office minister, announced that all 20 Premier Leauge teams had signed the Government's Sports Charter to tackle homophobia and transphobia in sport, on and off the pitch. But attempts to organise a photo opportunity at a major club's ground foundered.

It is understood that six Premier League sides were contacted asking for help to promote the charter. Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur said they were not given enough time, while QPR said they agreed to help in future.[/u] Fulham, Chelsea and Aston Villa claim they were not contacted, though Home Office insiders insist all six teams were asked to take part.

Megan Worthing-Davies, director of Football v Homophobia, said: "We heard back from many clubs who said, 'We've signed up to the charter so we're not going to be involved with Football v Homophobia'."

Andy Wasley, from Stonewall, said: "Actions speak louder than words, and it's one thing to sign a charter, it's quite another then to actually do the hard stuff like training officials and stewards to make sure they challenge homophobia when they see it."

The 16 teams signed up to Football v Homophobia so far are: Arsenal, Aston Villa, Fulham, Liverpool, Newcastle Utd, Norwich City, Brighton & Hove Albion, Derby County, Ipswich Town, Millwall, Huddersfield Town, MK Dons, Wycombe Wanderers, Exeter City, Port Vale and Hyde FC.

A conspiracy of silence: 'No one wants to speak out about this'

Amal Fashanu is the niece of Justin Fashanu who killed himself in 1998. He was Britain's first openly gay professional footballer

"The reluctance of Premier League clubs to take the homophobia issue seriously is a shame because we are trying to take steps forward. It seems as if some people want us to go backwards.

"If a player decided to come out now, I don't think there would be enough support available. That's why we are trying to create a climate so that people will feel safe.

"The really, really sad thing is when you have people who are actually not gay but fear that they might be categorised as such if they speak up. They don't want to stand up against discrimination. Why? Them saying, 'Listen, let's kick homophobia out of football', that's not going to make them gay.

"It's a crazy mentality, and that's why Joey Barton, who contributed to my recent BBC3 documentary, Britain's Gay Footballers, is getting the reception that he is. He is being treated like a hero. Why? Because no one else is going to speak out. Football seems to be stuck in the dark ages.

"In the documentary, Max Cliffford tells me that he's been approached by half a dozen gay Premier League footballers. He has advised them to not come out. If you have this mentality, it's going to be very hard for a footballer to feel comfortable about coming out.

"We need some role models in this country if we want more people to come out, but there are none. The only openly gay footballers are like the Swede Anton Hysen, or someone like my uncle who has passed away. It is still a harsh reality for the next person coming out knowing that my uncle committed suicide.

"It would be great if each individual football club could play its part in this campaign."

@amalfashanu


www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/footballs-new-hate-shame-as-top-clubs-snub-drive-on-homophobia-7181062.html

BBC

John Amaechi says 'reactive' FA responsible for homophobia

By Alistair Magowan
BBC Sport
The Football Association is responsible for a climate of homophobia in the game, according to former NBA basketball player John Amaechi.
The governing body launches a new six-year inclusion and anti-homophobia plan on Monday with no openly gay players among almost 3,000 professionals.
But Amaechi, who came out in 2007 and has been vocal in his criticisms of football's attitude towards homosexuality, says the issue will only be solved by greater diversity among the FA board members - not "posters and platitudes".
The FA plans to use a new video discussing homophobia in football , which features former players John Scales, Brendan Batson and Aidy Williams.
It recently fined former Leicester City player Michael Ball £6,000 after he tweeted homophobic comments and has charged West Ham's Ravel Morrison in a similar case.
Fans have also been banned after homophobic chanting at a game between Southampton and Brighton, and others have been arrested at a recent game involving Millwall and Brighton.
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FA launch anti-homophobia campaign
But Amaechi says the FA should stop pointing the finger at others and accept it is to blame.
He told BBC Sport: "I don't understand why football fans aren't more angry by the way they are portrayed by the football authorities.
"If you look at the first horrible video they did on anti-homophobia, it made it very clear that the problem lies with you. You stupid, blue-collar people in the terraces. It's you stupid urban, re black, people on the field. It's your fault.
"Then they sit in their boxes and their boardrooms and all the attention is deflected away from them.
"Well, it's 2012 and they have just appointed their first woman to the board. Does that really tell you they are a progressive organisation or they are now reacting to the fact the focus is starting to shift on to them?
"A board that has just voted a woman on to the board in 2012 is not progressive. They are by definition the problem."
Professional Footballers' Association chairman Clarke Carlisle also thinks the FA needs to make a stand.
He told BBC Sport: "The responsibility lies with the national governing body. They need to make sure they set the precedent of levels of acceptance.
"Then the onus is on the players union, the football leagues, and the individual clubs to disseminate those messages."
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Carlisle thinks players would be supportive of an openly gay colleague
The FA's Head of Equality, Sue Law, explained the organisation's plans.
She said: "The FA's action plan, 'Opening Doors and Joining In', is about football's commitment to inclusion and anti-homophobia.
"That sits alongside our intention for the game to draw from a wide and diverse talent pool [in terms of appointing board members and administrators].
"There is support and commitment across this agenda from all areas of the FA with the likes of [England women's manager] Hope Powell and Gareth Southgate contributing to the action plan resources.
"We're seeking to create a 'so-what?' environment and the action plan has had input from groups such as Pride Sports, Justin Campaign, Gay Football Supporters Network, Stonewall and Kick It Out."
But gay-friendly teams such as London-based Stonewall FC and Village Manchester FC believe the FA is not engaging with them.
Both feature gay and straight players in the same side and have found no opposition to playing in leagues against straight teams.
But they feel their examples are not promoted as an example of improving inclusion in football.
Continue reading the main story
“
Our club has been transformative to so many people... because they are in an environment where they are not made to feel uncomfortable
”
Antony Lockley
Manager of gay-friendly team Village Manchester FC
Carlisle agrees that the FA board needs to be more reflective of society. But the Northampton Town defender added: "I don't think it is fair to say that a straight, white, old man can't make representative decisions.
"With the right input of course he can, but we need to make sure the right people are around him to for him to get to that decision."
The launch comes against a backdrop in the English game where all 20 Premier League teams have recently signed the government's Sports Charter to tackle homophobia, biphobia, and transphobia in sport.
But only 16 of 92 professional clubs, including six Premier League teams, have been willing to openly back the Justin Campaign's Football v Homophobia initiative, which marks the birthday of Justin Fashanu - the only openly gay footballer in Britain - who subsequently committed suicide in 1998.
The campaign aims "to challenge the stereotypes and misconceptions that exist around lesbian, gay, bisexual & transgender people and work towards a future where the visibility of LGB&T people in football is both accepted and celebrated."
The Justin Campaign's Alan Duffy said the 16 backers were a "big improvement" after receiving no support from top-flight clubs last season.
Despite recent instances of players being fined, Carlisle thinks the majority would be "fantastically supportive" of an openly gay colleague now.
Having spoken to gay players on an anonymous basis, Carlisle believes the greatest apprehension to coming out would be the reaction in the stands.
But consultant and public speaker Amaechi, who last year was awarded an OBE, says the example of the alleged racial incident between Chelsea captain John Terry and QPR's Anton Ferdinand, shows that football fans are not to blame.
"These cases of racism are being pointed out by fans in the stands, not by officials, not by team-mates on the field," he added. "They deserve a little more credit for where they are in society.
"They have brothers and sisters and parents that are gay and they don't think it is an issue any more."
Amaechi says the new strategy lacks the backing of current players or a senior figure in football.
He added: "If the FA are really serious about ending bigotry, how about they talk to a scientist about how that is done rather than talking to another PR company?
"You are not going to end bigotry through posters and platitudes. If they come up with another video and tell you that's part of their strategy, it's just nonsense.
"Sir Alex Ferguson came out the other day and said very explicitly that racism was completely unacceptable and that, in his opinion, it was something that he would work to eradicate.
"We've never heard that kind of explicit statement from people of his stature about homophobia."

www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/17086342

I think that's a little harsh on him - he's a main spokesman for Human Rights Campaign now and does most of his campaigning on LGBT issues in the US, related to US sports. In that capacity, and the fact that he is British, it's understandable that a representative from a big international human rights organisation is going to weigh in with an opinion on a faltering campaign against homophobia in the Premier League. Particularly when most football fans in the US continue to follow the Premier League online and on TV over the MLS.

Yeah me neither, and QPR are normally pretty up-front with announcing their social and community initiatives

West London Sport/Dave McIntyre

QPR boss backs drive to tackle homophobia



22/02/2012
by David McIntyre
QPR manager Mark Hughes says he is strongly in favour of the Premier League’s attempts to stamp out homophobia in football.

All 20 top-flight clubs have signed the Sports Charter, designed to tackle homophobia – which is seen as a significant issue in the game.


QPR deny claims they have been slow to promote anti-homophobia.
Hughes said: “I think everybody’s in favour of it [the charter]. I don’t think anybody wants to see discrimination of any kind. We don’t want it to be prevalent in our game.

“Everybody accepts that people are different from one person to another. Discrimination should be stamped out because it’s not acceptable.”

QPR will include an anti-homophobia advertisement in the match programme for Saturday’s game against Fulham, and are unhappy about a recent newspaper report which suggested they have been slow to support the charter.

Rangers midfielder Joey Barton recently took part in a BBC documentary about the issue and the club insist they are committed to tackling all forms of discrimination.

A QPR spokesman said: “We fully support the charter. As a club we are 100% behind it and the QPR In The Community Trust does a lot of work to promote equality, which includes tackling homophobia.”



www.westlondonsport.com/qpr/qpr-boss-backs-drive-to-tackle-homophobia/

QPR Official Site

R'S BACK 'FOOTBALL v HOMOPHOBIA'
Posted on: Thu 23 Feb 2012

Queens Park Rangers Football Club fully supports Football v Homophobia by The Justin Campaign.

Aimed at raising awareness of homophobia in amateur and professional football, The Justin Campaign attempts to unite Clubs, players and fans internationally by using the game of football to bring communities together in opposing hate and intolerance in the world's favourite sport.

Football v Homophobia is an initiative to get everyone involved in doing their bit to help eradicate prejudice and discrimination based on gender identity or sexuality from the game. Whether you are a fan, a player, a professional club or a football authority, the campaign makes it easy for you to get involved to make a difference.

QPR Club Captain, Joey Barton, recently spent over 90 minutes with a crew from the BBC for their highly-acclaimed BBC Three show 'Britain's Gay Footballers.'

Barton feels close to the issue as his father's youngest brother initially hid his homosexuality. The R's skipper highlighted 'archaic figures' in management positions as an obstacle to gay players.

QPR in the Community Trust continue to work week in, week out, in promoting equality in both sport and the local community, whilst Saturday's matchday programme will also include a full page advert in support of the campaign, further highlighting the Club's commitment.

All 20 top-flight Clubs have signed the Sports Charter, designed to tackle homophobia - which is seen as a significant issue in the game.

R's boss Mark Hughes said recently: "I think everybody's in favour of the charter. I don't think anybody wants to see discrimination of any kind. We don't want it to be prevalent in our game.

"Everybody accepts that people are different from one person to another. Discrimination should be stamped out because it's not acceptable."

QPR in the Community Trust CEO, Andy Evans, added: "We are fully supportive of this campaign.

"In addition, we are working across the Club to gain the Equality Standard through the Kick It Out campaign.

"The message is quite clear - all of our programmes are there for everyone in our neighbourhood to access regardless of their gender, sexuality or race."

The Justin Campaign was founded to demonstrate that ten years after Justin Fashanu's tragic suicide in 1998, homophobia is still hugely prevalent in both grassroots and professional football.

The Justin Campaign kicked off its international week of action for Football v Homophobia last Saturday. The week runs from Feb 18th - Feb 26th, marking Justin Fashanu's birthday on the 19th. The campaign was set up in memory of Justin Fashanu, the only ever out gay male professional footballer who sadly took his own life in 2008.

Along with raising awareness, the campaign has a strong focus on Art, Events, Education and football. Through these four key initiatives and some forward thinking strategic work with other inclusive sporting organisations, The Justin Campaign seeks to challenge the stereotypes and misconceptions that exist around LGB & T (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transsexual) people and work towards a future where the visibility of LGB & T people in football is both accepted and celebrated.

This year's week of action began with the campaign team heading to Hackney Marshes on a cold and muddy day to talk to grassroots players about what they think of the current situation. Referees, players and coaches were all keen to share their views.

Grassroots teams, professional clubs and football authorities will be marking the week with a range of actions, both in this country and abroad.

On February 20th, the FA launched their new strategy to tackle homophobia and transphobia in football, backing Football v Homophobia as the key vehicle to tackle this issue across the game.

Recently, Kick it Out are hosted a panel discussion on homophobia in football in Nottingham, organised alongside Pride Sports and Nottingham Ball Bois.

Other events include a virtual football league competition arranged in Tonbridge by K college, 5-a-side tournaments at Sussex University and Norwich, and a range of professional clubs marking the occasion in their match day programmes.

To see a video of the visit to Hackney Marshes, photos of events, to find out about other events going on around the country, or to see what you can do to get involved and make a difference, visit the website: www.footballvhomophobia.com.

www.qpr.co.uk/page/CommunityScheme/0,,10373~2620170,00.html

British PM Cameron Wants Soccer Anti-Racism Plan
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published: February 22, 2012 at 3:53 PM ET
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LONDON (AP) — British Prime Minister David Cameron asked England's soccer leaders Wednesday to provide a plan against racism in the sport after a series of high-profile cases involving the Premier League.


The Times's soccer blog has the world's game covered from all angles.
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Cameron addressed soccer officials, former players and anti-racism campaigners at a summit on Downing Street, warning that abusive behavior by soccer stars is imitated by youngsters and must be stopped.

"We have some problems still today," Cameron said. "We need to act quickly to make sure those problems do not creep back in ... if everyone plays their role, then we can easily crush and deal with this problem."

The English Football Association must provide a full report detailing how racism and other forms of discrimination can be combatted.

"We have committed to coming back with a detailed follow-up to this in two months," FA chairman David Bernstein said.

The government announced Wednesday it will give $4.7 million toward the English Football Association's new coaching center in a bid to encourage more people from ethnic minorities to become managers. There are no black managers in the Premier League.

In July, John Terry will become the first high-profile soccer player to stand trial for racial abuse following a confrontation with Queens Park Rangers defender Anton Ferdinand in October. The Chelsea player was stripped of the England captaincy this month in a move opposed by coach Fabio Capello, who quit in protest.

Sport Secretary Jeremy Hunt said after Wednesday's summit that soccer needs to address "how we draw the line between banter and offensive language."

Liverpool, the 18-time English champion, was criticized for its support of striker Luis Suarez when he was banned for eight matches after racially abusing Manchester United defender Patrice Evra in October.

Liverpool, owned by the parent company of the Boston Red Sox, was condemned by anti-racism groups for backing Suarez and allowing players and manager Kenny Dalglish to wear T-shirts featuring Suarez's picture in a show of solidarity before a match weeks later.

This month, Suarez was criticized for refusing to shake hands with Evra in their first match since the confrontation. He apologized later under pressure.

"What happens on the field influences what happens off the field. You see children as young as 6 imitating the behavior they see on the field," Cameron said. "So this is not just important for football — it's important for the whole country ... we want to make sure football is all about a power to do good, rather than anything else."

Amal Fashanu attended the summit, which also dealt with the lingering problem of homophobia in soccer. She recently made a documentary for British TV about homosexuality in soccer, 14 years after her uncle Justin committed suicide.

The career of Fashanu, the first black player to move in a 1 million-pound transfer when he joined Nottingham Forest in 1981, faded after he publicly acknowledged his homosexuality. He was found hanged in a London garage in 1998 at 37.

"Potentially, gay people don't want to be become Premier League footballers because they are intimidated by the atmosphere ... or they don't think the environment makes it possible for them to come out," Hunt said.

On Wednesday, West Ham midfielder Ravel Morrison was fined $11,000 by the FA for using a gay slur on Twitter.

Cameron described homophobia in soccer as a largely taboo topic.

"It's obviously quite unlikely that there are no gay Premiership players, and that tells you something about the tolerance within the game," said Steve Field, Cameron's spokesman.

___

Rob Harris can be reached at www.

What is Transphobia?

actually looking for a sensible response rather than silly, Andrew.

Thanks, very helpful and appreciated Andrew.