Salford City Football Club is supporting the LGBT community this week by wearing rainbow laces.
Come Out Active Week, November 23-30, is a Stonewall campaign to promote LGBT equality in sport.
Salford City FC is one of many sports teams that has this week chosen to swap out their ordinary laces in celebration of Come Out Active.
Salford City Football Club tweeted: “At Salford we want everyone to feel welcome and discrimination of any sort is unacceptable.
“If you hear, see or are subject to abuse of any kind we urge you to report it to a steward, club official or @kickitout.”
At Salford we want everyone to feel welcome and discrimination of any sort is unacceptable.
If you hear, see or are subject to abuse of any kind we urge you to report it to a steward, club official or @kickitout. #WeAreSalford ??
— Salford City FC (@SalfordCityFC) 23 November 2019
Forty per cent of LGBT people found that sport was not a welcoming environment for them.
David Poucher, events co-ordinator for Salford University LGBT society, said: “I think it’s a brilliant idea. I think there’s a huge problem, specifically with gay men not feeling comfortable coming out in the sports community.
“It’s good to show people solidarity and to show people it’s okay to be gay, and it’s okay to come out and you’re welcome.
“I think it’s down to the individual football team to ensure that all of the members feel safe and feel included.”
Sir Ian McKellen, Burnley born actor, was among those sharing their support for the campaign on Twitter.
We all have a part to play in making sport everyone’s game. Get on your #RainbowLaces! and come out in support of LGBT equality in sport. https://t.co/TTeMNLOnqQ pic.twitter.com/aNKa2maWUi
— Ian McKellen (@IanMcKellen) 27 November 2019
According to Stonewall 70 per cent of football fans have witnessed or heard homophobic behaviour during a match.
Football has often been criticised for creating issues such as racism and homophobia. Kick It Out is a charity that aims to irradiate racism and discrimination within football.
More information about LGBT issues at https://www.stonewall.org.uk/
Discrimination in football can be reported here https://www.kickitout.org/forms/online-reporting-form
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