Do you think this bus will change things? | Photo: Dan Jones
While Pride has always been a time to celebrate LGBTI identities, not everyone is able to do this. Which is why this empty open-top bus will be part of the Brighton Pride parade.
The bus will be carrying every openly gay soccer star on its deck… which comes to exactly zero. Out of the 500 soccer players currently competing in the Premier League, none have come out as gay or bisexual.
The league is often criticised for its attitude towards gay and bisexual men. Last year (2017), FA Chairman Greg Clarke said that he knew of at least two gay Premier league players. He claimed he was ‘personally ashamed’ that neither felt safe enough to come out.
Hopefully this Brighton Pride bus, organised by Irish betting firm Paddy Power, will shine a light on it.
Do players feel safe enough to come out? | Photo: Pixabay
Earlier this year, rumors spread that two Premier League footballers were bullied by team-mates for allegedly being in a relationship together. Anti-gay posters were said to be hung around the training ground
Meanwhile, openly gay non-league soccer player Liam Davis, who plays for Cleethorpes Town, claimed that around 20 professional players were waiting to come out.
Statistical anomaly
A spokesperson for Paddy Power commented on the issue: ‘The world’s best-watched league should reflect the community around it – in the UK, one in 50 people consider themselves LGBT+.
‘And yet, in the Premier League, not one player is openly gay. So we’re calling on the league to boot itself into 2018, and create a welcoming environment for its first gay player.’
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