In Manchester on Pride weekend, the Football v Homophobia campaign revived a big get-together for the LGBTQ+ community in the game - an event that had previously been held online during the pandemic summer of 2020.
This time, however, it was in person and fully fabulous! At a symposium at Man Met University, queer football culture was celebrated, from the inclusive vibes of the Women’s World Cup to encouraging signs in the men’s game, from the ‘monster’ TRUK United FC story to a decade of LGBTQ+ fan groups.
We also put on a screening of short film ‘Realness With A Twist’ which tells the tale of a voguing-mad player who’s torn between the dressing room and the dancefloor; and we explored why Manchester is a magical place to make family through football.
There was also a Pride party at the uber-cool Motley bar and we marched with a Football Pride banner in the parade on the Saturday before enjoying the rest of the weekend on Canal Street.
The event was one of the highlights of the FvH calendar, and joining Sports Media LGBT+’s Jon Holmes to recap all the news and share their own stories are guests Sabah Ahmad and Adam Haworth.
Sabah spoke on the closing panel about setting up Lez Be United FC, a club for women and non-binary people that plays in Manchester’s inclusive AF League. On the pod, she explains how growing up, she could never have dreamed of the kind of connection she has with football now; why local drag bar Cruz 101 is the perfect sponsor; and what she took away from Football Pride.
At the start of 2023, Adam created Out and Out Football, a digital platform to share queer perspectives on the game. He talks about what he enjoyed as an attendee, and his outlook on LGBTQ inclusion as a Burnley fan. He also offers some suggestions about what might be good to introduce if/when (!) Football Pride comes back in 2024…
Thank you to everyone who took part - our speakers, attendees, sponsors, organisers and anyone who amplified the message.
Some links…
Lez Be United FC on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/lezbeunited_fc/
Watch Cruz 101’s Barb Just Barb try out for the team in a special Pride video! - https://www.instagram.com/p/Cs9BEbHoXiJ/
Out & Out Football - https://www.outandout.football/
Adam on Twitter - https://twitter.com/aahaworth
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We're at @FvHtweets on Twitter; @football_v_homophobia on Instagram; and you can like us on Facebook too. Our website is https://www.footballvhomophobia.com
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