A lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender fitness class has been set up to cater to the people of Sunderland, in North East England.
Set up by recent Sunderland University graduate Carl Conifey, 22, the exercise class will be a mix of boxercise, circuits and “resistance blast” – Carl’s own exercise creation.
He sees it as an opportunity for gay people to meet each other and date if they don’t fancy a night out. “It’s a chance for people who don’t just want to meet people on a night out in town, they can socialise in North Shore after the class where we will have smoothies and get to know different people,” he told the Sunderland Echo.
According to Carl, Sunderland is ready for his gay-friendly workout. “I think it’s come at the right time because the Government is trying to push forward gay marriage and strive for more equality so it’s a good time to start a class like this,” he said.
So perhaps gay-friendly clubs will become a staple in every town and village over the next few years. Sunderland’s LGBT fitness class certainly suggests there is a demand for gay-friendly sports and fitness classes outside the urban metropolis.
Does your local area already have an LGBT exercise class? Do you think it needs one? Let us know your views!
During the course of the season, 3,089 fans were arrested at, or outside, games taking place in the Premier League, Football League and Conference. There had been 302 more arrests in the 2009/10 season.
Although the total number of arrests fell, the number of arrests for “racist or indecent chanting” rose from 31 in 2009/10, to 43 in 2010/11 – an increase of 28 per cent.
The Home Office statistics reveal the number of arrests per club, which are included on the map below.
No arrests were made among fans from 91 of the 116 clubs included in the study.
Among Premier League sides, Aston Villa and Bolton Wanderers both led the number of arrests, with four a piece.
But the club which saw the most fans arrested was Barnet, with eight fans arrested for their chants during 2009/10 season. But does this mean that fans of the Underhill club are more intolerant? Or are the Bees doing more to tackle the problem?
Our policy has always been a zero-tolerance approach to any racist behaviour and, as the figures show, this policy has clearly worked. By staying vigilant and preserving the family values we have at the club, we make sure that anyone who visits Underhill has a safe and enjoyable match day experience.
Barnet chairman Tony Kleanthous added:
“We do our best to appropriately deal with reporting incidents of racist or indecent chanting at Underhill. This proactive approach is crucial to making every visit to Underhill enjoyable for everyone, results aside. We respect our club and fans too much to have its name tarnished; we will continue to strive to uphold the values of a community football club- that welcomes everyone and everyone is treated equally.”
So far this blog has primarily focused upon how homophobia in sport is affecting adult players. However, if this pattern of the behaviour is really going to change it is important to look at the younger generation. This blog post is going to explore how NSPCC is trying to tackle the problem.
The NSPCC is highly concerned about the effect homophobia in sport is having on young people. Their Child Protection in Sport Unit (CPSU) has a specific briefing, which is designed to help inform adults how to protect children from this kind of bullying. The figures which have been used to design this are based on the data provided by the The School Report made by Stonewall in 2006.
Here are some of the shocking statistics, which Stonewall discovered when investigating the homophobic bullying of young people.
65% of young LGB people have experienced homophobic bullying or harassment.
92% of young LGB people have experienced verbal abuse because of their sexual orientation.
41% have been the victim of physical abuse because of their sexual orientation.
17% have received death threats because of their sexual orientation.
84.5% of young LGB people, who have been the victims of homophobic bullying, have considered suicide.
These statistics clearly demonstrate the extent to which homophobic bullying plays a part in young LGB people’s lives. The CPSU believes that there are three main myths which need to be dispelled in order to create better equality.
They are:
· All Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender people choose to be ‘that way’
· Young people cannot be Gay, Lesbian or Bisexual
· “It’s only banter” or “ just part of the culture of team sports”
They believe that in order to eradicate these myths and this form of bullying the following prevention methods need to be put in place.
· Promote positive environments and behaviours in which difference (in a variety of senses) is embraced and celebrated. For example this may include having discussions about positive homosexual or bisexual sports role models, posters or signs that denote ‘safe spaces’ for LGB people (rainbow flags or pink triangles), or specific events/displays.
· Ensure relevant policies and procedures exist, for example, checking that homophobic bullying is included in anti-bullying and related policies, procedures and codes of conduct, and that reports and referrals are acted upon.
· Assess and monitor the extent of homophobic bullying through anonymous coach and youth members surveys, and existing methods like bullying boxes. Evaluate the responses received and ensure consistent recording and reporting.
· Raise awareness of what homophobic bullying is and how the sports organisation will respond. Ensure effective reporting systems are in place to enable members to report incidents. Sports leaders attending specific training about sexuality and /or diversity.
· Create a safe culture for example by challenging the word ‘gay’ as a derogatory term. Ensure fast and effective removal of any graffiti.
· Know how to provide sensitive support to LGB members to help them feel safe, and able to tell adults in authority positions about incidents of homophobic bullying.
It is still unclear the extent to which these criteria are being followed in school and local sports clubs. Hopefully with greater awareness and the work of charities such as the NSPCC more can be done to stamp out homophobia in sport from a young age.
A festival that was planned to coincide with the Olympics to combat homophobia has been cancelled.
Pride House festival will no longer be taking place on Clapham Common after its backers pulled out following problems securing sponsorship and other big name acts. The 18-day festival was due to be headlined by Elton John and had support from other names including Ben Cohen and Stephen Fry.
Left Ben Cohen who was due to support the festival. (Photo courtesy of UKHomeOffice)
The venture had been designed with the aim of combining the biggest sporting event in the world with the LGBT cause. Alongside the other entertainments there were meant to be film screenings highlighting the issue of homophobia in sport.
The organisers of the event PAPA Projects say they have had no choice but to withdraw as the event is no longer financially viable. One act that withdrew at the last minute was the cast of the musical Priscilla Queen Of The Desert. However, the show’s producer insists that they had never confirmed their performance.
LGBT campaign group Stonewall told Your Local Guardian that the cancellation of the festival comes as another blow to the gay community after the Olympic organisers have done little to promote LGBT causes.
A spokesperson said: “Unfortunately they have done little, if anything, to promote or reach out to the LGBT community. There is one openly gay paralympian show jumper on team GB.
“Given the Olympic Games legacy which said they would promote diversity, they are ignoring 3.7m around the country in sport.”
The cancelation of this event appears to highlight the risk that homophobia in sport will once again be sidelined by the wider sporting community.
Following yesterday’s post, there was a point missing from our discussion of homosexuality and homophobia in the world of professional wrestling that needed covering.
Orlando Jordan, in the pink tights, pictured here performing for Total Nonstop Action wrestling, is a rarity as an openly bisexual professional wrestler. Jordan's character reflected his real-life sexuality, but was poorly received by LGBT groups and wrestling fans alike. Photograph taken by Mike Kalasnik, used under a creative commons licence. http://www.flickr.com/people/10542402@N06/
However, for every successful character that goes on to be embraced by fans, there are many more that fail. The worst of these are honoured annually by the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.
Wrestling Observer Newsletters: Worst Gimmick 1986-2011
The Wrestling Observer Newsletter Awards are compiled annually by wrestling journalist Dave Meltzer. The awards are voted for by the readership of the newsletter, which includes various industry-insiders, such as promoters, agents, and performers, as well as journalists, historians, and fans. The “Worst Gimmick” award is presented to the worst character presented on-screen by a wrestling promotion. Table courtesy of Wikipedia.
Year
Wrestler
Company
"Gimmick"
1986
Adrian Adonis
World Wrestling Federation (WWF)
Gay stylist
1987
Adrian Adonis
World Wrestling Federation (WWF)
Gay stylist
1988
Midnight Rider
Jim Crockett Promotions
Mystery wrestler
1989
The Ding-Dongs
World Champtionship Wrestling (WCW)
Comical idiots
1990
The Gobbledygooker
World Wrestling Federation (WWF)
Giant turkey
1991
Oz
World Champtionship Wrestling (WCW)
Wizard of Oz character
1992
Papa Shango
World Wrestling Federation (WWF)
Voodoo priest
1993
The Shockmaster
World Champtionship Wrestling (WCW)
Intergalactic klutz
1994
Evad Sullivan
World Champtionship Wrestling (WCW)
Dyslexic wrestler
1995
Goldust
World Wrestling Federation (WWF)
Perverse Hollywood critic
1996
Fake Diesel Fake / Razor Ramon / The Real Double J
World Wrestling Federation (WWF)
Replacements for wreslters who had left the company
1997
The Artist Formerly Known as Goldust
World Wrestling Federation (WWF)
Rundown former Hollywood critic
1998
The Oddities
World Wrestling Federation (WWF)
Outcasts
1999
The Powers That Be
World Champtionship Wrestling (WCW)
Company management
2000
Mike Awesome
World Champtionship Wrestling (WCW)
1970s flashback
2001
Diamond Dallas Page
World Wrestling Federation (WWF)
Motivational speaker
2002
The Johnsons
Total Nonstop Action (TNA)
Wrestling penises
2003
Rico Constantino
World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) (Formerly WWF)
Gay stylist / manager
2004
Mordecai
World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE)
Religious zealot
2005
Jillian Hall
World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE)
Obstructive facial blemish
2006
Vito
World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE)
Cross-dresser
2007
Black Reign
Total Nonstop Action (TNA)
Dual personality of Goldust
2008
The Great Khali
World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE)
"Punjabi playboy"
2009
Hornswoggle
World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE)
Irish leprechaun
2010
Orlando Jordan
Total Nonstop Action (TNA)
Bisexual wrestler
2011
Michael Cole
World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE)
Villainous announcer
Since the Awards began, the worst gimmick award has been awarded on seven occassions to characters where their sexuality is either explicity or implicitly LGBT.
Here we have two different wrestlers playing homosexual characters given awards for their gimmicks in the same year. One praised, the other criticised. Both prizes were voted for by the same people. Both worked for different companies – Adonis for the World Wrestling Federation (now WWE), Street for the now-defunct Jim Crockett Promotions. What this suggests is that the attitudes of promoters needs to change more than the attitude among wrestling fans.
Professional wrestling, in particular WWF/E, has been guilty of negatively playing to racial, gender and national stereotypes for years. Disability has also been viewed as “fair game” for promoters eager to make a quick buck or mock the misfortune of others.
To say that wrestling fans or wrestling promoters are homophobic overlooks the horrific stereotyping that is made in the wrestling industry of all kinds of people who are “different”. What is particularly shocking, is how badly and negatively being LGBT has been portrayed by “sports entertainment”.
Perhaps one day a wrestling company will introduce a character who presents a more realistic vision of what it is like to be LGBT today. Perhaps they will be presented in a way that both LGBT and straight fans can identify with. Perhaps. But it wouldn’t be wise to hold your breath.
With Lembit Opikvowing to step into the squared circle to do battle and World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) in the UK for a lucrative international tour, the larger than life world of professional wrestling is once again hitting the headlines.
Although “rasslin” may be more “sports entertainment” than a sport, it hasn’t been immune from moments of homophobic controversy. Here are just three of the many homophobic incidents that shame a multi-million pound global industry.
The Rock and John Cena trade homophobic insults
The Rock and John Cena face off at Wrestlemania, after the two exchanged homophobic insults over the course of a year. Photo: Simon from the United Kingdom, used on a creative commons licence (http://www.flickr.com/people/10287726@N02)
February 2011 saw movie star Dwayne Johnson, better known by his in-ring moniker the Rock, return to WWE after a seven-year absence. As one of the biggest stars in the company’s history, he began to feud with the man described as “the face of WWE” John Cena with a match set for April 2012 at the promotion’s annual “Wrestlemania” event.
When Johnson left WWE in 2004, Cena’s reputation as a rising star within the company was growing. His act of rapping to insult opponents had made him a fan-favourite, but the grappler from West Newbury, Massachusetts, made a mockery of his motto of “hustle, loyalty and respect” as he regularly resulted to using homophobic insults, as shown in this clip from 2005:
As his feud with Johnson developed, Cena began to use homophobic insults on the WWE show Monday Night Raw, which is regularly watched by around 4 million Americans. Despite the fact he is marketed as a hero to thousands of impressionable young children, Cena openly used homophobic insults, including:
“Don’t go racing to Witch Mountain Rock, because your mountain is Brokeback!”
LGBT viewers, offended by what they had seen, complained to the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD).
Although the fact the build for the match consisted almost entirely of Messrs Johnson and Cena trading insults, many of them homophobic in nature, on television and on Twitter for over a year, their match at Wrestlemania 28 last month was a huge success – grossing $67million and drawing 1.3million viewers on pay-per-view.
Despite GLAAD’s best efforts, homophobia paid for WWE and its shareholders – in this instance, it paid very handsomely indeed.
Jerry “The King” Lawler’s rant on live television
Years before Rock and Cena had taken a dislike to one another, this shocking rant, broadcast live on television, from Jerry “The King” Lawler was homophobic and classless, yet cheered by fans in the arena. This was one of a series of homophobic incidents that involved Lawler as he clashed with Dustin Runnells, who played the character of Goldust in the World Wrestling Federation duingthe 1990s. This particular moment is from May 1997.
CM Punk insults a fan using a homophobic slur
Phil Brooks, better known to millions of fans around the world as CM Punk, made headline news in July 2011 for all the wrong reasons after he called a fan a “homo” at a show in Adelaide, Australia. The self-proclaimed “best wrestler in the world”, at the time a villain, would regularly turn the crowd against him by arguing with members of the audience at ringside. But on this night, he took Punk pre-match routine too far and a fan at ringside captured the scene on camera.
Any piece on GSB about professional wrestling could not be published without mentioning one man: Christopher Klucsarits, better known by his in-ring moniker – Chris Kanyon.
Klucsarits performed in both World Championship Wrestling and WWE from 1995-2004. After leaving the company, Klucsarits came out and said he had been released from WWE because of his sexuality and that homophobia had held him back throughout his career, although other wrestlers disputed this claim. In 2010, Klucsarits took his own life. Two years on, little had changed to change the homophobia that infests professional wrestling.
The only other high-profile wrestler to come out in recent years has been Orlando Jordan – a bisexual former WWE and Total Nonstop Action wrestling star.
While homophobia remains as open as it does in professional wrestling, it seems unlikely that many more high-profile wrestlers will be joining them in future.
Four American sports reporters have pledged their allegiance to fair coverage of LGBT events.
The reporters, who work for TSN, made the commitment as part of the You Can Play Project, which was launched last month. Brian Burke, general manager of the Toronto Maple Leafs, and his son Patrick, a scout for the Philadelphia Flyers, have started the campaign with the hope of squashing homophobia in sport.
Their campaign is in memory of Brendan Burke, Brian’s son, who came out shortly before being killed in a car accident in 2010. Brendan was a talented athlete but quit his high school hockey team, as he was afraid his teammates would discover he was gay. Brendan came out in 2007 and gave interviews talking about how homophobia in sport had restricted him.
Brain Burke has blamed what he terms “casual homophobia” such as using the term “gay” instead of “weak” or “lame” for the problem. The campaign hopes to try and remove this sort of language from sports venues and changing rooms to make them free from homophobia.
As part of the campaign the sports network’s reporters James Duthie, Darren Dreger, Pierre LeBrun and Bob McKenzie have now made this video assuring viewers that they will treat LGBT athletes with total equality.
A conference aimed at combining activists and academics to help them to come together to find a solution to homophobia in sport was hosted by Texas A&M, last week. Texas A&M was a brave choice of location for the conference as it has been named one of the 10 worst campuses in America for LGBT students.
George Cunningham who is a professor of sports management and director of the Laboratory for Diversity in Sport organised The Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity in Sport Conference. More than 15 academic professionals and a reporter from the American Outsports blog attended the conference.
All of the speakers spoke about ways to improve cohesion in the world of sport. Some of the speakers, such as Sue Rankin from Penn State University, presented academic research into the issue. Dr. Rankin has already worked with over 90 institutions and organizations to implement assessments and help to develop action plans to create more equal opportunities. At the conference she presented a study of 8,000 collegiate athletes, which aimed to give a snapshot into the minds of athletes today. Four-hundred of the athletes she interviewed were lesbian, gay, bisexual or transvestite.
Eric Anderson, University of Winchester
Erin Buzuvis, Western New England University
Helen Carroll, NCLR
Mary Ann Covey, Texas A&M
George Cunningham, Texas A&M
Wade Davis, Hetrick-Martin Institute
Janet Fink, University of Connecticut
Pat Griffin, University of Massachusetts and GLSEN
Vikki Krane, Bowling Green State University
Woojun Lee, Texas A&M
E. Nicole Melton, Texas A&M
Karen Morrison, NCAA
Camille O’Bryant, Cal Poly San Luis Obisbo
Sue Rankin, Penn State
Ellen Staurowsky, Drexel
Nefertiti Walker, University of Massachusetts
Jacquelyn Wilson, Texas Women’s University
Dan Woog, Staples High School
Cyd Zeigler, Outsports.com
To read the full report by Cyd Zeigler form Outsports.com who attended the conference please click here.
A German football club has banned fans who displayed a homophobic banner for three years.
The banner was displayed during Borussia Dortmund’s defeat of Werder Bremen on March 17.
A statement on the club’s official website read: “After discussions with the Ultra group, which was responsible for the offensive and homophobic banner that was displayed on the South Tribune of Signal Iduna Park at the game against Werder Bremen, Borussia Dortmund have given the people who were responsible for the action the maximum penalty of a three-year stadium ban.”
The group responsible had a discussion with Dortmund chief executive Hans Joachim Watzke and also apologised publicly for the banner.
Watzke told Sporting Life: “In this discussion we made it very clear that Borussia Dortmund stands for tolerance, openness and respectful behaviour towards everyone.”
Do you think this is an appropriate punishment for such an offence? Will it do enough to deter others in the future?
Here is a survey produced by SportsIllustrated, which shows some interesting facts about America’s attitude towards LGBT members in sport. This survey was conducted on more than one thousand people to gain a sense of public perception on the issue.
What is interesting is that even though 61 per cent accept homosexuality as a way of life 68 per cent feel that being openly gay would damage their sporting career and 64% believe it would affect their endorsement opportunities.
This shows a worrying trend about peoples’ attitudes towards the commercial viability of being an openly gay athlete. In Britain professional athletes such as Gareth Thomas have led the way in showing the commercial potential of being an openly gay athlete. As well as being regularly called upon for promotional opportunities he is also going to have a film made about him.
Despite this, PR agents still seem to believe that it is an issue and that coming out will harm the reputation of an athlete. Sports commentator Clare Balding, recently blamed PR agents for preventing sports players from coming out. She told People: “I feel a lot of athletes are waiting to come out but we live in a climate where very powerful PR people are persuading stars not to do so – and that perpetuates a feeling of shame.”
If agents begin to realise the commercial viability of being an out athlete then it may stop professional sports players feeling that they need to stay in the closet. Judging by this data America still needs to open its mind to the possibility of sports stars being role models for companies even if they are homosexual.
How are the NSPCC tackling Homophobia in Sport?
Sophia Heath
So far this blog has primarily focused upon how homophobia in sport is affecting adult players. However, if this pattern of the behaviour is really going to change it is important to look at the younger generation. This blog post is going to explore how NSPCC is trying to tackle the problem.
The NSPCC is highly concerned about the effect homophobia in sport is having on young people. Their Child Protection in Sport Unit (CPSU) has a specific briefing, which is designed to help inform adults how to protect children from this kind of bullying. The figures which have been used to design this are based on the data provided by the The School Report made by Stonewall in 2006.
Here are some of the shocking statistics, which Stonewall discovered when investigating the homophobic bullying of young people.
65% of young LGB people have experienced homophobic bullying or harassment.
92% of young LGB people have experienced verbal abuse because of their sexual orientation.
41% have been the victim of physical abuse because of their sexual orientation.
17% have received death threats because of their sexual orientation.
84.5% of young LGB people, who have been the victims of homophobic bullying, have considered suicide.
These statistics clearly demonstrate the extent to which homophobic bullying plays a part in young LGB people’s lives. The CPSU believes that there are three main myths which need to be dispelled in order to create better equality.
They are:
· All Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender people choose to be ‘that way’
· Young people cannot be Gay, Lesbian or Bisexual
· “It’s only banter” or “ just part of the culture of team sports”
They believe that in order to eradicate these myths and this form of bullying the following prevention methods need to be put in place.
· Promote positive environments and behaviours in which difference (in a variety of senses) is embraced and celebrated. For example this may include having discussions about positive homosexual or bisexual sports role models, posters or signs that denote ‘safe spaces’ for LGB people (rainbow flags or pink triangles), or specific events/displays.
· Ensure relevant policies and procedures exist, for example, checking that homophobic bullying is included in anti-bullying and related policies, procedures and codes of conduct, and that reports and referrals are acted upon.
· Assess and monitor the extent of homophobic bullying through anonymous coach and youth members surveys, and existing methods like bullying boxes. Evaluate the responses received and ensure consistent recording and reporting.
· Raise awareness of what homophobic bullying is and how the sports organisation will respond. Ensure effective reporting systems are in place to enable members to report incidents. Sports leaders attending specific training about sexuality and /or diversity.
· Create a safe culture for example by challenging the word ‘gay’ as a derogatory term. Ensure fast and effective removal of any graffiti.
· Know how to provide sensitive support to LGB members to help them feel safe, and able to tell adults in authority positions about incidents of homophobic bullying.
It is still unclear the extent to which these criteria are being followed in school and local sports clubs. Hopefully with greater awareness and the work of charities such as the NSPCC more can be done to stamp out homophobia in sport from a young age.
→ 1 Comment
Posted in Comment, Gay sports in the UK, Young LGB