Madeleine Cuff
Don’t miss the latest round up of gay sporting news from around the world! Click on our interactive map to what’s been happening in each country, or just scroll down.
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Footballer fined £6,000 for homophobic tweet, Leicester
In probably the biggest story of the week this side of the Atlantic, footballer Michael Ball has been fined £6,000 by the FA for posting homophobic comments on Twitter. Ball tweeted about Coronation Street’s Anthony Cotton, who plays Sean Tully in the long running soap. He posted: That f****** queer. Get back to your sewing machine in Corrie, you moaning b******.” The comments have been removed from Twitter. The news of the fine was announced on Tuesday, the day after his contract was terminated at Leicester City. It is the largest fine of this kind handed down by the FA. Leicester City insists the timing of Ball’s departure is coincidental.Read more here.
Navratilova vs Court at Australian Open, Melbourne
Legendary tennis star Martina Navratilova has stood her ground against ex-tennis player and anti-gay right campaigner Margaret Court at the Australian Open.
LGBT campaigner Navratilova played a doubles match, somewhat ironically, on the Margaret Court on Monday. In a press conference after the match, she addressed notorious Court’s views on same sex marriage.
Navratilova told reporters: “You know, it’s not a personal issue. Clearly Margaret Court’s views that she has expressed on same sex marriage, I think are outdated.”
“I have spoken to her years ago but she was all about Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve. She repeated that four or five times so I just felt I couldn’t get through to her,” added Navratilova.
In an article for the Melbourne Sun Herald, Court was unrepentant. “Let me be clear. I believe that a person’s sexuality is a choice,” she said. “It is not something you are born with. My concern is that we are advocating to young people that it is OK to have these feelings.”
Russian joggers stopped by police, Kaliningrad
A group of joggers suspected of staging a covert gay pride event were stopped by Russian police in Kaliningrad on Monday. The group turned out to be a group of right-wing nationalist joggers, and were left to go on their way in the small town of Sovetsk in the Baltic exclave. Russian police were tipped off by an anonymous phonecall. LGBT campaigners in Russia have accused the nationalist groups as being “viciously macho and anti-gay”. Read more here.
Madonna “brings gay” to the Superbowl, Indiana
The NFL play-offs have dominated the American sport headlines this week, and all eyes are turned to the NY Giants vs Patriots match on Feb 5th. Madonna is playing the coveted half-time slot, and rumour has it the performance will have more than an air of homoerotic tension. One of her dancers was over heard saying “Madonna’s brining gay to the Superbowl”. A vague but nevertheless intriguing description. If true, we will be interested to see how the show goes down with the American audiences. Click
here for the full report.
Teenage runner overcomes homophobic abuse, Madison
A teenager in Madison, America, has spoken about his battles as an openly gay athlete in high school. Jacob Gardner, now 17, told the Shoreline Times of his struggles, which include a rock being thrown at his head by one of his teammates on the track team. The youth who threw the rock reportedly said it wasn’t a big deal, because Gardner was gay. Gardner was 15 at the time of the attack, and his since switched sports to cross-country running. Read his inspiring story about dealing with homophobia in American high school
here.
