Arsenal have always been one of the more progressive football clubs in the country, and just days after they, along with the other 19 Premier League clubs, signed the Government charter against homophobia, biphobia and transphobia in football, the club marked its "Football For Everyone" initiative.
We were guests in the director's box, along with Lord Ouseley of Kick It Out and officials from Stonewall. As it was Arsenal's first home game of LGBT History month, the game gave the club a chance to highlight their commitment to fighting bigotry against LGBT people in football.
This was highlighted by Robin Van Persie's notes in the matchday programme, while the publication also let fans know about our forthcoming FVH initiative.
In speaking with Arsenal Chief Executive, Ivan Gazidis, it was clear to see that he and the club were fully committed to dealing with this issue.
However, as we all know, there is a long way to go. Signing charters is all well and good, but this needs to be followed up by action. Arsenal's "Football For Everyone" and it's focus at the weekend on the LGBT community is another positive step and we congratulate Arsenal on this move.
Check out the Football V Homophobia Facebook group for more photos of the day here.
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Well, although I applaud the initiative, what they could do is dump the Emirates name given the fact that homosexuality is ILLEGAL in the UAE! It's hard to combat homophobia, etc. when the main sponsor, with the name right there on the stadium, puts people in jail for being gay, I don't think that helps the situation much.
ReplyDeleteA good point..though at least Arsenal's stance shows that they are not afraid to adopt a stance which may be controversial with their sponsors
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