JUSTIN FASHANU ALL-STARS WIN THE CHAMPIONS LEAGUE!!!

Last weekend, The Justin Fashanu All-Stars men's team were victorious in The FA-organised LGBT Champions League final, beating a strong London Titans side by a 4-3 margin.

The tournament was part of the UEFA Champions League festival, held at Hyde Park in London, in the run-up to the actual Champions League final on Saturday 29th May.

The finalists even had their picture taken alongside the Champions League trophy itself.

The London Lesbian Kickabouts won the women's trophy in a tournament which also saw The Justin Fashanu All-stars womens' side take part.

The event was superbly organised by The FA and highlighted how much more beautiful the beautiful game is when we are all included.

For more information, contact Communications Director Alan Duffy at alan@thejustincampaign.

Enough is Enough

A year ago, 15-year-old Dominic Crouch jumped from a six-storey building.

Six months after the tragic incident his family discovered their loved son had been subjected to homophobic bullying at school.

In a very frank interview to promote the Lesbian and Gay Foundation's Enough is Enough campaign, his father Roger Crouch talks about why youngsters are often on the end of homophobic bullying from their peers.

Mr Crouch said: "Bullies should think about the consequences as what may seem like a laugh can have serious consequences on a lot of people.

"I don't think those bullies imagined for one minute that Dominic would have gone missing from school and then gone to a six-storey building.

"Even if he were gay it should have been his choice [to come out] rather than somebody else do it on his behalf."

He added schools need to do more to create a positive culture, something both the LGF and the Justin Campaign are working to do.

Perhaps most shocking was Mr Crouch stating while there had been a huge number of positive comments in support of the family after the incident, there had also been a huge amount of homophobic statements on websites that had been incredibly upsetting.

It does make you question when, even when a family has lost a son in such tragic circumstances, why people still continue public displaying bigoted ways.

The abuse that Dom received from his peers is no different to thousands of footballers and fans across the globe.

Like Dom, they may not necessarily be gay but are still subjected to homophobic abuse dressed up in the form of "banter".

Former Spurs and Arsenal defender Sol Campbell is one player who comes to mind but there are many others, most of whom keep the hurt trapped up inside.

But there is always a breaking point.

For some this is raging and screaming in private; others it is public retaliation; regrettably and tragically a number decide to end their own lives.

Please take time out to watch the full interview here and remember the consequences of any actions you may take.

To find out more about the Lesbian and Gay Foundation visit here.

A Petition Demanding The Resignation of Croatian Football Federation President Markovic

The Justin Campaign's Keph Senett has created this superb petition. Please read her words and then sign it!


Yesterday was International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia. I spent the day creating a petition entitled Fight Homophobia in Football: Demand The Resignation of Croatian Football Federation President Vlatko Markovic, calling for Markovic's resignation after homophobic comments he made back in November 2010.

"As long as I'm president [of the Croatian football federation] there will be no gay players," Markovic said. And, "Thank goodness only healthy people play football." The comment caused a public outcry, and resulted in two discrimination lawsuits. The first suit was dismissed by a Croatian court a few weeks ago.

The petition specifically calls on the UEFA to demand Markovic's resignation. Here are some details, from the petition:

At the time, the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) opened a disciplinary case against Markovic under Article 11 of its Disciplinary Code which obliges it to impose sanctions on any football association if an official “insults the human dignity of a person or group of persons”.

In February of 2011, after a contentious election, both FIFA and the UEFA confirmed Markovic for a fourth term as Federation president.

The UEFA has positioned itself as an organization with a commitment to equality. In 2008, the organization launched the Respect campaign, which “dovetails with programmes aimed at combating violence, racism, xenophobia and homophobia, as well as at nurturing fan support, intercultural dialogue, the environment and humanitarian relief.”

More recently, in mid-February, the UEFA officially endorsed The Justin Campaign, a group dedicated to ending homophobia in football.

For more background on the case via my blog, click here.

I'm trying to collect 25,000 signatures, and I could really use your help.

To sign the petition click here

Once you're done, please ask your friends to sign the petition as well. Grassroots movements succeed because people like you are willing to spread the word.

Thank you.

Keph Senett

Justin Campaign supports International Day against Homphobia

Tomorrow is the International Day against Homophobia.

The Justin Campaign is fully behind the international initiative founded by the Fondation Émergence to, in its own words, "fight this scourge on our societies".

Much like the Justin Campaign's very own successful international event Football v Homophobia, it is a day which is not just for those who are experience prejudice.

A spokesman for the Justin Campaign said: "Even now in the 21st Century there are people who are on the receiving end of the most appalling and horrific abuse due to their sexuality. This is simply not right.

"We have shown through Football v Homophobia the positive message that can come about when people from all sections of society come together. But even in sport there are areas where progress is still needed before all can enjoy without fear.

"We urge everybody to get involved in some way, whether it is by putting a poster up, raising the rainbow flag or simply by letting friends and family know that equality is far from a reality for many. The more that know the further the message can be spread."

For more details on what you can do visit here.

Bi and Trans Community Consultations

Following the huge success of the 2011 edition of Football v Homophobia, The Justin Campaign was decided to reach out to both the Bi and Trans communities in the hope of creating two new initiatives - Football v Biphobia and Football v Transphobia.



However, before we launch these new initiatives, we want to hear the view of these two communities, so we can move forward and plan our strategy in the most appropriate way.

We have created two online questionnaires, one for the Bi community and one for the Trans community.

Click on the relevant questionnaire below here and let us know what you think.

Bi survey

Trans survey

Thank you for your help!

The Justin Campaign team.

Justin Campaign Article In Delayed Gratification

The Justin Campaign's Director of Communications, Alan Duffy, is featured in the latest editio of a superb new slow news quarterly, Delayed Gratification, which takes a detailed look at the news of the previous three months.

Alan discusses England cricketer Steven Davies' decision to publicly come out as well as the issue of homosexuality and sport in general.

Click on the image to see the article.

And check out Delayed Gratification is you want to subscribe to this superb publication.

Aslie Pitter MBE makes Justin Fashanu All-Stars debut

May 2nd, Justin Fashanu Day, was a busy time for the campaign, but one of the great events that took place to commemorate Justin was a football tournament in Brighton.

With teams from the Justin Fashanu All-Stars going head to head against sides including The Morning Star and Young Anarchists, the day was a huge success.

One of the highlights was the appearance of Justin Campaign patron, Aslie Pitter MBE, who currently plays for Stonewall FC. Aslie (pictured above, on the left, with Simon Hawker) donned the famous pink jersey and was one of the star performers of the day.

The Justin Fashanu All-Stars eventually bowed out in the semi-finals of the tournament. After a goalless draw in the first game, the Allstars fell behind in the second but pulled level, deservedly so through Andy Cooper's goal. This meant a play-off to reach the semi-finals

against the Socialists team. The All-Stars impressed in the clash, winning 2-0 with goals from Cooper again and a Simon Hawker penalty. However, the semi-final proved a step too far for the Allstars who succumbed to a 4-0 defeat.

The All-Stars women's side recovered from a 3-0 defeat in their first game to eventually finish runners-up in the Women's tournament. Strong defensive displays ensured three clean sheets in the competition with Sue Oliver's goal securing a 1-0 victory sandwiched in between two 0-0 draws.

Having Aslie take part was the icing on the cake on a day when we marked the anniversary of Justin's death by doing what he loved most of all - playing football.