This is a story about the queer community in footy. It’s not a story about hate – although make no mistake, that’s certainly the stage upon which this plays out. It’s been a long, trying week in AFL land, after all. When Adelaide’s Izak Rankine used a homophobic slur at an opposition player, the league took four days to sanction him. People in the LGBTQIA+ community felt every excruciating second of that wait, and were subjected to waves of online abuse while they did.
And then, the verdict. The AFL reneged on their stated precedent, and they reduced Rankine’s suspension. Their first real test on tackling homophobia – from a star player with something tangible to lose on the brink of finals – and they caved. The result seems to have emboldened some of the worst elements of AFL-watching society, and the comment sections are still rife with the most eclectic spread of homophobic hate speech you’re likely to see. It’s been a rough week.
