This has been a groundbreaking year for LGBTQ+ people in sport.
From the representation present in our Lionesses that brought football home, to the 40 open athletes competing at the Commonwealth Games, and of course, the bravery of Blackpool FC’s Jake Daniels becoming our first out, gay, footballer in over 30 years, 2022 has been pretty special.
This year, Rainbow Laces celebrates its ninth anniversary and as we enter Rainbow Laces season (October 19 -31) it is as exciting as ever to see fitness facilities, professional clubs and fan groups gearing up to show their support for LGBTQ+ inclusion in sport. From Basketball teams in Bolton to watersports clubs in Aberystwyth – players and spectators alike are lacing up.
This supports extends past the pitch, with iconic brands, including Sky Sports, Adidas and the Premier League, coming together to renew their commitment to making sport everyone’s game. Back in 2013, the prominence of Rainbow Laces as it is today, and the celebration of our community would have seemed quite unthinkable.
Alongside Paddy Power and the Arsenal Men’s team of the 2012/13 season, we focused on highlighting how far football had to go. Even in a world where society was increasingly embracing our lives, sport often proved a last frontier.
‘5,000 professional footballers in England, and not a single one is gay’, began one of our adverts. ‘What are the odds on that?’ Now, nine years on, we’ve distributed more than a million laces, seen famous figures – such as England captains Harry Kane and Leah Williamson - wear rainbow armbands in support of LGBTQ+ inclusion in sport, and entire stadiums light up in the iconic rainbow colours.
The campaign has been embraced by communities up and down the country in a way that I would never have thought possible. And it’s more than just awareness; the campaign has had a real impact on changing attitudes.
New research commissioned by Stonewall highlights that the number of people who see homophobic remarks or banter as ‘acceptable’ has halved over the last five years; from 25% in 2017 to 14% in 2022. This follows research from 2020 which showed that two-thirds of sport fans who interacted with the Rainbow Laces campaign considered that they has a responsibility to stick up for LGBTQ+ fans of the teams and sports they follow.
With 12 million hits on our campaign so far, we know that sport is moving in the right direction. Attitudes don’t change overnight, and this monumental shift is down to the hard work that everyone, from the Premier League, grassroots teams and the vast network of LGBTQ+ fan groups have done to actively include and celebrate LGBTQ+ people in sports and fitness.
As a lesbian who’s played football her whole life, it’s been amazing to see so many people show their love for Rainbow Laces. It’s more than just a lace, it’s a movement that says sport is for everyone, no matter who you are. However, despite these positive changes, the fight is far from over.
Research from 2019 highlighted that in 2019, across Europe, eight in ten (82 per cent) LGBTQ+ people witnessed homophobia, biphobia and transphobia in sport. Our latest data shows that, while most sports fans won’t tolerate anti-LGBTQ+ bigotry, most recognise that there is still more to do to create a sporting world where everyone can thrive as themselves.
Although we have such important role models like Josh Cavallo, Beth Mead and Zander Murray, we know that not everyone who comes out is met with the same support. It’s fantastic to see an outpouring of love when anyone in the public eye comes out, but there are still far too many instances where being visibly LGBTQ+ has negatively impacted athletes that have made these brave decisions – and far too many instances where LGBTQ+ fans and players are made to feel unwelcome participating in the games that they love, in terraces, in the gym, and online.
Our research showed that just 40% of us feel that sport is welcoming for LGB men and women, whilst less than three in ten think sport is welcoming for trans athletes. So, this year, we want people to celebrate the achievements of LGBTQ+ athletes while continuing to speak up.
Just recently, we’ve seen world renowned footballers make ‘jokes’ about coming out and one of the largest sporting events in the world – the 2022 Qatar Men’s World Cup – is being held in a country which criminalises homosexuality with the death penalty. We’re nowhere near done fighting for LGBTQ+ inclusion in sport.
At a time when we’re all facing unprecedented global, economic and political challenges, sport has the unparalleled ability to bring us together. So, this year, we’re asking you to keep up the fight to create a world in which we are all free to be our true selves, no matter our identity. We must keep pushing for change. Inclusion has no off season.
