Scotland's first openly gay professional footballer has called on fans of the game to stamp out homophobia in the stands and online.
Zander Murray, who plays for League 2 side Bonnyrigg Rose FC, says there has been a "huge shift" in attitudes towards LGBT people among players, club staff and officials in recent years. However, largely older fans and online trolls continue to dole out discriminatory abuse.
The 31-year-old fears budding footballers struggling with their sexuality could be driven out of the game. The striker, who came out last September, has been investigating homophobia in Scottish football for a new BBC documentary airing on Monday.
Speaking to the Record, Zander said: "I feel there's been a huge shift from 20 years ago, a huge amount of work among players and coaching staff, to the point I don't expect homophobic slurs from anyone like that.
"There is still so much work to be done with the fans. You see it online, and it's still in the stands."
Asked if the abuse largely came from older fans, he added: "Spot on. [These are] people who used that language back in the day, never understanding how that could be hurting someone that's in the closet.
"What I don't know is if they're intentionally trying to hurt people. They need to understand how their words hurt the people right there in the stands – the LGBT fan groups – and the players on the pitch as well.
"I've got enough armour that I can handle it, but what about the person who is struggling with their sexuality that can't?"
Zander, who trained with Motherwell and Airdrie, says he hasn't faced discrimination face-to-face since coming out in September. But he still hears homophobic chants from the stands and admits he occasionally struggles with the abuse he faces from Twitter trolls.
He added: "Online, on Twitter, it hasn't been pleasant, and when playing it's certainly happened. Coming out created a lot of public attention that can be quite tough. Getting insult after insult...we all have good days and bad days."
However, the Motherwell and Airdrie youth player says he has been encouraged by efforts among Scottish football bodies and clubs, as well as LGBT fans, to stamp out abuse.
He added: "I want the other wee Zanders watching it to know they are empowered and deep, deep down not to give up just because of their sexuality.
"I bet it's staggering, the number of promising footballers that give up because of their sexuality because they don't fit in. I hope that for one person it hits home and they just keep fighting."
Zander is the first openly gay player in Scottish professional football since Justin Fashanu, who played for Airdrie and Hearts in the early 90s.
His decision to reveal his sexuality came months after Scottish referees Craig Napier and Lloyd Wilson also came out as gay.
A Scottish FA spokesperson said: "Football should be a safe and welcoming environment for all involved in the national game. One of the pillars of our strategy is education, and we believe this is key to reducing the prevalence of homophobia both on the pitch, and in the stands.
“We are seeing progress in tackling homophobia. On the back of the Football vs Homophobia Month of Action in February, we’ve seen an increase in reporting of incidents, which allows us to take appropriate action, both in terms of sanctions and making further education mandatory.
“The Scottish FA encourages everyone to report any instances of homophobia across the game, and you can do so here."
Disclosure - OUT ON THE PITCH presented by Zander Murray is on BBC One at 8pm on Monday 13th March and also available on BBC iPlayer.
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