Greetings,
Perhaps my initial intention of one new blog every week day was a bit optimistic but in fairness I have been hugely busy this week. You are not to know this however but let me tell you, my urge to write hasn't been helped by having very little to write about. I've milked Welbeck for all his worth and with silly season officially over, coupled with a drab interlull, what's a new freshfaced blogger to write about?
Then the answer came to me. I shall barrage the barriers to the end of homophobia. One chap and his blog will single handedly end one of lingering prejudices we harbour as a society... OR, one chap and his blog will jump on the bandwagon of a current and trending initiative... I shall let you be the judge.
I suppose to refer to homophobia as a lingering prejudice implies that it is one of the few remaining that just won't go away. Yet actually prejudice is still very much alive and well. With the impending doom of intelligence paving the way for fascist pretenders such as UKIP to gain significant political footing, gender roles changing yet not balancing, and regular people continually getting shafted by life there is certainly a lot of scope for prejudice to cultivate. Depressing? Absolutely. Nevertheless, I did start this with a few small anecdotes in mind and wish to show support to the #rainbowlaces campaign from the safety of the anonymity behind my laptop.
In Tim Stillman's latest post on Arseblog, he wrote very much in favour of #rainbowlaces and the pride he felt that Arsenal have started to lead the way in the campaign to kick homophobia out of football. This is indeed a very nice point. He also talked about how it is very much a battle against the unknown or unconsidered prejudice we may all inherently hold. A point I must agree with. I'm ashamed to confess that while I am 100% in favour of it, part of me was reluctant to express my support until I others had shown their favour. I am certain I am not the only one who has experienced this inner conflicted and often allowed the prejudice to win because it is easier, but thanks to some less cowardly individuals than myself there seems to be some momentum behind this campaign.
As recently as last month, while I enjoyed watching Arsenal lose one nil to Monaco in the Emirates cup, I had the pleasure of sitting in front of a genuine Neanderthal and his silent partner who I can only assume was slightly embarrassed in his silence. The cave troll could not contain his anger and disbelief at the 'Gay Gooners' banner at the other side of the stadium. He did not build an argument of any kind for exactly why the banner was a ridiculous; partly because there isn't one, partly, I expect, because he was incapable. As he spoke he voiced such gems of wit as "f$kin gay gooners?" and "I'm gonna go over there and rip it down!" while I thought "go on then... I'd like to see you try... As if you could...".
Did I confront the cretin? Of course not. I'm too cowardly remember?
I did, however, take some arbitrary solace when I discovered that he was a West Ham fan.
Typical West Ham fan - forever blowing bubbles
I hope Jenkinson doesn't come back with a protruding forehead
Anyway, if the Gay Gooners and #rainbowlaces can help people get accustomed to the fact that liking football and being gay do not have to be mutually exclusive then all the better, but there is certainly a long road ahead.
As a Primary school teacher, I am very careful about the images I present to my kids. If I show them football, I try to give equal time to both men and women's football. If I show them firefighters, I am careful to include females as well as males and different races. But, while I would absolutely not tolerate any prejudice from my students regarding gender, race or even homophobia, I am not comfortable enough to value homosexuality as I would all genders, races and religions. Part of this is because of the word sexuality. It's embedded in the language but surely being gay is more than just about sexual preferences. The reason I am uncomfortable in valuing it is because I fear the backlash of parents because of the general perception towards homosexuality and I don't feel confident it's a fight I can win, nor do I feel the support is in place to deal with this sort of situation.
As pathetic as it is, the world is not ready to fully accept homosexuality, but I hope campaigns such as #rainbowlaces can give help prepare us. After all, I'm definitely in support of it online and in public, now that I realise it's okay to be.
No comments:
Post a Comment