Football v Homophobia

How many talented players give up on football at a young age because of homophobia? Ouissem Belgacem was one of those players, a highly-rated defender in Toulouse’s academy and a Tunisia youth international. But he quit football, aged just 20, pushed out by the sport he still loves. Belgacem is now one of the most influential LGBTQ voices in France. He’s an author, public speaker and now a documen...

The build-up to the 2026 World Cup has been stormy and turbulent… any sign of a rainbow? Possibly! Football unites the world (apparently) - and as always, LGBTQ+ football folks look set to make themselves seen and heard during the biggest sports event on Planet Earth. This special episode of the FvH Podcast looks at the Men’s World Cup through a queer lens. Host Jon Holmes from FvH and Sports Medi...

Luke Tuffs has been a first-team coach and manager in non-league football for more than a decade. From being a key figure in Hartley Wintney's FA Cup and FA Vase runs, to taking the managerial reins at Knaphill, Ashford Town (Middlesex) and Leatherhead, he has considerable coaching experience in the semi-professional scene. In his second spell at Ashford Town, he recently led the team to a lea...

February marks the Football v Homophobia Month of Action, and for Premier League clubs and fan groups, there's a fresh initiative from the Premier League - it's called 'With Pride'. Across consecutive match rounds, there will be a focus on education and celebration for the LGBTQ+ community in the game, as the league moves on from the long-running Rainbow Laces campaign. On this epi...

To mark Trans Awareness Week 2025, we’ve got a question of sport for you - where did all the trans footballers go? Despite attempts to erase what is a very small group, and from the women’s grassroots game in particular, these players have by no means packed their boots away. With the support of many inspirational clubs and leagues, the action and the activism continues. On this special Football v...

Having scored more than 200 goals for his local club, based in a small village in Somerset, Callum Hodge can say with confidence that he’s made his mark in grassroots football. Millions of men across the U.K. play at a similar level every week - but Callum’s story is unusual. He came out as gay in his early 20s and has carried on playing into his late 30s. He’s yet to meet another player at this l...

‘Footballer’ - that’s what is written in Lars Fellows’ Instagram bio, along with Pride flags and a kiss emoji for the TV show that’s changed his life. Lars is our guest on a special episode of the FvH Podcast. The first-ever trans contestant on the BBC’s ‘I Kissed a Boy’ shares his football story in the media for the first time, and it’s an enthralling tale. As an Under-18, he played at a high lev...

The sun may have set on the masseria for another year, but don’t worry... we’ve got one of the lads from hit TV show ‘I Kissed A Boy’ season 2 right here, on the FvH Podcast! Not only was Jordan Burrow one of our faves from this latest series, but he also showed his football credentials by donning a tangerine kit to honour footballer Jake Daniels, who’s still the only out gay player in the men’s g...

It’s party time! The Football v Homophobia campaign is in the mood for dancing because Awards Night is here once again - and this year, we’re all going to Glasgow! This is the sixth staging of the only event of its kind, recognising outstanding achievement in the field of LGBTQ+-inclusive football - from the professional clubs setting the standard, to the fan groups that are bringing folks back to...

In the history of the Rainbow Laces campaign, LGBTQ supporters groups have been pivotal - think of Proud Hornets’ huge rainbow mosaic at Watford, fans getting to chat with first-team players, and clubs and community trusts sharing the stories of members. However, in the 2024 activation, three groups in the Premier League - Crystal Palace’s Proud and Palace, Manchester United’s Rainbow Devils and I...

It's a huge weekend in the Women's Super League and Championship, with bumper crowds expected on a round of fixtures all being played at the clubs' main stadiums - from Goodison Park to the Amex, from St James' Park to The Valley, a lot of eyes will be on women's football. And they'll be seeing a lot of rainbows, as it's a Rainbow Laces activation too. So how important is the LGBTQ+ inclusion in s...

Collin Martin has hit two USL milestones this season - 150 games and more than 10,000 minutes played. In his own words, he's a "steady" midfield performer... yet the path he took was very uncertain back in 2018 when he came out publicly as gay. In this episode, Collin joins host Jon Holmes for a chat at a time when he and his North Carolina FC teammates are bidding to seal a spot in the USL Champi...

With an impressive Australia Cup run, top spot in the final league table and state silverware to boot, it's been a season to remember for South Melbourne FC. Winger Andy Brennan has been a key man in the club's successful campaign, chipping in with several goals. Now 31, he came out publicly as gay in 2019 and is thriving in the second tier of soccer Down Under. Andy joins podcast host Jon...

A host nation for a major men's football tournament that doesn't have anti-gay laws? Welcome to Germany for the UEFA European Championship! For LGBTQ+ fans and allies, this tournament is a refreshing change compared to the last two World Cups in Russia and Qatar. It will also feel different from the pan-continental staging of the previous Euros, held while the pandemic was ongoing. So what...

A project in Germany called “Sports Free” has suggested gay and bi professional footballers in the men’s game should consider coming out as a group. The date of May 17 - which is IDAHOBIT, the International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia - has been put forward as a window of opportunity for this. But what would go through the mind of a gay player who is considering taking this st...

There haven't been many stories shared by transgender footballers in the UK, which makes Blair Hamilton and Natalie Washington two trailblazers in the sport. Blair is a goalkeeper for Saltdean United Women. She plays in the fifth tier of the women's game in England, while Natalie is a level below at tier six. On this special episode of the FvH Podcast in support of the annual Week of Actio...

'Rylan: Football, Homophobia and Me' is the latest TV documentary to explore the experience of being LGBTQ+ in the game. Produced by Buzz 16 for TNT Sports, it has a different feel to similar films, given a very personal touch by its hugely likeable presenter - a big West Ham supporter and football fan in general - while focusing on people within the game who are out as gay and bi and who...

It can feel like the toughest decision you'll ever make - but being true to yourself, your teammates, coaches and colleagues is the winning feeling that every LGBTQ+ person in football deserves. On this episode of the FvH Podcast, Jon Holmes is joined by two referees for a conversation about the upsides of coming out and how to look out for others when they might be feeling down. Dan McFarlane...

In Manchester on Pride weekend, the Football v Homophobia campaign revived a big get-together for the LGBTQ+ community in the game - an event that had previously been held online during the pandemic summer of 2020. This time, however, it was in person and fully fabulous! At a symposium at Man Met University, queer football culture was celebrated, from the inclusive vibes of the Women’s World Cup t...

Lovers of the game are gearing up to go Down Under for the ninth FIFA Women's World Cup and with the tournament fast approaching, that's where our LGBTQ+ focus lies for a special Pride Month episode. For the third consecutive year, the podcast is celebrating the Football Writers' Association's support for Sports Media LGBT+ , with both organisations keen to send out the message tha...

Hundreds of millions of people worldwide are on Twitter and within that, there's 'Football Twitter' - the sizeable cohort of users who support their clubs fiercely, who comment on the latest news and gossip constantly, and who interact with just about anything to do with the game. 'Football Twitter' (or 'FT') has also become notorious for anti-LGBTQ+ abuse and discrimin...

"You can't win a championship without gays!" - a quote uttered by Megan Rapinoe at the World Cup in France in 2019 that has already passed into women's football folklore. Two years later, the simple tweet "they're lesbians, Stacey" under a picture of Sam Kerr and Kristie Mewis at the Tokyo Olympics quickly took on legendary status, becoming a T-shirt slogan, catchph...

We're back with a new episode to mark the annual Week of Action for the Football v Transphobia campaign, and helping to sprinkle some stardust on proceedings is one of TV's favourite soap actors! Ash Palmisciano is a familiar face on the small screen having played the part of Matty Barton in Emmerdale since 2018 - it's a groundbreaking role as Matty is the first trans character in the...

It’s the annual Month of Action for Football v Homophobia - clubs, leagues and county FAs are stepping up to be campaign champions, while people at all levels of the game are finding ways to celebrate LGBTQ+ inclusion. On this episode, the winner of the 2022 FvH Hero Award - Cheshunt FC Women’s Hayley Wood-Thompson - joins Sports Media LGBT+’s Jon Holmes to discuss the stand-out contribution that...

At Chelsea's first three games of 2023 - and in the Manchester United vs Everton tie in the FA Cup - some fans have been heard singing a chant that's depressingly familiar - "Chelsea rent boys". The Football v Homophobia campaign is determined to help dismantle this discriminatory chant. Helping host Jon Holmes of Sports Media LGBT+ to kick it into touch on this episode of the podcast are: Jake Wi...