Manchester United has announced a new partnership with LGBT organization Stonewall UK that affirms the club’s commitment to LGBT inclusion and steps up its efforts to combating homophobic language and other problematic issues in and around the club.
The Premier League team is the first to form an official partnership with Stonewall UK, which is the country’s leading LGBT-rights group. Stonewall UK has formed a new program called TeamPride, which focuses on best practices in stamping out anti-LGBT bias in sports.
"Manchester United always looks to be a leader in everything it does and we are proud to be the first sports club to sign up to TeamPride,” said Manchester United’s Group Managing Director Richard Arnold.
"The club has an ongoing commitment to equality across all areas and with 659 million followers around the world, it is our responsibility to show support and recognition to everybody who loves this football club.”
That’s a lot of followers to send a message of inclusion.
These kinds of partnerships are widespread in the United States, with leagues and teams engaging various LGBT organizations — like You Can Play, GLAAD and GLSEN — for years.
