A new short documentary film from BBC Radio visits with two soccer teams in England and builds dialogue about why there are no openly gay soccer players in the Premier League.
The London Titans are a gay soccer team that members say are a safe haven from the homophobia that many of its members have experienced in the sport. The Lads are a group of straight guys who have been recruited to play in a match against the Titans.
The film, ‘We Are Gay And We Love Football Too,’ uses these two teams to engage in a conversation about homophobia in the sport and what has kept every gay Premier League and elite-level pro soccer player in England in the closet since Justin Fashanu in the 1990s. A big part of the conclusion is “banter,” and the film spends a lot of time digging into the effect that homophobic language has on gay athletes.
The main character of the film, if there is one, is Tom, a goalie with the Titans who left soccer because he felt uncomfortable as a gay man there. Now that he’s found the Titans, he feels he can give the sport another chance.
You can find the London Titans on Facebook, or on Twitter @londontitansfc. They also have a Web site.
