The international days against homophobia?

At B42, it's not just once a year.

It is anchored in our corporate values and is therefore valid every day of the year.

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Working together against homophobia in soccer

The magazine 11Freunde was headlined in 2021 “You can count on us.” In a statement of solidarity, 800 professional soccer players assured that they would support, encourage and, if necessary, defend homosexual soccer players against hostility if they decided to come out.

They made the fundamental maladministration clear right at the beginning of their statement:

“Even in 2021, there is not a single openly homosexual soccer player in the German men's professional leagues. The fear of being hostile and ostracized after a coming out and of jeopardizing their career as a professional soccer player is apparently still so great that gay soccer players believe they have to hide their sexuality.”

The campaign, which was signed by Max Kruse, Christoph Kramer and Niklas Stark, among others, is & was great and worth thinking about. Great because it is an important step towards non-discriminatory soccer. Because she comes straight from the center of professional soccer thanks to the support of 800 players. Because it creates attention. The statement is worth considering in view of the fact that there is still not a single openly homosexual professional soccer player. In 2023!

It's unfortunate that it's obviously still a big deal when men love men.

It is disturbing that there is apparently still a great fear of the reactions of the ranks as soon as they are allowed to be filled again. There is also the concern of becoming journalistic focus, of being permanently promoted onto the media stage by Bild & Co. - and not with regard to soccer performance over the weekend.

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Sexual orientation is a private matter — social pressure is not

In fact, there are soccer players who do not comply with a heteronormative gender model. There are soccer players who hide their sexual identity.

Anyone who believes that 100 percent of German professional soccer players like women also believes in the Sandman.

And, of course, it is fair to argue that this is a private matter and does not concern anyone. But if social grievances mean that people hide their true identity, have to play a role, and are afraid of public pressure, then this must be addressed.

Hence a suggestion: How would it be if the country's major media — from boulevard to reputable news magazine, from public radio to private trash TV channel — gathered behind their own statement? A statement in which they commit to taking up the first player's outing for a week, but then refraining from larger media coverage of his sexual orientation.

What would it be like if all soccer clubs in the first to third leagues set an example and formulated a commitment that makes consistent action mandatory if homophobic statements were made in a stand?

What would it be like if the DFL presented a hard-hitting catalogue of measures to punish homophobic failures in the stands? Game interruption, painful fines or ghost games, even after Corona — the catalog of measures has a lot to offer.

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The perfect time for an outing? Now

Perhaps, after an outing from a professional player, the general public will also realize that a person's sexual orientation is actually no longer a big deal. That the idiots who speak out homophobic must justify themselves - and not the players who have shown courage and are tired of playing hide and seek.

Thomas Hitzlsperger received widespread attention after the outing after his professional career, but almost exclusively received great encouragement. Today, he is not the “gay” president of VfB Stuttgart. He is the president of VfB Stuttgart. He is currently receiving plenty of criticism from fans — but it is completely independent of his sexual orientation.

Every year, players find the courage to come out. Jake Daniels. Jakub Janto. They have already taken this path as role models. Fearless. They “kicked off” the game against the homophobic team.

Let's do everything we can to win this game — as officials, as playersinside, as a team colleaguewithin, as people.

Be fearless. Be focused. B42