Accrington game held in support of Football v Homophobia
Our Friday night fixture against Accrington this week will be our designated Football v Homophobia match.
The One Game One Community (OGOC) group will be handing out flyers ahead of the game with the help of the Devon Lions – the first gay-friendly football club in the region – and our OGOC ambassador Guillem Bauza is proud to be supporting the event.
“With this game being against homophobia, I’m proud to be able to help the football community to improve and to make society a little bit better,” said Bauza.
“Any social difference needs to be normalised in football. Whether that’s by combating homophobia, racism, or anything – we need to welcome everyone.”
In particular, he recognised the importance that is placed on professional footballers like him and on clubs like Exeter City in leading by example. He feels that because of the public profile that football has, it is important for footballers and clubs to be outwardly tolerant and inclusive.
“We’re giving an image to the world. We are professional footballers, and many people look at us as a mirror in life – we lead examples for them,” he continued. “We need to show that we are comprehensive people that welcome anyone. By doing that, we’re making life a little better for everyone.”
Football v Homophobia is an event organised by the Justin Campaign. The campaign lists its three objectives as: to make existing football structures safe, welcoming and inclusive for LGBT people; to create opportunities for LGBT people to engage with football; and to improve representation of LGBT people throughout football.