This month, a football team was named after gay footballer, Justin Fashanu, who killed himself almost 11 years ago. The Justin Fashanu All-stars was christened at a special event in Brighton, which was supported by the FA. The team, named in his honour, was created by the Justin Campaign which promotes the inclusion of openly gay players in football. To date, Fashanu is still the only prominent professional footballer in the country to have disclosed that he was gay.
The former Nottingham Forest and Norwich striker was 37 years old when he committed suicide in his east London garage in May 1998. Fashanu was listed at number 99 in the top 500 lesbian and gay heroes in The Pink Paper, 26th September 1997.
Jason Hall, from the Justin Campaign, said: “We decided that the best thing to do was to have a campaigning football team so the football does the talking. Hopefully [we'll] change people’s opinions of gay people on the pitch.”
The Justin Fashanu All-stars is open to both gay and straight footballers and will play its first fixtures at the Gay Football Supporters’ Network five-a-side tournament in early June. The Gay Football Supporters Network (GFSN) is a UK non-profit organisation founded in early 1989 by a small group of football fans.
Things may be changing in Europe too, with Barcelona the first Spanish club to officially accept a gay and lesbian football supporters’ group. Members of the gay and lesbian peña gather at the city’s Quiroga bar to watch their team play away matches. The peña also recently organised the first meeting of European gay football supporters, who have also formed club groups in Germany and elsewhere.
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