Matt Lucas has claimed that he has been subjected to homophobic abuse by football fans before a match “twice so far this season”.
The former Great British Bake Off presenter, who is an out gay man, took to X (formerly Twitter) to recount the horrific verbal abuse allegedly aimed at him when he attended football matches.
The comedian-come-actor said on the site on Wednesday (4 December): “I have been verbally abused twice on the way to football matches so far this season.”
He continued: “On both occasions, I was minding my own business, head down, walking to the ground. I was called ‘a f***ing queer c***’ by one man and another told me that ‘our club doesn’t want disgusting gay fans’.
“If you’re a player and that offends you less than wearing a rainbow-coloured armband for a couple of matches, then maybe you’re part of the problem.”
He did not specify which team the fans are supporters of.
Lucas’ recount comes after new research by Stonewall suggests that a quarter of LGBTQ+ people do not feel welcome during live sporting events.
The research from the LGBTQ+ charity found that LGBTQ+ people felt unwelcome or unsafe whilst playing or watching sports. Furthermore, Stonewall discovered that one in four LGBTQ+ people do not feel welcome in community sports groups or community team sports.
Blackpool FC striker Jake Daniels, England’s only out gay male professional footballer, said that the statistics show “too many” LGBTQ+ people still feel unwelcome when it comes to sports.
He said: “I know first-hand what it feels like to have to hide who you are on the pitch and the impact that has on participating in the sports you love.
“While we’ve seen so much progress over the past decade, these statistics highlight that too many of us still feel unwelcome and unsafe in sport. In 2024, LGBTQ+ people deserve better.”
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