There is endless discussion in football right now about whether the sport is a safe place for the LGBTQ+ community.
Only a handful of professionals worldwide in the men’s game have publicly come out as gay, and the attempts by some authorities to positively support LGBTQ+ communities has often been met with ridicule or worse – not only on social media but also in grounds themselves.
Former Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson, a previous ally of the gay community, has essentially cut his ties by signing for a club in Saudi Arabia, where it is illegal to be gay and potentially punishable by death.
Is the game moving forwards on this respect? Is it as hard as it ever was to come out?
A new play at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival this weekend – written by the journalist Rob Crossan and performed by Chris Larner – focuses on this issue – in the glare of the public spotlight.
It’s at Underbelly Bristo Square, Dexter, Aug 6-13′ – and you can get tickets to ‘The Gaffer’ here.
As a Liverpool fan with progressive views and a feeling that things need to change so that football is for everyone, this is probably worth a watch, Reds.