When I read a post from Fearless Leader Legend Pete on the RMB’s Facebook page I made the surprised “Ooooh!” sound. It wasn’t a choice to make that sound, it just happened. Chelsea were going to use rainbow laces against Man Utd. Nice touch, I thought.
Then a little while later I was perusing FB looking for posts from family and friends when I came across this:
Dave is usually a good read. He’s one of those fans who not only went to games, but went to training sessions, too, so when he posts it’s normally either a lovely slice of nostalgia or a post claiming player A as the best player in the world, then useless a few weeks after. Always good for a laugh in my book. This post, however, got under my skin.
My brows raised and I tried to blow it off as banter, but then I read some of the replies. They really got under my skin. It’s almost like this section of fans doesn’t just revel in nostalgia and the good old days, but would rather actually turn back time and segregate themselves and the club from foreign fans and those who support the notion that everyone, regardless of their creed, colour or sexual orientation.
Shocking Newsflash: People aren’t just gay for pride month, folks, and if it offends you so much that you can’t bear to see anything other than red laces in your Doc Martens (Inside barb for those in the know.) for ONE DAY? It reminds of the time when a couple of Chelsea fans told me “Black goals don’t count.” back in ’84 or ’85. Sorry Canners. I look forward to the day when a Chelsea player comes out and scores the winner in a Champions League final, like Didier Drogba did in 2012 to the dismay of every racist piece of shit wielding the temerity to call themselves a Chelsea fan.
Then we have this clownshoe:
I just know this guy still smells of Brut cologne and probably has a tattoo of a Bulldog sat in front of a Union Flag on his arm. I know you thought it, too. It’s Innnnnstinct (Thanks, Al!). If Mr McGrath can’t cope with the amazing RMBs showing up to home and away games every now and then, I imagine he’ll have a nervous breakdown in a few years when a male Chelsea player finally comes out and I hope it’s your favourite player. The rest of us will give our undivided support to the team while… and this is a stab in the dark …the two Daves are swept aside and forgotten like the sons, brothers and cousins in their family who were disowned for being gay. Tout fucking suite, no less.
That shit, Mark, is the future.
Improvise, adapt and overcome, old boy, or be remembered as that guy who needs a double vodka at 11am to cope with the thought of rainbow laces showing up in public. Thank fuck that the core Chelsea fans I grew up with would be comfortable enough in their own sexuality that they’d absofuckinglutely wear rainbow laces for someone else for a day. They’d also cheer on players who do not have the courage to come out yet. It’s also the smallest token of respect and support we can give to those who sit in the stands and have to present a completely different person just to avoid getting a beating after the match. Yet here we are.
This next one is my favourite.
Anyone want to wager against this fuck knuckle not being in the wrong side of the Shed in the 80’s singing racist songs to Canners, Dubs and Jones while sporting Combat18 and Totenkopf badges on his denim jacket? I mean I was there on the other side of the Shed in the 80’s up to ’93 and I did see them. A lot.
(My daughter, who is 12, read some of this and says you’re stupid idiots and you need to reset your priorities.)
Then followed a chorus of gold chokers and sovereign coin rings clanking against each other:
I will take a moment to be serious and address Danny Tanner’s statement:
Statistically speaking there’s at least a couple of the lads in the squad who are gay and do not have the strength or conviction of belief to come out because of the people exhibited above. That’s not even going into the deeper ranks of the u23’s and academy, who are much more forward thinking and honest with themselves. And Chelsea is just one club. There 72 professional teams in the English leagues (3 of them are Welsh and we thank Wrexham for Joey Jones and Mickey Thomas.). Instead of 150-220 openly gay players in the professional tiers there’s ONE openly gay professional footballer. Not one per year, but one in 30 odd years. Why do you think no one has come out after seeing what Justin Fashanu went through when he came out in 1990?
Frankly, if I was in such a privileged position to play for Chelsea I’d wear them in support of Jake Daniels alone. I’d probably pop his name on the back of my shirt from time to time to boot.
More so it’s not just for the players on the pitch. It’s for the fans who can’t be themselves on match day and the others who are and still get abused for it. Brighton and Arsenal spring to mind as examples of supporters who have a brilliant section of fans that wear their orientation on their sleeves, and good for them. Maybe it’s even for the Chelsea fans who went to Brighton, sing rent boy songs to the opposition only to wind up getting well deserved jail time for it (yes, that happened). Maybe it’s for the Man Utd fans who sang it today.
Once being gay in the men’s game is as normalised as the women’s game is, maybe there’ll be a few less kids hanging themselves every year because they can’t cope with having to be different people depending on who they are with. And that’s what Stonewall’s Rainbow Laces campaign is really about. Read more here: https://www.stonewall.org.uk/about-us/news/why-do-we-need-rainbow-laces-campaign
I called you all out so you know how it feels to be shamed, and I pray to all the gods that don’t exist that you do feel shame, too. Within that prayer I hold a sliver of hope that this will be the kick up the arse you need to join everyone else in the 21st Century and know truly, madly and deeply that IT’S NOT ABOUT YOU.
Lastly I sincerely hope that none of the people I called out support our amazing women’s team because if you do, none of those diamonds like Sam Kerr, Fran Kirby, Jess Carter and Beth England need your two faced shithousery.
Rocky Mountain Blues 