Brighton football fans receive anti-gay abuse after Leeds United game

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Brighton and Hove Albion football fans were once again subjected to a barrage of homophobic taunts following Saturday’s away day match against Leeds United – with both cities hosting Pride events on the same weekend.

As Brighton hosted its annual Pride festival on Saturday, the atmosphere outside Leeds’ Elland Road stadium after the 2-1 defeat to United was anything but gay-friendly.

We Are Brighton reports several Albion fans were subjected to homophobic abuse as they waited for taxis.

The site says: “For anybody who thinks homophobia isn’t a problem in football or is just ‘banter’, then a visit to Elland Road on Saturday would have been more than enough to dispel those sorts of thoughts.”

Research in May found Brighton fans were on the receiving end of homophobic abuse at 57% of all matches.

We Are Brighton says: “After the game when queuing for taxis back into the city centre, there were large groups of fans screaming gay abuse with the terms AIDS and faggots being banded about, getting in people’s faces while grabbing their testicles and shouting obscene personal abuse.

“Around the station it was just as bad with people going out of their way to come up to Brighton fans and dish out some more discrimination – one particular favourite being ‘f**king gay see you next Tuesday’.”

The site adds: “It’s no wonder that Robbie Rogers felt he had to retire after announcing he was gay (ironically after leaving Leeds) and we all know there is absolutely sod all the FA will do about it.

“We like football banter as much as the next fans, but Saturday went well beyond what could be considered acceptable. A shame really as it did tar what was otherwise a fantastic weekend away.

“The biggest irony of all of course being that all these Brighton fans who were getting abused for being gay had left the city on Pride weekend, while Leeds held its own Pride parade on Sunday – we’re sure some of the prejudiced locals would have loved that!”

 

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