Is it?

How many professional footballers have ever come out (before, during or after their careers)? Fashanu was one, but any others?

How many professional rugby players (apart from Gareth Thomas) likewise?

A stairway to Heaven and a Highway to Hell give some indication of expected traffic numbers

Not until one comes out it isn't... clearly, as theres no proof that there are

The Voice of Reason In An Otherwise Mediocre World

Hey guys freedom of speach is great but it doesn't mean you have the right to torment other people becuase that generally then falls under hate speach.

Feel free to look it up [Link]

End of the day everyone should be able to have a debate and be free to discuss their ideas and thoughts. That doesn't mean you are free to bully, slander or torment others who live their life different to you just becuase you don't accept them. That then becomes hate speach and not free speach.

For anyone who thinks clamping down on hate speach impeads people's free speach im afraid your missing the mark.

For me your attitude towards what should be banned is a dangerous one. I agree with you about the unpleasantness of anti homosexual sentiment that you occasionally get from wallies or groups of wallies in the crowd.....But your frustration that people believe different things to you is one thing....Supporting action against chants is a step too far....I'm not sure what you want this guy to do otherwise.

'Those banned who made these vile statements deserve the bans given whether it was made then or now, surely we can differentiate between freedom of speech and bigotry?'

I take issue with this. How on earth did we get to a stage where if someone's being a 'bigot' (a highly subjective view of course) means that they should be banned? I read views I don't like on Hol all the time. I don't believe in banning people who express them. I take serious issue with this idea that people aren't allowed to dislike something and can't be debated without the fear that someone's going to ban them. I agree that everyone should conduct myself properly but, outside of not supporting or accepting violence against people, I take serious issue with people being controlled to fit an accepted worldview.

I don't believe in 'protecting' one group anymore than any other group. I believe in fairly protecting everybody. I agree that providing opportunities to talented people not born with the right connections has merit but I'm also wary about how this has been used.

Edited by Stirlingsays (30 Jul 2017 7.04pm)

'Who are you and how did you get in here? I'm a locksmith. And, I'm a locksmith.' (Leslie Nielsen)

According to the last reliable poll taken on people with sexualities where they haven't selected heterosexual....It's about one in twenty.

I suspect it's higher...more like one in fifteen....I also suspect that within that hetrosexual group a fair percentage have had sexual experiences...consensual or not...that weren't heterosexual.

It doesn't necessarily make them homosexual but it just highlights the reality that sexuality is to a certain extent nebulous to a percentage of people.

So there is probably at least one or two homosexual or bisexual players in every squad.

They have a right to privacy or a right to expression. If they choose expression I expect the vast majority will not consider it a big deal.....However initially it would provide a section of the opposition fans something else to be abusive about. But over time this gets old even for them.

Edited by Stirlingsays (30 Jul 2017 6.50pm)

'Who are you and how did you get in here? I'm a locksmith. And, I'm a locksmith.' (Leslie Nielsen)

I absolutely agree we can't and shouldn't create so called safe spaces (not least on here!) so that people are shielded from particular opinions but I suppose the point I'm trying to make is why are we trying to normalise homophobia any more so than any other type of discrimination?

If we were to substitute the subject matter of GT's doc to say, racism and the response garnered on here from a select few drew nasty responses I'd wager the offenders would hounded out post haste. Alongside this if us as fans made racist chants at opposition players and/or fans I'd think we'd play behind closed doors and face massive financial sanctions as a result.

So why should this level of abuse be acceptable/tolerable when it comes to the LGBT community? GT made this point in the doc and he's got every right to make it.