‘AFL’ is the acronym for ‘Australian Football League’. ‘LGBTI’ is the acronym for ‘Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Intersex’ people. AFL plus LGBTI equals…?
There has been much discussion in recent years regarding whether or not the AFL, as the leading football competition in the nation, should also lead the way with inclusivity regarding LGBTI people and anti-homophobic measures.
Arguments in favour of the AFL doing so include that: it has set a number of precedents with its championing of Indigenous players, multi-culturalism, and anti-racial discrimination and anti-doping measures; based on the incidence in the general population there are probably at least 12-32 players (of the collective 792 on the 18 AFL club lists) who are gay and the AFL should overtly support those players; Victorian footballer, Jason Ball, came out in 2012 with considerable support from the AFL community; and it would take only one current AFL player who is gay to come out – with the considerable support of the AFL community – for the steam to be let out of the pressure cooker of unnecessary and unhelpful conjecture and gossip, thus allowing everyone to move on. After all, look what happened when former Australian swimming champion and world record breaker, Ian Thorpe, came out recently – nothing much, aside from everyone expressing their relief that Thorpey had finally realised it and/or found the courage to acknowledge it publicly. Australians did not fall down dead in the streets from shock; Australian sport did not cease never to resume; and current Australian swimmers did not suddenly ‘turn gay’.
Arguments against the AFL leading the LGBTI charge include that: the AFL cannot be all things to all people and should not be expected to be; no former VFL/AFL player has ever come out publicly; it appears there is no gay current AFL player who is prepared to identify publicly as such; and, in any event, it is questionable whether the AFL community is ready for such a campaign given Australia has not yet embraced same-sex marriage.
For example, take the responses of Australian media figures to Channel 7 football commentator Brian Taylor’s recent disparaging “big poofter” comment regarding Geelong Football Club’s Harry Taylor. Many observers have already noted that subsequent comments made by other sports commentators and media hosts were inadequate, disappointing and reflected that homophobia is part of the accepted culture of AFL circles. Just yesterday (01 August 2014) it was reported in The Age that another homophobic slur (“faggots”) has since been posted on Facebook by Greg Evangelou, one of Port Adelaide Football Club’s corporate sponsors. To the AFL’s credit it offered counselling to Evangelou with Jason Ball – now a prominent anti-homophobia activist. However, to the AFL’s shame it did not insist that Evangelou take up the counselling; and to Port Adelaide’s shame it did not subsequently sever ties with Evangelou.
From my perspective as a feminist, I would argue that the AFL should be pushed on this issue, otherwise the Australian football community may never consider itself ‘ready’. For example, women – technically not a minority and, certainly, a very visible group in the community – have been integral to the success of Australian football since the game was first developed in the mid-1800s, consistently comprising about half of all football crowds in addition to their extensive involvement in their own partner’s/children’s football competitions and as consumers of AFL products, etc. Yet there have been, and continue to be, precious few women formally employed in AFL roles, let alone significant/leadership ones. Further, as a passionate female football supporter, I know first-hand from numerous experiences over the years that the AFL and its constituent clubs do not consistently know whether, let alone how, to market themselves to women, with women often referred to as ‘ladies’ or, worse, ‘the ladies’. Even the female partners of AFL players continue to be condescendingly referred to as WAGs (‘wives and girlfriends’) and encouraged to parade like vacuous Barbie dolls on the red carpet on Brownlow Medal (AFL best and fairest player award) night.
All this, despite that the AFL has had a designated ‘Women’s Round’ for many years now; as part of Women’s Round the AFL has hosted a women’s football match (Melbourne versus the Western Bulldogs) in consecutive seasons, 2013 and 2014; and women’s Australian Rules football competitions are currently the fastest growing sporting competitions in Australia. AFL data reported in The Age today (02 August 2014) indicates that “169,000 females participated in the game nationally in 2013 – a huge jump from 57,000 in 2011.”
On a brighter note, I heartily commend the establishment of the Purple Bombers, “a new membership for gay and lesbian fans” of the Essendon Football Club to be available from 2015 (as also reported in The Age on 01 August 2014). Maybe this development will inspire the AFL to take on more of a leadership role in regard to this sensitive matter. However, judging by the level of sexism that persists in the AFL community, I won’t be holding my breath that eventual achievement of an AFL-sanctioned pride round equals genuine embrace of LGBTI supporters and players.
The Paddy File 