It’s great that top players wear these laces but they need to speak up, too
GAY REFEREE RYAN ATKIN ON THE WEEKEND’S RAINBOW CAMPAIGN
THIS weekend, football grounds up and down England will be awash with rainbows. From laces worn by players to corner flags, the Premier League and EFL will be making their most visible display of support for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people in sport.
It is the fifth year that LGBT charity Stonewall have run their Rainbow Laces initiative but the first when a referee taking to the field is openly gay.
Ryan Atkin, who will be in the middle for the Premier League 2 clash between Watford and Millwall on Monday, became football’s first openly gay referee when he came out in August.
Since then, the 32-year-old has received an overwhelmingly positive response within the footballing community.
Atkin is determined to change attitudes in football, a sport where there are no out gay male professional players in England. He believes it’s the perfect time for players and pundits to stand up, speak out and challenge homophobia in football.
‘Rainbow Laces has been fantastic in increasing awareness for LGBT athletes and supporters but the danger is that football treats this campaign as a gimmick,’ said Atkin. ‘That players wear the laces for a week then things go back to normal. What actual change does that bring? ‘When I tune in to watch Match
of the Day, I would love it if the pundits discussed the campaign — even if it was for just one minute.
‘Gary Lineker, like many others, has worn rainbow laces on the programme before and tweeted about doing so. Somebody like him would make even more of a positive impact this weekend by talking on air about why he is participating in the campaign. If he said “Homophobic abuse is not acceptable and has no place in football” it would have a huge impact.
‘Football has a responsibility to create an inclusive environment where gay players, officials and supporters can feel comfortable being themselves. Being forced to hide who you are in any walk of life is a massive drain on you mentally.’
An assistant referee in the Football League for five years, Atkin is now a fourth official in the EFL and referees matches in the National League North and South.
Yet his dream of officiating in the Premier League seemed distant when Atkin saw his own performances suffer, weighed down by the pressure of concealing his sexuality.
‘Before this season, I had told some straight friends and family that I was gay but none of my colleagues in the game,’ he said. ‘Having to lie and cover things up had a negative impact on my refereeing.
‘In 2015, I was demoted due to my on-field performances. My personal life was not stable and that affected my football. It was only once I accepted who I was in my personal life that I began to enjoy football and my refereeing again.’
Growing up in Plymouth, Atkin decided to start refereeing matches in the Devon Junior and Minor League because, he jokes, ‘I could not play football to save my life’. But there was another reason, too.
‘Part of the reason why I became a referee was because I wanted to have the image of being straight,’ he says. ‘If you are a boy, society expects that you will like football.’
In a recent survey by Attitude magazine, 69 per cent of gay men said they had been on the receiving end of homophobic insults as a result of appearing feminine. More than two-fifths said they were made to feel less of a man because of their sexuality. According to a BBC Radio 5 Live survey last year, half of all football supporters say they have heard homophobic abuse at matches.
It is little wonder, then, that Atkin felt he had to conform to a stereotype in the traditionally masculine football environment.
‘When I look back, refereeing was a way of covering up who I was,’ he added. ‘At the end of last season I was promoted to my current level and I thought, “It’s now or never. I need this and the game needs this”.’
Since coming out, Atkin has been met with nothing but support from the players he officiates, managers and his colleagues in the game. There has been little by way of homophobic abuse from the terraces.
He says: ‘At one match I heard a man shout, “He must be one of them — you can tell from his haircut”. I just laughed.
‘Within the white lines, football is like a family. My positive experiences are by no means unique. We are now seeing official LGBT supporters’ groups at clubs up and down the country. The ambassador for Bradford’s group is Neville Southall, who has been vocal on Twitter in his support for LGBT people in sport.
‘Now, we need current Premier League stars to not just wear the laces but use their huge social media followings to actively challenge homophobia.
‘When I was growing up, no one in football was talking about these issues. To have known that I had an ally in the game would have made a world of difference. That is the impact a programme like Match of the Day can have by talking about this subject.
‘If it helps just one player, official or supporter gain the confidence to be themselves, it will have been more than worth it.’