Rugby stars fail to toe the line over rainbow laces
SEVERAL England rugby players are risking the wrath of anti-homophobia campaigners by not wearing LGBT awareness rainbow laces as they claim they make their boots uncomfortable.
At least two members of the national team, which takes on Australia at Twickenham today, confirmed they will not be wearing the laces for the match, which had been earmarked as a day of promotion for LGBT rights.
The Rugby Football Union provided players with laces from the charity Stonewall UK for England’s final match of 2018, but both Ben Te’o, the centre, and flanker Sam Underhill confirmed they will not be re-stringing their boots.
“I won’t be wearing them personally,” said Underhill, 22. “That is more to do with, and it sounds a bit ridiculous given the size of the issue, the thickness of the laces.
“They are actually really uncomfortable and really long. I fully support the LGBT community. That is something we are all very keen that people know.” Te’o will face his former housemate Israel Folau, an Australian full-back who sparked outrage on Instagram when he said gay people would go to hell unless they repented and turned to God. Te’o said: “I haven’t got the laces at the moment. I’ll just leave my boots as I’ve had them for the autumn.”
Peter Tatchell, the anti-homophobia campaigner said: “The excuse that the laces are too thick and too long sounds a bit lame but could be true. Given that Sam has affirmed his support for LGBT rights, I don’t think he can be fairly criticised.”
The Rainbow Laces campaign began in 2013 when the gay rights group Stonewall invited footballers to wear them. But this year’s campaign gathered added significance in rugby after Gareth Thomas, the former Wales captain, was the victim of a homophobic attack last weekend in Cardiff.
Serge Simon, vice-president of the French Rugby Federation, suggested France’s players would wear rainbow laces this weekend to show their support for Thomas. Wales will also give their players the opportunity to promote Stonewall with rainbow laces during their match with South Africa.