Just a bit of background to this: Stonewall FC are a football club who currently play in the Middlesex County League in English Non-League Football, and are currently the only openly LGBT+ football team in English football. Recently, in conjunction with the FA (Football Association) and their 'Rainbow Laces' campaign which helps to tackle homophobia within both football and the wider society, they were invited to play one of their matches at Wembley Stadium - the National Stadium of English football - against a team called Wilberforce Wanderers. Over 1000 people turned up to see this match, and mostly it has been praised by the Non League community and football fans in general. However, there has also been some criticism of this event - some of it with elements of homophobia - but others saying that it was just 'a gimmick' or 'the FA are cashing in on the pink pound'. Even within the LGBT+ community, some people are saying that other groups of people (including non-binary, genderqueer people etc.) struggle to be represented within football, so what about them and their team playing at Wembley Stadium? After all, what is good for the goose... Football Manager 2018 also attracted similar criticisms from people, when the game introduced gay football players but also overlooked the fact that footballers could be bi-sexual, asexual, demisexual etc. My thoughts are that the intention was good, and anything to help integrate rather than divide society can only be a good thing. I would like to think that it was done for altruistic rather than nefarious or 'cashing in' reasons. What do you think?
