“When you grow up gay, and you’re bullied a lot in childhood especially, there’s words that put you on edge, and just bring back all the horrible memories of every time that someone says shit to you.” “I think the words are, for a lack of a better term, ‘triggering,’” he said. There are examples of Premier League players and managers pushing back against the slur. Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp condemned his team’s fans for shouting “rent boy” at Gilmour. He also sat down with the founder of Liverpool’s LGBTQ fan group.
Premier League stars recently met with LGBTQ fan groups to commemorate Rainbow Laces, the annual campaign that promotes LGBTQ inclusion in soccer. In November, FIFA banned Mexico’s fans from two additional matches for their insistence on chanting “puto,” the Spanish translation of “rent boy.” Nevertheless, the chant persists, and has traveled across the Atlantic. Stern warnings, or even suspensions, are clearly not enough.
