"The world isn't the same as it was three decades ago, when on more than one occasion Aslie Pitter, 65, had to play amid insults and the occasional gob of spit from the stands. During his career, he endured many, many elbows on the pitch. Joseph loves having a place where he can play in a carefree manner, just being himself. This is a world away from his teens, when he felt compelled to act differently perhaps more manly to fit in."
"In fact, one of the reasons Tony Cornforth, 29, has been playing for Stonewall FC arguably the oldest LGBTQ+ sporting club in the world for the past four years is precisely because there's no hint of toxic masculinity there. I stopped playing football, in part, because the atmosphere of the teams I [played] with until I was 19 didn't suit me. I'm not saying they're all like that, but that was my experience, Tony shrugs."
Stonewall FC, founded in 1991, fields multiple teams in the Middlesex County Football League and the London Unity League and offers inclusive football for LGBTQ+ players and allies. Five-a-side matches take place Thursday nights on rooftop pitches at Powerleague Battersea on the south bank of the River Thames. Players include LGBTQ+ individuals and allies who found the club online. Older players recall past homophobic abuse, including insults, spitting and elbowing on the pitch. Younger players value a carefree environment that removes pressure to perform hypermasculinity and allows participants to simply defend, play and enjoy scoring goals.
Read at english.elpais.com
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]