LGBT+ History Month: Marc’s story

“I didn’t feel that football was a place for a gay person.”

As a child and young man, Marc grew up in a community which didn’t champion his sexuality. And when he started coming to football games in the early 2000s, he didn’t find an environment which fully embraced the LGBTQIA+ community.

Our Inclusion and Diversity Manager, Rob Pearce met Marc at the London Hotel pub in Southampton, a safe space for the community in the city. Watch the video below ⬇️:

A sport which should be for everyone but Marc felt pushed away because of his sexuality.

It wasn’t until he came across Rainbow Saints five years later that he felt like he had his own football community. He bought a Season Ticket and had a space where he could be a football fan, without having to hide part of who he was.

But being part of Rainbow Saints didn’t mean his experiences of homophobia in football had ended. At the end of 2022, Saints welcomed Brighton to St Mary’s and Marc felt compelled to call fans out around him for homophobic chanting, as he explains:

“I can’t speak for everyone else but personally, I was raised with a lot of shame around my sexuality and I did a lot of work to undo that when I came out. But to then go to a place which is still ridiculing and still making fun of being gay, it reinforces a lot of those negative feelings.

It had more of an impact than I thought it would, I found it really difficult walking away at the end of the game. These people I stood with every week were making fun of me. I moved seats the week after because I felt like I couldn’t go back having outed myself in front of all these people.”

The football community should be exactly that – a community. Speaking up for others isn’t easy but it could make a real difference to someone sitting near you.

Football isn’t perfect and we can all do our part to make it a place for everyone. As it should be.

Learn more about Red, White and You.

Learn more aboutRainbow Saints.