Father’s Day is the time we honor those special father figures in our lives. And for those of us who have grown up with television, we’ve also grown close to some fictional dads on television. In recent years, LGBTQ+ representation among fathers in television has grown to include some memorable characters and performances.
We’ve curated a few of our favorite gay TV dads. Did we find yours?
MUNICH (AP) — Hungary may play its final group game at the European Championship in a stadium lit up in rainbow colors.
Munich Mayor Dieter Reiter said Sunday he was going to write to UEFA to ask for permission for Germany’s stadium to be lit up with the colors as a sign against homophobia and intolerance when the team plays Hungary on Wednesday.
“This is an important sign of tolerance and equality,” Reiter told news agency dpa.
Munich’s city council had already called for the stadium to be lit in rainbow colors for the final Euro 2020 group game to protest a law passed by Hungarian lawmakers on Tuesday that prohibits sharing with minors any content portraying homosexuality or sex reassignment. The law has been denounced as anti-LGBT discrimination by human rights groups.
“It is important for the state capital Munich to set a visible sign of solidarity with the LGBTI community in Hungary, which is suffering from the current stricter homophobic and transphobic legislation of the Hungarian government,” the Munich council said in its application.
UEFA, as organizers of the event, will have the final say.
The Munich city council accused Hungary “of following the example of Russia’s homophobic and transphobic legislation.”
“This legislation represents a new mark in the invisibility and disenfranchisement of lesbians, gays, bisexual, transgender and intersex people (LGBTI) and adds to the systematic restriction of the rule of law and fundamental freedoms that have been practiced for years in Hungary,” the council said.
Germany goalkeeper Manuel Neuer has already worn a captain’s armband in rainbow colors for his team’s opening group games against France and Portugal, prompting UEFA to investigate. He also wore it in the 7-1 warm-up win over Latvia before the tournament.
“UEFA looked into the armband worn by the player in question and, considering that it was promoting a good cause, i.e. diversity, the team will not face disciplinary proceedings,” the governing body of European soccer said in a statement.
The local council said Munich “is committed to diversity, tolerance and equality in sport and in society as a whole.”
But not everyone agrees.
Uwe Junge, a politician with the far right AfD party, was chastised by party leader Alice Weidel for “going too far” with a since-deleted post on Twitter in which he used a homophobic slur to describe Neuer’s rainbow armband.
The Munich stadium has been lit in rainbow colors on several occasions since the first time on the night of July 9, 2016, to celebrate Christopher Street Day.
The Latest on soccer’s European Championship:
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The German soccer federation says UEFA has given the go-ahead for goalkeeper Manuel Neuer to wear a captain’s armband with the rainbow colors at the European Championship.
The federation says UEFA has accepted its argument that the armband is a symbol of diversity and can therefore be categorized as a “good cause.”
Neuer wore the armband in the Euro 2020 games against France and Portugal. He also wore it in Germany’s 7-1 rout of Latvia in its last game before the tournament on June 7.
The federation says Neuer wears the rainbow-armband as a symbol of “the whole team’s clear commitment to diversity, openness, tolerance and against hatred and exclusion.”
UEFA has not commented publicly on the issue.
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Belgium captain Eden Hazard says he will struggle to last the whole game against Finland at the European Championship following his injury-hit season.
He also says his right ankle might never be the same again.
Hazard has made two substitute appearances so far at Euro 2020 and has been told by Belguim coach Roberto Martinez he will start against Finland to see how his fitness is holding up ahead of the knockout stage.
The Real Madrid winger says “I’m going to give it my all to be on the pitch as long as I can to the right level. It might be 50 minutes.”
Hazard has broken his right ankle three times and had a metal plate inserted in it in an operation in March 2020.
He says “I don’t know if my ankle will ever be the same again. It definitely won’t be the same as 10 years ago when I was just starting out but that is just life.”
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Xherdan Shaqiri scored two goals to give Switzerland a 3-1 victory over Turkey at the European Championship.
The victory might be enough to give the team a spot in the round of 16 as one the best third-place teams.
Winger Steven Zuber assisted on all three of Switzerland’s goals. Haris Seferovic scored the first one.
Irfan Can Kahveci scored Turkey’s goal. It was the team’s first goal of the tournament.
Turkey lost all three of its group matches and has been eliminated.
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Italy matched a team-record 30-match unbeaten streak by beating Wales 1-0 at the European Championship.
Matteo Pessina scored late in the first half by redirecting a free kick from Marco Verratti.
Wales defender Ethan Ampadu was sent off with a straight red card for stepping on Federico Bernardeschi 10 minutes into the second half.
Italy finished Group A with a perfect nine points. Wales has four points.
The Italians will play the second-place team from Group C at Wembley Stadium in London next Saturday.
The victory also marked Italy’s 11th straight win and clean sheet.
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North Macedonia captain Goran Pandev says his team’s final Group C match at the European Championship will be his last for the national team.
The 37-year-old Pandev has made 121 appearances for his country in an international career spanning two decades.
He says “I think this is the right moment to say goodbye to the national team.”
It’s not the first time Pandev has announced he has played his last game for North Macedonia. Igor Angelovski took over as coach in 2015 and one of his key decisions was to make Pandev come out of international retirement.
Pandev then scored the goal that secured North Macedonia’s place at Euro 2020.
His goal against Austria at Euro 2020 made Pandev the second oldest player to score at a European Championship.
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Not many Welsh fans have made it to the Stadio Olimpico in Rome for Wales’ final Group A match against Italy.
The few who traveled to support the team must quarantine for five days when they return under British travel rules. Gian Fulgoni was among those who thought watching the game was worth it.
The 55-year-old Welshman who works as an IT technician in London says “I’m lucky because I work from home. But for a lot of people it’s impossible.”
Fulgoni he was supposed to have traveled with a group of 10 people but eight of them canceled because of the travel restrictions.
He says “they couldn’t self-isolate. It’s a shame.”
The Welsh fans narrowly avoided having to self-isolate in Italy as well. The government last week announced a five-day quarantine requirement for travelers from Britain but it only takes effect on Monday.
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Harry Kane will be keeping his place in the team for England’s final group match against the Czech Republic at the European Championship.
The striker failed to score in England’s first two Group D matches. England beat Croatia 1-0 and was held to a 0-0 draw by Scotland.
England coach Gareth Southgate says his captain “is fundamental not only to the goals he scores but the build-up play and everything else he brings.”
Southgate says Kane “is our most important player” and adds “you’ve only got to look at his goalscoring record with us to see his importance to the team.”
England will play the Czech Republic at Wembley Stadium on Tuesday.
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UEFA says it is investigating “potential discriminatory incidents” at two European Championship games in Hungary.
The governing body of European soccer says a “UEFA ethics and disciplinary inspector has been appointed” to conduct an investigation.
The probe will focus on Hungary’s 3-0 loss to Portugal on Tuesday and its 1-1 draw with France on Saturday. Both matches were played at the Puskas Arena.
Budapest is the only Euro 2020 host city to allow full crowds for games.
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Denmark goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel says the outpouring of support in the wake of Christian Eriksen’s collapse at the European Championship has shown “exactly why we love this game so much.”
Schmeichel says “to see that football can unite a country the way it has the last few days” is the reason he plays.
Eriksen and the entire Denmark team has received a flood of messages and well-wishes after the midfielder suffered cardiac arrest during the game against Finland at Euro 2020. Schmeichel also praised the unity shown by his teammates over the last week.
He says the team showed that “the reason we play football to start off with as children … is because of what football can do and the kind of togetherness it can harvest.”
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Ukraine might be without injured defender Denys Popov for its final Group C game against Austria in Bucharest on Monday.
Ukraine coach Andriy Shevchenko says the Dynamo Kyiv player has a calf problem and “there’s a high chance he won’t be playing tomorrow.”
Popov was on the bench for the opening 3-2 loss to the Netherlands and was not available for the second game against North Macedonia. Ukraine won that match 2-1.
Both Ukraine and Austria are looking to advance from the group stage at the tournament for the first time. They have three points each and a draw might be enough for both.
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Munich Mayor Dieter Reiter will write to UEFA to ask for permission for Germany’s stadium to be lit up in rainbow colors as a sign against homophobia and intolerance when the team plays Hungary on Wednesday at the European Championship.
Reiter tells news agency dpa “this is an important sign of tolerance and equality.”
Munich’s city council had already called for the stadium to be lit in rainbow colors for the final group game to protest a law passed by Hungarian lawmakers on Tuesday that prohibits sharing with minors any content portraying homosexuality or sex reassignment. The law has been denounced as anti-LGBT discrimination by human rights groups.
The Munich council’s application states it is important “to set a visible sign of solidarity with the LGBTQ community in Hungary.”
The council says Munich “is committed to diversity, tolerance and equality in sport and in society as a whole.”
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Finland’s players have received a good luck message from the country’s president as they head into what coach Markku Kanerva describes as “the biggest match in the history of Finnish football.”
Finland plays Belgium on Monday at the European Championship and likely needs a point to qualify for the knockout stage in its first appearance at a major soccer tournament.
Finland defender Jere Uronen says among the “great amount of messages” from well-wishers was a personal greeting from Finnish President Sauli Niinistö.
Uronen says “just the fact of being here and playing here is for me and many of us the best time of our professional careers and we don’t want it to end.”
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Italy can complete a perfect group stage at the European Championship by beating Wales.
The two teams will meet at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome in the final set of Group A matches.
Italy has already beaten Turkey and Switzerland and guaranteed itself a spot in the round of 16. Wales is in second place in the group with four points.
The Turks will take on Switzerland in Baku at the same time as the match in Rome. Turkey has lost both of its matches in the tournament so far. Switzerland has one point after a draw with Wales.
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More AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
Eight immigrant advocacy groups this week demanded the release of all transgender and HIV-positive people who are in immigrant detention facilities.
Immigration Equality, the National Center for Lesbian Rights, the Transgender Law Center, the Santa Fe Dreamers Project, the Center for Victims of Torture, Familia: Trans Queer Liberation Movement, Mijente and the National Immigrant Justice Center made the request in a letter they sent to Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and acting U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Director Tae Johnson on June 16.
“As you know, transgender and HIV-positive people are severely suffering in U.S. immigration detention facilities,” reads the letter. “Those who do not perish from mortally deficient medical negligence are regularly mistreated, isolated and sexually assaulted.”
The letter notes DHS “for years” has “attempted to create conditions of confinement that are safe for these historically disenfranchised minorities.”
“This has been a fool’s errand,” it says. “Under both Democrat and Republican leadership, DHS has wasted millions of taxpayer dollars attempting to overcome a simple and inevitable truth: It is not possible for the U.S. government to house transgender and HIV-positive asylum seekers safely. Every progressive policy, every well-meaning protocol and every specialized facility has utterly failed. This has to stop. It is in your exclusive power to put an end to this ongoing human rights atrocity.”
“What makes this situation even more intolerable, is that the vast majority of the transgender and HIV-positive people suffering in immigration detention fled to the U.S. to escape persecution and torture,” adds the letter. “To these asylum seekers, the U.S. is more than a symbol of liberty. It is one of the few places in the world where they may hope to build a safer future. And yet, by detaining trans and HIV-positive people in such inhumane and unsafe conditions, the U.S. government is subjecting them to some of the same kinds of mistreatment they sought to escape.”
The groups in their letter demand ICE and U.S. Customs and Border Protection “to immediately release all transgender and HIV-positive people in their custody” and “review its system for identifying transgender and HIV-positive individuals, and work with stakeholders to ensure that it is effective and safe.” The groups also seek the creation of a policy “that deems all transgender and HIV-positive individuals non-detainable.”
The letter notes the case of Roxsana Hernández, a trans asylum seeker from Honduras with HIV who died in a New Mexico hospital on May 25, 2018, while she was in ICE custody.
Hernández’s family in a lawsuit it has filed against the federal government and five private companies who were responsible for Hernández’s care allege she did not have adequate access to medical care and other basic needs from the time she asked for asylum at the San Ysidro Port of Entry in San Diego on May 9, 2018, to her arrival at the Cibola County Correctional Center, a privately-run facility in Milan, N.M., a week later.
ICE in 2017 opened a unit for trans women at the Cibola County Correctional Center. It closed last year.
The letter also notes the case of Johana “Joa” Medina León, a trans woman with HIV from El Salvador who asked for asylum in the U.S. in 2019 after she suffered persecution in her home country because of her gender identity.
Medina was in ICE custody at the privately-run Otero County Processing Center in Chaparral, N.M., until her transfer to a hospital in nearby El Paso, Texas, on May 28, 2019. ICE on the same day released Medina from their custody.
“She became worse, worse, worse,” Medina’s mother, Patricia Medina de Barrientos, told the Washington Blade in an exclusive interview in the Salvadoran capital of San Salvador that took place a few weeks after Medina’s death. “She asked for help because she was a nurse, but they refused. She was denied help. There was no medical attention.”
The letter also includes testimonials from dozens of other trans and/or HIV-positive people who say they suffered physical abuse and survived sexual assault while in ICE custody. They also allege they did not receive adequate health care — including access to hormones and antiretroviral drugs — while in detention.
“Throwing LGBTQ and HIV-positive asylum seekers into prison is cruel, expensive and dangerous. For transgender and HIV-positive people, it can even be deadly,” said Immigration Equality Policy Director Bridget Crawford in a statement. “In response to years of consistently documented abuses against the community, the government has implemented ineffective half-measures that have utterly failed. That is why we have demanded that DHS release all transgender and HIV-positive people immediately. No one should ever be locked into prison because they fled persecution based on their sexual orientation, gender identity, or HIV status. Doing so during a pandemic is a human rights atrocity.”
Immigration Equality is among the groups that have previously demanded ICE release all trans people who are in their custody. Advocacy organizations have also called for the release of people with HIV in ICE custody, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.
DHS, which oversees ICE, has not responded to the Blade’s request for comment on the June 16 letter.
Throughout her pre-transition period, A Mani, a mathematician and scientist at the Indian Statistical Institute, Kolkata, remained closeted, introverted and preferred working alone.
“Some teachers, colleagues at times did try to say anti-gender diverse stuff to me because I appeared too femme. But I never bothered about them and their degenerate views,” said Mani, one of the very few lesbian trans-women in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).
Collectively, people from sexual minorities such as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer persons and their allies are referred to as the LGBTQ+ community. Even as campuses endeavour to create safe spaces for sexual and gender minorities, past trauma, invisibility and discrimination is rife in this marginalised community.
In celebrations to mark the Pride month — which recognises the community’s impact on history locally, nationally, and internationally — HT interviewed LGBTQ+ scientists about their experiences in STEM. A nagging sense of invisibility lingered among all the scientists interviewed by HT.
Visibility matters
While there are no surveys that can ascertain the number of LGBTQ+ scientists in India, community members said there were only few in number. Out of fear of ostracisation, many preferred to hide their identities.
“I don’t see any reason why I can’t or shouldn’t openly assert my sexuality now, but because of the stigma and taboo experienced in the past, I don’t feel like going through the process again” said a professor at the Indian Institute of Technology-Bombay (IIT-B), on the condition of anonymity.
While many of his friends and colleagues know that he is gay, this professor has “not come out of the closet entirely”.
“So far I have not received any backlash, but that could be because I have shared my truth with only a selected group of people. I come from a time when discussing sexual orientation and gender identity was absolutely damned. During my school and undergraduate days, I had started to believe that I am the only one in my species. It was not until the beginning of social media in the early 2000s when I came across support groups discussing LGBTQ+ rights online that I realised the extent of invisibility,” he said.
To address this lack of representation and alienation, this professor and his two friends formed Pravriti — a pan IIT support group for LGBTQ+ members of faculty, students and staff. In 2018, 20 members of Pravriti, excluding the professor, had filed a petition in the Supreme Court against section 377 of the Indian Penal Code, which criminalised homosexuality and any ‘unnatural sex’.
“Invisibility itself is at least a two-fold problem: one can invisibilise the LGBTQ+ scientist or invisibilise the LGBTQ+ scientist’s work. Needless to say, both have tremendous impact on the person’s work and mental health. Queer-trans scientists, who are not out, have to deal with constant mental stress of living double lives while dealing with the immense pressure of practising science in formal settings. Even queer-trans scientists who are out are met with discrimination and dismissal,” said Sayantan Datta, a queer-trans science writer, who holds a master’s degree in neural and cognitive sciences from the University of Hyderabad.
Another fallout of the invisibility is that without role models, sexual and gender minority students find STEM less welcoming. Last year, IIT-B renamed its women’s cell – meant for handling sexual harassment complaints – to the gender cell.
“Gender violence can happen to anybody, irrespective of their gender. It sends a message to students of all sexual orientations and gender identities that we see you and your struggles,” said Abhijit Majumder, associate professor and faculty advisor to Saathi, IIT-B’s official LGBTQ+ resource group for students, staff and faculty.
Out and proud, yet isolated
Mani transitioned medically and legally between 2012 and 2014 during her doctoral days. Prior to that, she preferred working independently.
“The very idea of a workplace is rather new to me. Visibility meant that I had to learn to interact. Yes, it takes some effort to get used to. Many people are not aware or are ill-informed. I think that means many people may be avoiding any interaction or that they may be acting against my interests. So I have to work against the tide,” she said.
Stigma, casual sexism, misgendering, jokes and hidden discriminatory rules aggravate the alienation.
A 2019 survey of 1,000 UK-based physical scientists found that almost 30% of LGBTQ+ scientists and half of transgender scientists said that they had considered leaving their workplace because of an unfriendly or hostile climate or because of discrimination.
Discrimination against women is a symptom that the system of academia is not healthy, said Prajval Shastri, an astrophysicist retired from the Indian Institute of Astrophysics, Bengaluru.
“The notion that science is all about merit and everything else — caste and religious lineage, gender and sexual identities — don’t matter is not borne out by evidence. When it comes to women in STEM, there is clear evidence that unconscious bias and hidden norms compromise merit, and institutes must acknowledge that,” said Shastri, who advocates intersectional feminism at academic spaces.
Mental health
Growing up, Mani experienced gender dysphoria—a psychological distress that results from incongruence between one’s sex assigned at birth and one’s gender identity. Being closeted only added to the distress, and she suffered from depression.
Datta, earlier this year, surveyed 47 people in STEM in India, who are from the LGBTQ+ community. The survey found that 38% of respondents agreed that being LGBTQIA+ in STEM has affected their mental health. Another 38% said that being LGBTQIA+ in STEM may have impacted their mental health, although they were not sure.
While most campuses now have in-house psychologists and counsellors, it is important to have counsellors who are LGBTQ-friendly, said Niruj Mohan Ramanujam, scientist at Indian Institute of Astrophysics.
More than a safe space
On June 17 – marked as the International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia – the IIT-B professor came across a homophobic comment made by an international scientist on a global messaging group which he is a part of. The comment was flagged and the scientist was removed from the group, only to be allowed again due to procedural issues. Some members of that global group of scientists also commented that the person had the right to express an opinion, even if it is homophobic.
“Had it been a racist comment, the reaction would have been different. But when it comes to gender and sexual minorities, people are willing to offer a discount to discrimination,” said the professor.
Saathi at IIT-B became one of the first LGTBQ+ support groups at any IIT in 2011. Since then, it has been advocating the creation of an inclusive campus. In 2019, it became an official body with a say in hostel and cultural affairs at the institute.
“With the help of Saathi, we have been able to create a safe space for our LGBTQ+ members on campus. The next step is to make it more welcoming,” said Majumder.
“Sexuality of an individual sometimes evolves with time, and it is a good idea to see such an evolution getting an expressional space in the broad, plural and diversity enriched society,” said Subhasis Chaudhuri, director, IIT-B.
However, a lot more needs to be done.
“Specifically for the purpose of making campuses safer and accessible for the LGBTQ community, apart from reservation, it is necessary to increase sensitisation, have related programmes, appoint qualified feminists to help with issues, provide for inclusive healthcare and infrastructure. For example, lesbian research scholars do not get to live with their spouses in special hostels, while other married straight research scholars are permitted to live together. Most non-binary identified people do not have access to gender-neutral toilets,” said Mani, whose research areas include algebra, logic, rough sets, formal approaches to vagueness and allied areas.
The draft science, technology and innovation policy, issued by the ministry of science and technology last December, attempts to correct some of these problems. It proposes to offer spousal benefits to LGBTQ+ community, including retirement benefits to any partner irrespective of their gender.
Many feel that gender and sexuality in STEM spaces and syllabi were invisible. For example, use of the gender-neutral pronouns ‘they’ or ‘ze’ in the academic space. Artificial intelligence (AI), too, can be discriminatory.
“Many AI algorithms are trained on data sets [collected from anywhere] and the results of training are used to make predictions on other situations. Such algorithms can end up learning misogyny and toxic behaviours. People are working in this area to rectify this. Usually, it is not possible to label large data sets and rectify them. Intelligent higher order methods need to be devised,” said Mani.
Need for allies
“Institutions must make it explicit in their advertisements for students and faculty that they are striving to be welcoming of candidates from all caste and gender backgrounds, have bias-trained medical and psychological counsellors, and build unisex toilets,” said Shastri.
Diversity and inclusion committees must be set up at institutions, with outside experts, if necessary, she said.
“I believe it to be particularly important that even as all faculty must make it their cause to bring in equity, diversity and inclusion within the workplace, allyship training of the existing STEM members by expert trainers from outside the profession, in order to make the workplace welcoming of LGBTQ+ people, is critical,” said Shastri.
Mani has taken up activism, promoting lesbian rights and the free software movement.
“Within the free software communities, I have helped with codes of conduct in mailing lists, other forums, conferences, and have helped in initiating action against people indulging in sexist behaviour and harassment,” she said.
The Latest on soccer’s European Championship:
The German soccer federation says UEFA has given the go-ahead for goalkeeper Manuel Neuer to wear a captain’s armband with the rainbow colors at the European Championship.
The federation says UEFA has accepted its argument that the armband is a symbol of diversity and can therefore be categorized as a “good cause.”
Neuer wore the armband in the Euro 2020 games against France and Portugal. He also wore it in Germany’s 7-1 rout of Latvia in its last game before the tournament on June 7.
The federation says Neuer wears the rainbow-armband as a symbol of “the whole team’s clear commitment to diversity, openness, tolerance and against hatred and exclusion.”
UEFA has not commented publicly on the issue.
Belgium captain Eden Hazard says he will struggle to last the whole game against Finland at the European Championship following his injury-hit season.
He also says his right ankle might never be the same again.
Hazard has made two substitute appearances so far at Euro 2020 and has been told by Belguim coach Roberto Martinez he will start against Finland to see how his fitness is holding up ahead of the knockout stage.
The Real Madrid winger says “I’m going to give it my all to be on the pitch as long as I can to the right level. It might be 50 minutes.”
Hazard has broken his right ankle three times and had a metal plate inserted in it in an operation in March 2020.
He says “I don’t know if my ankle will ever be the same again. It definitely won’t be the same as 10 years ago when I was just starting out but that is just life.”
Xherdan Shaqiri scored two goals to give Switzerland a 3-1 victory over Turkey at the European Championship.
The victory might be enough to give the team a spot in the round of 16 as one the best third-place teams.
Winger Steven Zuber assisted on all three of Switzerland’s goals. Haris Seferovic scored the first one.
Irfan Can Kahveci scored Turkey’s goal. It was the team’s first goal of the tournament.
Turkey lost all three of its group matches and has been eliminated.
Italy matched a team-record 30-match unbeaten streak by beating Wales 1-0 at the European Championship.
Matteo Pessina scored late in the first half by redirecting a free kick from Marco Verratti.
Wales defender Ethan Ampadu was sent off with a straight red card for stepping on Federico Bernardeschi 10 minutes into the second half.
Italy finished Group A with a perfect nine points. Wales has four points.
The Italians will play the second-place team from Group C at Wembley Stadium in London next Saturday.
The victory also marked Italy’s 11th straight win and clean sheet.
North Macedonia captain Goran Pandev says his team’s final Group C match at the European Championship will be his last for the national team.
The 37-year-old Pandev has made 121 appearances for his country in an international career spanning two decades.
He says “I think this is the right moment to say goodbye to the national team.”
It’s not the first time Pandev has announced he has played his last game for North Macedonia. Igor Angelovski took over as coach in 2015 and one of his key decisions was to make Pandev come out of international retirement.
Pandev then scored the goal that secured North Macedonia’s place at Euro 2020.
His goal against Austria at Euro 2020 made Pandev the second oldest player to score at a European Championship.
Not many Welsh fans have made it to the Stadio Olimpico in Rome for Wales’ final Group A match against Italy.
The few who traveled to support the team must quarantine for five days when they return under British travel rules. Gian Fulgoni was among those who thought watching the game was worth it.
The 55-year-old Welshman who works as an IT technician in London says “I’m lucky because I work from home. But for a lot of people it’s impossible.”
Fulgoni he was supposed to have traveled with a group of 10 people but eight of them canceled because of the travel restrictions.
He says “they couldn’t self-isolate. It’s a shame.”
The Welsh fans narrowly avoided having to self-isolate in Italy as well. The government last week announced a five-day quarantine requirement for travelers from Britain but it only takes effect on Monday.
Harry Kane will be keeping his place in the team for England’s final group match against the Czech Republic at the European Championship.
The striker failed to score in England’s first two Group D matches. England beat Croatia 1-0 and was held to a 0-0 draw by Scotland.
England coach Gareth Southgate says his captain “is fundamental not only to the goals he scores but the build-up play and everything else he brings.”
Southgate says Kane “is our most important player” and adds “you’ve only got to look at his goalscoring record with us to see his importance to the team.”
England will play the Czech Republic at Wembley Stadium on Tuesday.
UEFA says it is investigating “potential discriminatory incidents” at two European Championship games in Hungary.
The governing body of European soccer says a “UEFA ethics and disciplinary inspector has been appointed” to conduct an investigation.
The probe will focus on Hungary’s 3-0 loss to Portugal on Tuesday and its 1-1 draw with France on Saturday. Both matches were played at the Puskas Arena.
Budapest is the only Euro 2020 host city to allow full crowds for games.
Denmark goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel says the outpouring of support in the wake of Christian Eriksen’s collapse at the European Championship has shown “exactly why we love this game so much.”
Schmeichel says “to see that football can unite a country the way it has the last few days” is the reason he plays.
Eriksen and the entire Denmark team has received a flood of messages and well-wishes after the midfielder suffered cardiac arrest during the game against Finland at Euro 2020. Schmeichel also praised the unity shown by his teammates over the last week.
He says the team showed that “the reason we play football to start off with as children … is because of what football can do and the kind of togetherness it can harvest.”
Ukraine might be without injured defender Denys Popov for its final Group C game against Austria in Bucharest on Monday.
Ukraine coach Andriy Shevchenko says the Dynamo Kyiv player has a calf problem and “there’s a high chance he won’t be playing tomorrow.”
Popov was on the bench for the opening 3-2 loss to the Netherlands and was not available for the second game against North Macedonia. Ukraine won that match 2-1.
Both Ukraine and Austria are looking to advance from the group stage at the tournament for the first time. They have three points each and a draw might be enough for both.
Munich Mayor Dieter Reiter will write to UEFA to ask for permission for Germany’s stadium to be lit up in rainbow colors as a sign against homophobia and intolerance when the team plays Hungary on Wednesday at the European Championship.
Reiter tells news agency dpa “this is an important sign of tolerance and equality.”
Munich’s city council had already called for the stadium to be lit in rainbow colors for the final group game to protest a law passed by Hungarian lawmakers on Tuesday that prohibits sharing with minors any content portraying homosexuality or sex reassignment. The law has been denounced as anti-LGBT discrimination by human rights groups.
The Munich council’s application states it is important “to set a visible sign of solidarity with the LGBTQ community in Hungary.”
The council says Munich “is committed to diversity, tolerance and equality in sport and in society as a whole.”
Finland’s players have received a good luck message from the country’s president as they head into what coach Markku Kanerva describes as “the biggest match in the history of Finnish football.”
Finland plays Belgium on Monday at the European Championship and likely needs a point to qualify for the knockout stage in its first appearance at a major soccer tournament.
Finland defender Jere Uronen says among the “great amount of messages” from well-wishers was a personal greeting from Finnish President Sauli Niinistö.
Uronen says “just the fact of being here and playing here is for me and many of us the best time of our professional careers and we don’t want it to end.”
Italy can complete a perfect group stage at the European Championship by beating Wales.
The two teams will meet at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome in the final set of Group A matches.
Italy has already beaten Turkey and Switzerland and guaranteed itself a spot in the round of 16. Wales is in second place in the group with four points.
The Turks will take on Switzerland in Baku at the same time as the match in Rome. Turkey has lost both of its matches in the tournament so far. Switzerland has one point after a draw with Wales.
Two barrier-breakers from New York are marking their first Pride Month on Capitol Hill.
Reps. Ritchie Torres and Mondaire Jones are the first two openly-gay Black men elected to Congress. Both were elected last fall.
“It’s a surreal experience,” said Jones of his first Pride as a member of Congress.
Jones, a Democrat representing Westchester and Rockland Counties, said that when he was younger, he never imagined coming out — let alone being accepted as an openly-gay candidate.
“It is a testament to the kind of progress we have made in our society that I don’t feel particularly discriminated against in the halls of Congress,” he said.
Torres, a Democrat who represents the Bronx, is also the first openly-gay Afro-Latino member of Congress.
“Every time I set foot on the House floor, I cannot help but feel the weight of history on my shoulders,” he said.
That weight comes with a sense of responsibility, they say. Both congressmen argue that while progress has been made — marriage equality, for example — there is a lot more they need to fight for in Washington.
Torres is pushing for legislation requiring financial institutions to gather data on LGBTQ-owned businesses and their access to credit and capital, the goal being to ensure their access is equal.
Jones wants to ban discrimination based on gender identity and sexual orientation in the jury selection process.
Both congressmen say the Equality Act needs to be made law. The legislation, which expands civil rights protections for LGBTQ+ individuals, faces an uncertain future in the evenly split U.S. Senate.
“The vast majority of LGBTQ people live in states that offer no protection against discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity,” Torres said.
Jones said part of the reason he is so adamant about ending the Senate’s 60-vote filibuster rule is to potentially pave the way for Congress to pass the Equality Act.
Both hope that with a seat at the table, they can have an impact on Capitol Hill and beyond.
“It’s really cool to be a representative that I did not have growing up for other kids who are looking for affirmation,” Jones said.
Another New York congressman, Sean Patrick Maloney who represents the Hudson Valley region, is also openly-gay. He has served in Congress since 2013.
LOS ANGELES – Any fan of Lisa Vanderpump knows loves animals, especially dogs! In fact, the restauranteur, TV star, author and actress has run a Los Angeles-based dog rescue foundation since 2016.
Now, the foundation has a show of its own – the “Vanderpump Rules” star’s newest spinoff series, “Vanderpump Dogs.”
Vanderpump founded the organization with husband Ken Todd after becoming aware of the Yulin Dog Meat Festival in China and witnessing the horrific images of slaughter and abuse faced by the dogs there. Together with their partner Dr. John Sessa, they launched the campaign Stop Yulin Forever, a movement which has gained momentum and inspired activists all over the world to end the Yulin Dog Meat Festival and encourage more humane treatment for dogs worldwide.
The three founders hope to reinvent the image of a dog shelter, from a pound to a palace, doing everything the Vanderpump way: they rescue, rehabilitate, primp, and pamper dogs in need of a loving forever home.
The new show, which airs this week on Peacock, will follow Vanderpump and the staff at the Foundation’s rescue center as they work to find just the right humans to give the dogs the loving home they deserve. Each of the episodes will focus on the characters who come to the foundation to adopt their forever friend, all with a dose of comedy and a dash of drama – and one of them will Los Angeles-based TV host and style expert Dan Babic, who has joined the show as a leading cast member.
Babic, an Australian native who identifies as LGBTQ, is known to fans as the lead host of FabTV on Roku, where he covers everything you need to know about celebrities and Hollywood. He is a fixture on red carpets at the Oscars, Golden Globes, and many other events, where his interviews have garnered over 36 million views. He also hosts “Design Genius” on Fashion Television, a “Project Runway” style show that currently airs in 160 countries and boasts nearly 350 million viewers. In addition, he travels the world on The CW’s “Unfiltered Experience,” hosting beauty exhibitions and panels with celebrities and influencers around the globe. In January, he appeared on E! Network’s “Dating No Filter.”
The larger than life host and fashion expert – who is often referred to as “gay Lisa Vanderpump” – joins the show with its second episode, which focuses on his jet-setting lifestyle and his wish to find a dog that can accompany him on the red carpet, front row at fashion week, and all his other worldwide adventures. With the help of Lisa’s rescue foundation, he finds the perfect companion in the adorable Gizmo.
Peacock drops all six episodes of “Vanderpump Dogs” on June 9. Watch the trailer below.
An Illinois town is holding Juneteenth and gay pride celebrations despite canceling its Fourth of July festivities.
“My home town of Evanston, Illinois is having a Juneteenth Parade and a Gay Pride Parade, but is cancelling the 4th of July Parade & Fireworks,” said RealClearPolitics co-founder Tom Bevan on Twitter.
The city commemorated Juneteenth after President Joe Biden signed a bill making it a federal holiday last week, holding a parade and musical performances at a local park. The city also has a gay pride parade planned for later this month.
NYC MARKS JUNETEENTH WITH EDUCATIONAL INVESTMENTS IN SCHOLARSHIPS AND PAID INTERNSHIPS
The celebrations come after Evanston canceled this year’s Fourth of July celebration over COVID-19 concerns.
“Based on concern for public health due to the unpredictability of the pandemic’s impact, vaccination rates, and in cooperation with our local authorities, the Trustees of the Evanston Fourth of July Association voted to cancel the Fun Run, Parade, Palatine Concert Band performance and Lakefront Fireworks show on July 4, 2021. However, we are committed and already working toward an Independence Day celebration that will be safe, creative and build community,” the city said in a March statement explaining the decision.
Evanston did not report a new COVID-19 case last week for the first time since the pandemic began, while 87% of city residents 12 and over have received at least one dose of the coronavirus vaccine. But organizers have not indicated they plan to rethink the Independence Day cancellation.
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“There are deadlines for permits and to secure the fireworks, as well as taking applications for the parade that happen early in the year,” organizer Jamie Black told Fox News. “We erred on the side of caution. If things weren’t better, we would have been criticized for being a superspreader event.”
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Tags: News, Juneteenth, Gay rights, Illinois, Fourth of July
Original Author: Michael Lee
Original Location: City holds Juneteenth and gay pride celebrations after canceling July Fourth celebration
The Telegraph
The Duchess of Sussex has revealed that she hid references to Diana, Princess of Wales in her new children’s book. The Bench, which was inspired by Prince Harry’s relationship with the couple’s two-year-old son Archie, includes illustrations of Princess Diana’s favourite flower, forget-me-nots. The subtle nod to the Princess is one of numerous personal “nuggets tucked within the book”, the Duchess said on Sunday in her first media interview regarding the book. The Duchess’ debut publication topp
The Department of Veterans Affairs is moving to provide gender-confirmation surgery through its health-care coverage, reversing a 2013 ban, VA Secretary Denis McDonough announced Saturday.
McDonough pledged to overcome a “dark history” of discrimination and take steps to expand access to care for transgender veterans at a Pride Month event in Orlando, which this month marked the fifth anniversary of a mass shooting at Pulse, a gay nightclub, that left 49 people dead. The VA plans to begin the two-year process this summer, a VA spokesman confirmed.
“This time will allow VA to develop capacity to meet the surgical needs that transgender veterans have called for and deserved for a long time,” McDonough said to a crowd gathered at the Orlando event, “and I am proud to begin the process of delivering it.”
The change marks a significant departure from VA under President Donald Trump, who limited transgender people from serving in the military, a prohibition reversed by President Biden soon after he took office. In 2013, while Biden was vice president, a department directive said VA “does not provide sex reassignment surgery,” effectively preventing transgender veterans from a surgery considered medically necessary by the World Professional Association for Transgender Health.
The federal rulemaking process, expected to begin this summer, will include a period for public comment, spokesman Terrence Hayes told The Washington Post on Saturday.
Although the cost to VA is unknown, it’s estimated that fewer than 4,000 veterans would be interested in this surgery, Hayes wrote in an email. The National Center for Transgender Equality estimates that there are about 134,000 transgender veterans.
Some people treat gender dysphoria, a feeling that the body a person is born into does not conform to one’s gender identity, with medical treatments or transition-related surgeries.
Suicidal thoughts and mental illness are experienced at a far higher rate for LGBTQ veterans than those outside the community, McDonough noted. In addition to psychological distress, they also may experience prejudice and stigma. About 80 percent of LGBTQ veterans have encountered a hurtful or rejecting experience in the military because of their gender identity, McDonough said.
Transgender veterans have reported suicidal thoughts disproportionately compared with other veterans or the general population, recent studies have found.
“We’re making these changes not only because they are the right thing to do but because they can save lives,” McDonough said in prepared remarks.
He said VA would also change the name of the Veterans Health Administration’s LGBT health program to the LGBTQ+ Health Program to reflect inclusiveness.
McDonough praised the facility he spoke at, Orlando Vet Center, sharing a story about a transgender woman who struggled with depression and suicidal thoughts until she was able to seek care.
Since taking office, Biden has reoriented the federal government’s posture on transgender issues, expanding protections for transgender students and reviving anti-bias safeguards in health care for transgender people.
In Florida, where McDonough spoke, Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) signed a bill this month preventing transgender athletes from participating in school sports, a move critics described as an “attack” on the community.
Noting the law signed by DeSantis, Gina Duncan, director of transgender equality for the statewide LGBTQ civil rights organization Equality Florida, told the Orlando Sentinel that her agency was “thrilled to have allies at the highest level of government.”
“In a moment of fierce state and local backlash against the transgender community, this move by the Biden administration is a reminder that elections matter,” Duncan said. “Support for transgender veterans and the lifesaving health care they need to live authentically is a critical component to fulfilling our nation’s promise of caring for those who’ve served.”
CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — Discrimination would be prohibited against jurors in federal courts on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity under a bill reintroduced by U.S. Sens. Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire and Susan Collins of Maine.
“It’s a stain on our judicial system that federal law doesn’t protect LGBT jurors from discrimination,” Shaheen, a Democrat, said in a statement Friday. “I’m committed to righting this wrong and ensuring our judicial process is free from prejudice so our nation can fulfill the values it espouses.”
Collins, a Republican, said serving on a jury “is a fundamental right and obligation that no individuals should be prohibited from fulfilling based on their sexual orientation or gender identity.”
The United States Code currently prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin and economic status. Eleven states prohibit exclusion from jury service in state court based on sexual orientation; eight protect against discrimination based on gender identity.
Cosponsors of the bill include Democratic U.S. Sens. Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell of Washington, Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island, Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin, Ed Markey of Massachusetts and Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada.
(Copyright (c) 2021 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
The Latest on soccer’s European Championship:
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The German soccer federation says UEFA has given the go-ahead for goalkeeper Manuel Neuer to wear a captain’s armband with the rainbow colors at the European Championship.
The federation says UEFA has accepted its argument that the armband is a symbol of diversity and can therefore be categorized as a “good cause.”
Neuer wore the armband in the Euro 2020 games against France and Portugal. He also wore it in Germany’s 7-1 rout of Latvia in its last game before the tournament on June 7.
The federation says Neuer wears the rainbow-armband as a symbol of “the whole team’s clear commitment to diversity, openness, tolerance and against hatred and exclusion.”
UEFA has not commented publicly on the issue.
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Belgium captain Eden Hazard says he will struggle to last the whole game against Finland at the European Championship following his injury-hit season.
He also says his right ankle might never be the same again.
Hazard has made two substitute appearances so far at Euro 2020 and has been told by Belguim coach Roberto Martinez he will start against Finland to see how his fitness is holding up ahead of the knockout stage.
The Real Madrid winger says “I’m going to give it my all to be on the pitch as long as I can to the right level. It might be 50 minutes.”
Hazard has broken his right ankle three times and had a metal plate inserted in it in an operation in March 2020.
He says “I don’t know if my ankle will ever be the same again. It definitely won’t be the same as 10 years ago when I was just starting out but that is just life.”
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Xherdan Shaqiri scored two goals to give Switzerland a 3-1 victory over Turkey at the European Championship.
The victory might be enough to give the team a spot in the round of 16 as one the best third-place teams.
Winger Steven Zuber assisted on all three of Switzerland’s goals. Haris Seferovic scored the first one.
Irfan Can Kahveci scored Turkey’s goal. It was the team’s first goal of the tournament.
Turkey lost all three of its group matches and has been eliminated.
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Italy matched a team-record 30-match unbeaten streak by beating Wales 1-0 at the European Championship.
Matteo Pessina scored late in the first half by redirecting a free kick from Marco Verratti.
Wales defender Ethan Ampadu was sent off with a straight red card for stepping on Federico Bernardeschi 10 minutes into the second half.
Italy finished Group A with a perfect nine points. Wales has four points.
The Italians will play the second-place team from Group C at Wembley Stadium in London next Saturday.
The victory also marked Italy’s 11th straight win and clean sheet.
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North Macedonia captain Goran Pandev says his team’s final Group C match at the European Championship will be his last for the national team.
The 37-year-old Pandev has made 121 appearances for his country in an international career spanning two decades.
He says “I think this is the right moment to say goodbye to the national team.”
It’s not the first time Pandev has announced he has played his last game for North Macedonia. Igor Angelovski took over as coach in 2015 and one of his key decisions was to make Pandev come out of international retirement.
Pandev then scored the goal that secured North Macedonia’s place at Euro 2020.
His goal against Austria at Euro 2020 made Pandev the second oldest player to score at a European Championship.
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Not many Welsh fans have made it to the Stadio Olimpico in Rome for Wales’ final Group A match against Italy.
The few who traveled to support the team must quarantine for five days when they return under British travel rules. Gian Fulgoni was among those who thought watching the game was worth it.
The 55-year-old Welshman who works as an IT technician in London says “I’m lucky because I work from home. But for a lot of people it’s impossible.”
Fulgoni he was supposed to have traveled with a group of 10 people but eight of them canceled because of the travel restrictions.
He says “they couldn’t self-isolate. It’s a shame.”
The Welsh fans narrowly avoided having to self-isolate in Italy as well. The government last week announced a five-day quarantine requirement for travelers from Britain but it only takes effect on Monday.
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Harry Kane will be keeping his place in the team for England’s final group match against the Czech Republic at the European Championship.
The striker failed to score in England’s first two Group D matches. England beat Croatia 1-0 and was held to a 0-0 draw by Scotland.
England coach Gareth Southgate says his captain “is fundamental not only to the goals he scores but the build-up play and everything else he brings.”
Southgate says Kane “is our most important player” and adds “you’ve only got to look at his goalscoring record with us to see his importance to the team.”
England will play the Czech Republic at Wembley Stadium on Tuesday.
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UEFA says it is investigating “potential discriminatory incidents” at two European Championship games in Hungary.
The governing body of European soccer says a “UEFA ethics and disciplinary inspector has been appointed” to conduct an investigation.
The probe will focus on Hungary’s 3-0 loss to Portugal on Tuesday and its 1-1 draw with France on Saturday. Both matches were played at the Puskas Arena.
Budapest is the only Euro 2020 host city to allow full crowds for games.
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Denmark goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel says the outpouring of support in the wake of Christian Eriksen’s collapse at the European Championship has shown “exactly why we love this game so much.”
Schmeichel says “to see that football can unite a country the way it has the last few days” is the reason he plays.
Eriksen and the entire Denmark team has received a flood of messages and well-wishes after the midfielder suffered cardiac arrest during the game against Finland at Euro 2020. Schmeichel also praised the unity shown by his teammates over the last week.
He says the team showed that “the reason we play football to start off with as children … is because of what football can do and the kind of togetherness it can harvest.”
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Ukraine might be without injured defender Denys Popov for its final Group C game against Austria in Bucharest on Monday.
Ukraine coach Andriy Shevchenko says the Dynamo Kyiv player has a calf problem and “there’s a high chance he won’t be playing tomorrow.”
Popov was on the bench for the opening 3-2 loss to the Netherlands and was not available for the second game against North Macedonia. Ukraine won that match 2-1.
Both Ukraine and Austria are looking to advance from the group stage at the tournament for the first time. They have three points each and a draw might be enough for both.
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Munich Mayor Dieter Reiter will write to UEFA to ask for permission for Germany’s stadium to be lit up in rainbow colors as a sign against homophobia and intolerance when the team plays Hungary on Wednesday at the European Championship.
Reiter tells news agency dpa “this is an important sign of tolerance and equality.”
Munich’s city council had already called for the stadium to be lit in rainbow colors for the final group game to protest a law passed by Hungarian lawmakers on Tuesday that prohibits sharing with minors any content portraying homosexuality or sex reassignment. The law has been denounced as anti-LGBT discrimination by human rights groups.
The Munich council’s application states it is important “to set a visible sign of solidarity with the LGBTQ community in Hungary.”
The council says Munich “is committed to diversity, tolerance and equality in sport and in society as a whole.”
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Finland’s players have received a good luck message from the country’s president as they head into what coach Markku Kanerva describes as “the biggest match in the history of Finnish football.”
Finland plays Belgium on Monday at the European Championship and likely needs a point to qualify for the knockout stage in its first appearance at a major soccer tournament.
Finland defender Jere Uronen says among the “great amount of messages” from well-wishers was a personal greeting from Finnish President Sauli Niinistö.
Uronen says “just the fact of being here and playing here is for me and many of us the best time of our professional careers and we don’t want it to end.”
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Italy can complete a perfect group stage at the European Championship by beating Wales.
The two teams will meet at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome in the final set of Group A matches.
Italy has already beaten Turkey and Switzerland and guaranteed itself a spot in the round of 16. Wales is in second place in the group with four points.
The Turks will take on Switzerland in Baku at the same time as the match in Rome. Turkey has lost both of its matches in the tournament so far. Switzerland has one point after a draw with Wales.
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More AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer and https://twitter.com/AP—Sports
The mayor of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, has been asked to apologize after he claimed that the driver of the truck who hit a crowd at the Stonewall Pride Parade in Wilton Manors on Saturday was a terrorist.
Mayor Dean Trantalis witnessed the pickup truck drive into spectators at the parade. He described the events of the accident to a reporter for WPLG at the scene and said he believed the driver was aiming for Florida Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Shultz, who was nearby when the incident happened.
“This was a terrorist attack against the LGBT community; this is exactly what it is,” he said.
The reporter then asked Trantalis if he believed the crash was an accident.
“Hardly an accident. It was deliberate, it was premeditated and it was targeted against a specific person. Luckily, they missed that person, but unfortunately, they hit two other people.”
Trantalis echoed his statement after learning that one of the people struck had died.
“What we saw was a terrorist attack on the LGBT community,” Trantilis said. “This is disgusting; we will not stand for this. This is not going to happen in my city or any city.”
Following the accident, the president of the Fort Lauderdale Gay Men’s Chorus, Justin Knight, identified the driver as a member of the chorus.
“To my knowledge, this was not an attack on the LGBTQ community,” Knight said in a statement to NBC.
The Wilton Manors City Commissioner, Chris Caputo, tweeted shortly after the crash that killed one person, saying that he was “filled with sadness,” but “it seems increasingly probable that it was an accident.”
Criticism on social media aimed at Trantalis began after a video of him calling the event a terrorist attack was posted to Twitter.
“If the Mayor had waited even 15 minutes, then he could’ve made a reasoned statement. Video of the arrest showed the driver wearing a gay men’s chorus t-shirt, which was more than enough to sew reasonable doubt about the intent of the driver,” author and radio host Grant Stern said in a tweet.
“Would have been neat if the mayor waited for facts,” journalist Carmine Sabia said.
“I hope @DeanTrantalis gets sued and then removed from office or defeated. Government officials shouldn’t be able [to] accuse someone of *terrorism* so flippantly without facts,” Claremont Institute Senior Fellow, David Reaboi tweeted.
Further criticism rang out on Twitter asking that the mayor retract his premature statement and apologize for labeling the incident as a terrorist attack. Trantlis has yet to comment on the situation.
Newsweek reached out to Trantalis, but did not hear back by publication time.
MEXICO CITY – When the Mexico men’s national team play their all-important 2022 World Cup qualifiers come September and October, they will do so without a single fan cheering them on. As Yahoo Sports first reported, FIFA has sanctioned the team and ordered it to play to an empty home stadium because its fans won’t stop using a controversial chant—widely seen as anti-gay—during matches.
For years, fans have shouted “puto” during opposing goal kicks at almost all Mexican men’s national team games, a word that one soccer fans site described this way:
“For some, it’s a harmless word that they’ve been shouting at opposing goalkeepers for decades. For others, it’s a salty, inappropriate swear word you’ll hear at some soccer games. And for many others it’s a homophobic slur that denigrates LGBT individuals and makes attending a soccer game feel like an unsafe space.”
“On behalf of the FMF, the players, the Liga MX, the clubs and all the national teams: Let’s stop. Let’s stop the fucking cry, please,” said Yon De Luisa, president of the Mexican Soccer Federation (FMF) at a press conference Friday, as reported by El Economista. “It is taking us away from our team and although many think it is fun, it is not.”
Coach Gerardo Martino, added: “I invite our fans to make a reflection so that they understand once and for all the meaning and scope of this type of attitude. They are great at cheering, but we ask that you focus exclusively on the selection. We have a great concern.”
The punishment of banning spectators will reportedly impact two World Cup qualifying matches against Jamaica and Canada in September and October at Mexico City’s Aztec Stadium. It is in addition to a fine of 60,000 Swiss francs—roughly $65,000 specifically being levied for the chanting of “Eh, puto” at two Olympic qualifying games held in March in Guadalajara, according to Mexico News Daily. An investigation has also reportedly been opened into chanting of the word at Mexico’s friendly against Iceland last month in Arlington, Texas.
Despite what the coach and FMF president said, there are many straight soccer fans who argue against “puto” being considered a slur. Soccer writer Elliot Turner, who has lived and worked in Spain, Argentina, the Dominican Republic, and Nicaragua, explained that in a 2014 piece for Fusion:
“In Spanish, the term puta means prostitute, and Spanish, like other romance languages, has gendered nouns (a noun is either male or female). Thus, the term puto is the masculine form, meaning a male prostitute. (The feminine form is puta.)
Did you just get a big tax bill from Uncle Sam? You’re likely to say ‘putos impuestos!’ Did your boss just give you a shitty assignment? You may mutter under your breath ‘puto trabajo.’
‘Puto’ is thus used similarly to ‘bloody’ in the United Kingdom and ‘fucking’ in the United States. It’s pervasive. The chant only reflects the ugly linguistic reality of Latin America and Spain. Everything that provokes rage is a ‘puto.’”
“Puto” can also mean “coward,” Turner argues, and writes “the typical El Tri fan means ‘coward,’ not ‘fag’ or ‘queer.’ And contextually, that has some support. Fans only use the term when the opposing goalkeeper punts the ball up the field.”
But because it also means “faggot,” a clearly hateful slur, Turner concludes the puto chant is “a form of prejudice and homophobia.”
This year, Mexican officials have stepped up efforts to stop the chant but social media campaigns and stadium announcements have failed, according to the Washington Post.
The chant was widely used at Mexico’s June 3 and 6 games against Costa Rica and the U.S., but as Yahoo Sports reported, officials enacted only Step 1 of FIFA’s three-step protocol, which call for match stoppages and PA announcements whenever the chant is heard; temporary match suspensions – with players returning to locker rooms – if the chant is heard again; and forfeits if it arises a third time.
Whether having to watch the team on TV, playing in front of 87-thousand empty seats, has an impact on this fan tradition remains to be seen.