Not much pride in the AFL’s LGBTQI+ efforts

Amid all the anger, outrage, rage and awkwardness swirling around the AFL over its tortured attempts to deal with homophobic slurs, as well as accusations that it has failed to get LGBTQI+ issues right, it’s important to remind the league of one thing: being gay is actually a lot of fun.

And I say this not just because of my role as a working journalist, but because I have since become the global poster child for marriage equality.

Leaving aside the strangely pervasive gloomy climate, I take you back to one of Australia’s happiest days: Wednesday, November 15, 2017, the day we learned the result of the same-sex marriage postal survey.

I was slacking off from work in the Sydney office Australian newspaper (it had about half a dozen gay men in its squad, more than the number of gay male AFL players, which was zero).

I was gathered in the park near Sydney Central Station with two gay-listed marriage equality advocates. After forever talking came the magic words: 61.6 per cent of Australians said yes to same-sex marriage and we were overjoyed.

I spied an old acquaintance in the crowd, Reuters photographer David Gray, and politely teased him for a happy celebratory photo with our champagne.

He was clearly reluctant, but he owed it to the Brook family. My father was his high school principal and he set up a dark photography room that would set him on the path to photojournalism. We popped the cork and splashed some bubbles into the flutes, David quickly took some sympathetic photos and we headed off to a celebratory dinner and promptly forgot all about it.

But a few hours later, a friend of mine was sending his congratulations all the way from Germany.

Our photo was at the top of the Reuters home page. In a long arc that defied all logic and physics, Billecart-Salmon had flown out of the bottle and landed directly into the waiting flute, which David captured in freeze frame; Both Australian and Yes! An explosion of alcoholic joy framed by our statement t-shirts that scream. to marriage equality (while making my shoulders look really good).

What a day! History, progress, alcohol and also global recognition. But it makes me sad to write this now. How is it that in 2017 we can educate an entire nation to enthusiastically support significant social change for gays and lesbians, but can’t stop young men from screaming f—– on the football field in 2026?

The events are well known. In the preseason game in 2024, AFL North Melbourne coach Alastair Clarkson calls some St Kilda players “b—suckers”. He was fined $20,000 but not suspended.

That season Port Adelaide forward Jeremy Finlayson called an Essendon player a f——.. He admitted it, apologized, received a three-match ban and paid to complete a Pride in Sport training course.

A month later, Gold Coast defender Wil Powell received a five-match ban for a non-public slur. He reported himself and apologized, but received an enhanced sentence due to the court’s “deep concern” that the incident had occurred again in such a short time and the court’s wish to “further deter such behaviour”.

But just before last year’s finals, Adelaide star Izak Rankine was suspended for four matches for calling a Collingwood player a “f—–“. He apologized and received a five-game suspension, reduced to four games, due to mental health issues. He missed the final series and was so devastated that he considered quitting football.

The damage caused by such insults is real. These are harassment, designed to attack and belittle opponents, elicit feelings of shame, depression and anxiety, and can lead to increased likelihood of self-harm. And because homophobic language is so embarrassing, it is a huge risk factor for underreporting sexual abuse.

The AFL clearly has concerns about this issue but critics point to inconsistencies.

As well as sponsorships from the national airlines of countries that ban homosexuality, Qatar Airways, Emirates and Etihad (some of which have ended), reformist homophobic rapper Snoop Dogg performed at the grand final last year.

And then there was the infamous Mad Monday of Geelong star players Patrick Dangerfield and Bailey Smith. Brokeback Mountain Smith’s gay pose, which he captioned: “This is what losing grandma does to you.” So what, losing makes you gay?

Personally, I thought it was fun to dress up, but the title was stupid. The AFL did not impose any penalties but did grope the Geelong Football Club and the club apologized and canceled its Mad Monday celebrations.

A few years ago a rugby player made a homophobic slur in the middle of a match. This was when he was actually wearing a rainbow uniform and playing in a pride match hosted by his local team.

He later told Monash University researchers he was shocked to do this and that it felt like he was swearing in front of his grandmother. And he would never do it twice.

The lesson for the researchers was simple. Properly organized pride tours that highlight the queer community, along with support and education from local clubs, can change players’ attitudes. Research shows that players’ use of homophobic slurs (often so ingrained in the culture that they are used without thinking) declines after participating in pride tours.

But the AFL still traditionally has a single pride match between the Sydney Swans and St Kilda.

research paper Examining evidence of LGBTQ+ discrimination and exclusion in sport Monash University researcher Erik Denison and others found: “Homophobic language is also widely used in sport by athletes, whether or not they claim to have positive attitudes towards LGBTQ+ people.”

To continue. Will Houghton, K.C.The AFL appeals tribunal chairman in the infamous Lance Collard case was sacked for saying similar.

The appeals panel reduced Collard’s seven-game ban for saying “f—f—-t” to four games. This was Collard’s second offense, which he denied, prompting a long, contentious court hearing and appeal hearing.

“It is extremely competitive, especially at higher levels. It is not uncommon for players to occasionally use racist, sexist or homophobic language while on the pitch.”

The anger was immediate. Most ignored his follow-up comment. “We observe that it is to the credit of the AFL and the Court that efforts to remove these comments have been successful.”

My colleague Peter Ryan talked about the major flaws and absurdities in the AFL’s Collard investigation process; Meanwhile, a young player felt an AFL inspector asked him if he was gay; This was a shocking invasion of privacy.

AFL Players Association CEO James Gallagher acknowledged that every step of this process harms the players involved and the First Nations and queer communities that the industry must reflect on.

And the intense focus on this torturous and flawed process has wrongly made the tribunal process a litmus test for the AFL’s stance on queer issues rather than its education and policy efforts. As one AFL manager lamented: “We don’t see the stories written about the good work we do.”

Yet the AFL has twice earned the coveted “gold status” from Pride in Sport, a division of the ACON. One wonders what status would be given to a gay male player who thinks the AFL environment is safe enough for him. This never happened.

Ian Roberts, who became a hero to all Australian gay men after coming out as a rugby league player in 1995, cuts himself off when I ask him about the AFL and its problems. “This is in every major sporting body, especially in men’s sport,” he says, adding that he feels redundant in talking about gay issues with women’s sports; the problems are not there.

“Same-sex attraction is seen as a sign of weakness,” he says of men’s sports. “I don’t think the men are homophobic. But most of them are quite uneducated.”

Basketball player Isaac Humphries emerged in 2022 and now admits he underestimated how easily his Melbourne United team-mates would accept him.

“We don’t have all the answers but we can help provide a platform,” says Melbourne United CEO Nick Truelson.

United has worked with Melbourne Specters in LGBTQI+ partnership, as well as gay radio station Joy FM, and is a member of Pride in Sport. Oh, and Dannii Minogue is also the team’s ambassador.

“If there weren’t challenges across the country, we wouldn’t need to run themed tours for all sports.”

The AFL likes to list LGBTQI+ achievements, always making sure to point out that it is on a journey and determined to do better. In 2014, it approved an anti-homophobia framework. In 2016 the annual pride game between the Sydney Swans and St Kilda began. The first AFLW pride match in 2018 turned into a pride tour that the men would not commit to.

The only AFL pride match between the Swans and St Kilda will not take place this year. The Swans canceled the game after the Collard case “to ensure the game had a positive impact”. So you lose the chance for a teachable moment. In fact, St Kilda is being punished.

Monash University researcher Denison thinks the AFL is not properly addressing real problems. “These are social issues. The players know they shouldn’t use the language; it has nothing to do with it. There’s no thought process going on there, they’re just using the language that everyone else uses to fit in.”

“Boys use this language because they want to belong. It’s about power, hierarchy and belonging.

“I personally am resigned to the AFL doing the right thing.”

The problem actually goes beyond the AFL and the sport. We are the problem.

“It’s not about sports, it’s much bigger than that. It just shows up in sports,” Roberts says.

His solution? “Education, education, education – it’s about talking about these things when people are kids. You’re not less for having a crush on someone of the same sex,” Roberts says, adding that it’s still an uncomfortable conversation to have with sports officials.

“Special contact sports where boys have to be boys.”

I have never met any of the AFL’s convicted homophobic insults. But unlike the Swans and St Kilda, I’d happily invite them out for a drink. Maybe Ian, Isaac and Thorpey can come too. Aperol spray? Okay, beers if we have to. Either way, I’m sure we’ll have a gay old time.