43% of LGBTQ women and non-binary fans feel unsafe at football, says survey for new campaign
Research shows supporters who are LGBTQ are among groups who feel the most unsafe attending football matches; survey results announced to support launch of new ‘Kick Sexism Out’ campaign from Kick It Out…
43% of football fans who are LGBTQ women or non-binary say they do not feel safe attending football matches.
The finding forms part of new research commissioned by the anti-discrimination charity Kick It Out for the launch of a new “Kick Sexism Out” campaign.
1,502 football fans who are women or non-binary were surveyed online in March and April 2024, with more than half (52%) saying they have experienced sexist behaviour or language on matchdays.
During a Q&A at a campaign launch event held at Brentford FC’s Gtech Community Stadium, Kick It Out’s chief operating officer Hollie Varney said the matchdays in question were understood to have been at men’s football fixtures.
The vast majority of those fans who said they had had negative experiences also said they had never reported sexist or misogynistic abuse (85%). The most common reasons given were that they “didn’t think it would make any difference” or “didn’t think it would be taken seriously”.
Those responding to the online survey were asked: “Thinking overall about your experience of attending football matches, how safe do you feel?”
Only a fifth of fans who said they were not LGBTQ recorded that they felt unsafe. Meanwhile, from the group of 179 respondents to the survey who said they were LGBTQ, 43% said they felt unsafe when attending games.
Kick It Out has produced a new short film in support of the campaign, depicting how men who are football fans might feel in a world in which traditional gender roles on matchdays were switched and where the nature of discrimination was altered accordingly too.
The short film’s power lies in its thought-provoking absurdity. It has been shared on Sky Sports channels, as well as social media accounts for PGMOL and the Her Game Too campaign.
White Ribbon UK, the charity which engages men and boys to prevent women and girls, is also supporting the initiative.
The messages being carried alongside the “Kick Sexism Out” slogan are to challenge incidents of discrimination when and where it is safe to do so, and to encourage reporting.
Clubs and leagues are being urged to demonstrate that they will treat reports of sexism and misogyny seriously and take the appropriate action.
When 1 in 2 women experience sexism, more than 4 in 5 don’t report it we’ve got big problem. 1 in 5 not feeling safe to go to football in 2024 is never something we should hear. And of course it’s worse for black, brown and LGBTQI+ fans #KickSexismOut pic.twitter.com/FVjjjbaFNQ
— Chris Paouros (@chrispaouros) September 11, 2024
Only 55% of fans who are women or non-binary and who did report discriminatory language or behaviour said they were satisfied with the outcome.
“Football needs to step up to ensure sexism is taken seriously and that women feel safe and confident to report discrimination,” said Varney.
“We’ve seen reports of sexism to Kick It Out increase significantly in recent seasons. Reports include women telling us about hearing sexist and lewd chants at matches, having their opinions dismissed or questioned simply because of their gender, and seeing officials and physios targeted with misogynistic abuse.
“As part of this campaign, we want to show male fans how they can challenge sexist behaviour when they see it and ensure women fans know that sexist and misogynistic behaviour is discrimination and can be reported.
“There have been encouraging examples over the past couple of seasons where clubs have taken positive and decisive action to deal with sexist behaviour, such as bans, arrests, and referrals to Kick It Out’s Fan Education team.
“But it’s clear from the research that clubs and governing bodies need to do more to build trust with women supporters.”
For more information on “Kick Sexism Out”, visit the Kick It Out website.
Further reading…
Half of fans have experienced sexism at matches – survey (Katie Gornall, BBC Sport)
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