Originally published at: Mexico's fans are so homophobic they've been banned from spectating the World Cup qualifiers | Boing Boing
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Bueno. La cultura de consecuencias.
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Are the fans themselves homophobic, or the chants? Not saying they’re required to be exclusive, but man oh man that’s a very-not-nice headline which paints the entire country with a very broad brush that I thought we had discussed not using anymore.
It is the fans who are banned.
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Enough of the Mexican fans in the stadiums (note: this != the entire country of Mexico) are homophobic enough that they feel comfortable making homophobic chants that are heard throughout the venue and on broadcasts. Quiet homophobia isn’t better, but if they don’t want to be banned as bigots perhaps they shouldn’t be making, y’know, bigoted chants.
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Though the country of Mexico also has significant issues with homophobia. Even after laws were strengthened, many people feel that police or police in their area are homophobic and will not enforce those laws or investigate homophobia-related offenses.
Here’s one article from last year about it:
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If FIFA could also unilaterally address the habit of many of these same fans of throwing batteries and plastic bags filled with urine on the pitch that’d be great.
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No doubt, as does any country where the Catholic Church is still powerful and where machismo is a cultural factor. One hopes those two aspects of life in Mexico – which once allowed these fans to feel like they could be bigots without consequences – will continue to lose their power.
FIFA is more likely to specify official battery and plastic bag sponsors for the games and only confiscate items that aren’t approved. They might even demand that the urine originate from Coca Cola, the official soft drink of FIFA.
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It would help a lot if the players in Mexico would unite against that homophobic bullshit. At the first homophobic chant the team simply forfeits the game, walk off the pitch and let the world know they don’t support hate. It likely won’t happen but until the game itself refuses to tolerate hate then the haters will just have to shut their stupid mouths or not have a beloved sport.
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There is debate over the chant, as the Spanish word has several meanings. One of the meanings is a slur against gay men, which De Luisa said is all it should take to avoid using it.
“For many years, that was the debate for us at the Mexican federation,” De Luisa said. “That is no longer a debate. If it is discriminatory, we should avoid it.”
One of the most glaring issues about the slur is that it is omnipresent in Mexican songs and other media. Kids in Tijuana grow up hearing all kinds of slurs and insults as a matter of course in everyday conversations, and most people don’t seem to think there’s a problem with that.
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That’s asking more of them than they’re willing to give.
The FMF was actually seriously considering enforcing the closed doors ban that were earned by the Men’s games on the Women’s team. The commentary was, “They’re just women, nobody cares about their games anyway, and CONCACAF/FIFA didn’t specify it HAD to be the Men’s team that suffered”
EDIT:
I think I need to say that I am absolutely not sexist, and am a proud supporter of the local women’s soccer team here in Portland. I absolutely think it’d be a travesty if the women had to play behind closed doors because of stuff that men did.
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One game was paused, and the officials warned the fans to stop.
And then, the officials allowed the game (and the chants) to continue without further repercussions. The officials could have very well disqualified the Mexican team, but didn’t. That’s 100% on FIFA.
Also noted, a few LGBTQ+ fans were at the game, and are now suing the Chicago Park Department, claiming that the Chicago Park District violated their civil rights under the Illinois Human Rights Act by not lifting a finger to stop the chants.
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:reads story about chants that doesnt actually say what they were chanting:
:finds out what actual chants were:
:learns previously unknown spanish slang word:
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If you chant homophobic slurs, you are indistinguishable in deed and effect from a homophobe.
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You are right to make that point. FIFA is very late to the party of gender and LGBT+ rights and still very often does not do enough.
But when they DO a good thing, like banning the fans for two games or allow players to wear rainbows on the pitch or take the knee… that should be applauded. It may not look like much but FIFA has in some ways more influence and power than any government.
Next UEFA final will be seen by more people that any speech by any of your favorite activists. It is not how it should be but it is how it is. The English players will take a knee(*) and millions around the globe will see it, that can have power.
(And many, many dives later. But that is a different rant…)
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I believe the explanation is pretty simple; “Catholics” who espouse the memory of Jesus (no matter how you pronounce it) in hatred of things they don’t want to accept.
I applaud the thought, but that sounds like a quick route to execution by the cartel or whatever org that has stake in these games.
Do you think the players themselves are less homophobic than the population at large? They have more to lose with regard to this specific decision but I don’t have any reason to believe they’re more likely to support gay rights than the average person.
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Meanwhile, in the UK…
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