The Premier League is under fire at this weekend’s Brighton’s Pride Festival, where its attitude towards homosexuality has been criticised by a certain Irish bookmaker you’re probably aware of.
OK, fine, it was us. It was hardly going to be one of those other mobs, was it?
Everyone enjoying our #ComeOutAndPlay Lucky Pants design for #BrightonPride… pic.twitter.com/Spn2NomgG0
— Paddy Power (@paddypower) August 4, 2018
An open-top bus was the centrepiece of this afternoon’s parade, with every gay Premier League footballer on board. Therefore leaving the bus empty.
Brighton Pride is the country’s biggest LGBTQ event, with more than 300,000 in attendance this weekend, and is being headlined by Britney Spears.
As official partners of the event, we organised the protest to highlight the statistical anomaly that NONE of the 500 or so Premier League players this season is openly gay.
Last year, FA Chairman Greg Clarke said he was aware of at least two gay Premier League players, and that he was “personally ashamed” that neither feels safe enough to come out.
This isn’t our first foray into tackling LGBTQ issues in football either.
It doesn’t matter how you score off the pitch, as long as you score on it. #ComeOutAndPlay pic.twitter.com/5U6CPR1mQO
— Paddy Power (@paddypower) August 4, 2018
We pioneered and launched the Rainbow Laces campaign, which got universal backing across the game.
And, during the World Cup, we donated money to LGBTQ causes every time Russia scored, raising £170,000 for the Attitude Foundation, which will support the LGBTQ community in football, and earned praise from MPs.
Asked about the issue spokesman Paddy Power, dressed in our special edition ‘Paddy Pride Pants’, said: “The world’s best-watched league should reflect the community around it – in the UK, one in 50 people consider themselves LGBTQ.
“And yet, in the Premier League, not one player is openly gay. So, we’re calling on the league to boot itself into 2018, and create a welcoming environment for its first gay player.
Our shop right in the middle of #BrightonPride parade is looking well. #ComeOutAndPlay pic.twitter.com/2HwmS891gO
— Paddy Power (@paddypower) August 4, 2018
“We think an out gay Premier League footballer would have an extraordinary effect not just on the LGBTQ community, but society in general. They would spearhead profound change and, club colours aside, that’s something we support more than anything else.”