Source: FOOTYMAD
The Strange World Of Olivier Bernard
Olivier Bernard believes it is time for gay footballers to stand proud. The former Toon defender says Justin Fashanu (another ex-Toon player) was the only player to announce to the world he was gay, and Bernard says "he hung himself". But there was a lot more to Fashanu's suicide than simply being gay! Olivier Bernard: “Racism in England isn’t a big problem anymore. “But we have other problems to tackle, and homophobia is perhaps the hardest of the lot. “Football dressing rooms are homophobic environments, definitely. If you went into any dressing room and said you were gay, people wouldn’t want to know you. They would step back and treat you as a leper. It is still a taboo. “I never knew anyone who admitted they were gay, but I think there were one or two who were. I could point my finger at a couple, definitely, but they never said anything about it. They never admitted it. “Footballers are anti-gay, generally, they don’t accept it and they don’t like it. It is still a very macho world, a man’s world and they don’t believe there is any place for gays in the game. “One of the people who works for Show Racism, Leroy Rosenior, he played with the only player to say he was gay, Justin Fashanu. He hanged himself. “He says when Fashanu got in the team bath the other players would get out straight away and leave him there alone. “That’s how bad it was and I think it still is. It was when I was playing and that’s not long ago. I’m 80% sure players would react the same way – they wouldn’t accept it. “I wouldn’t have got out the hot tub, though, that’s for sure. I think it’s only a matter of time until someone comes out and that’s what we need to break the deadlock. A footballer to stand up and say, ‘yes I am gay’. “But it would be very hard for someone to do that, to be the first. How would your team-mates, the media, supporters react? “I’m sure there are gay footballers, but because it’s football, they don’t come out because they are scared about the reaction. “If one came out, I’m certain more would quickly follow. It has happened in rugby and it has happened in cricket. It’s not acceptable to be racist in football, but it is still seen as acceptable to be homophobic. “It will change, people are more accepting now and more aware of things, it will happen one day. It’s the last barrier to break down. “I played with someone at Rangers who was gay, I’m pretty certain. He never said anything, but he was always with one man, his partner I think. “He was a big guy so nobody said anything to him, but he wasn’t brave enough to admit it either.”
