Homophobia and Discrimination on

<strong>Homophobia</strong> <strong>and</strong> <strong>Discrimination</strong> on Grounds of Sexual Orientation <strong>and</strong> Gender Identity in the EU Member States
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In Germany the hostile atmosphere in football has led lesbians <strong>and</strong> gays to create their
own non-professional clubs. 314 LGBT persons have established their own sports
associations also in other Member States. The annual European Gay <strong>and</strong> Lesbian
Sports Championships (Eurogames) as well as Outgames are other examples LGBT
sports events. 315
Conclusions
Data on homophobia in sports largely focuses on professional football. In the context of
football, homophobia is expressed in fan culture <strong>and</strong> among footballers, with the use of
homophobic language commonly used at football events to ridicule opponents or
referees. A prominent finding in the area of sport is the lack of LGBT visibility. LGBT
persons are perceived to have low levels of opportunity to be open in sport due to risk of
harassment, homophobia or rejection from fellow club members.
Most sports associations give homophobia low priority on the anti-discrimination agenda,
particularly compared with efforts to reduce racism.
314 Germany, country report; see also http://www.queer footballfanclubs.com (20.03.2008)
315 http://www.eurogames.info/eurogames-welcome.html <strong>and</strong> www.copenhagen2009.org (08.08.2008)