#woso pride month 2020 | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

the-necessary-unnecessary · 4 years

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On World Cup Kisses

Women's World Cups are notorious for their sporting excellence, the unmatchable atmosphere within women's sports that they create, the rivalries, their solidarity, their badassery, their skill, their dedication, their sacrifice... and their kisses.

Abby Wambach and Canadian goalkeeper Erin McLeod's set the precedent in 2015. The latter had kissed her soon to be wife during a round of sixteen match, the moment famously being dubbed McLeod going over to celebrate “with a fan” by getty images. Abby, then went over to the stands and kissed her then wife, Sarah Huffman, after having helped the US to their third world cup title. She did it as any other couple would, with all the normalcy and assuredness that a player who has just won a world cup and wants to celebrate with their partner would. But this kiss wasnt like any other, it was a kiss that reverberated around the world. It was riding off the back of the passing of Supreme Court legislation a few days earlier over the legalisation of same-sex marriages in the US, making the moment all the more poignant and groundbreaking.

Such moments of symbolic importance were also present at the world cup 4 years later. Norway's Isabell Herlovsen was the first to kiss her wife last summer - not even after a match but in fact half way through one. After scoring a penalty she raced over to celebrate with her wife by kissing her in the stands, a celebration does not get more iconic than this. This kiss didnt get as much coverage as some of the later ones did, maybe because she and her wife are not as well known, maybe because no big photographer properly captured the moment, but that is a moment that wholly reveals the culture of normality and acceptance within women's football - both of themselves and each other.

The next of world renowned impact was the one shared between Magdalena Eriksson and Pernille Harder after Sweden knocked out Germany in the round of 16. The photo made waves around the world not only because two women were kissing but also because of the fact that Pernille is Danish and was decked out in a swedish kit, swedish flag nails included, to support her girlfriend. This transcended gender barriers and became a photo of love and pride. A kiss also followed at the 3rd place play off, solidifying their place on the kiss wall of fame. In this case, it's not only about the kiss, it's also about the impact they've had afterwards, they took the power and visibility of the kiss to join common goal, to speak openly about their sexuality and become the ultimate role models for so many people

Also from Sweden was Lina Hurtig, who again kissed her wife in the stands after the match. With less of a wide reaching impact than her teammate's kiss, it still goes a long way to show the visibility and normalcy in such small yet powerful actions. Nilla Fischer, one of the greatest pioneers and advocators for lgbtq rights in itself, went one further than a stadium kiss and kissed her wife in front of the thousands of Swedes who had gathered to celebrate their team's world cup success.

The aftermath of the final was also filled with kisses, Netherland's captain Sherida Spitse still went up to kiss her wife - although out of consolation rather than celebration. Adriana Franch also went over to nonchalantly kiss her soon to be wife after winning the world cup for the first time resulting in a moment of elation which although in the moment would not have held much weight meant so many things to so many people watching on.

Next is Megan Rapinoe, the outspoken, strong willed, skilled purple haired warrior who had stood up to Trump and won not only the world cup but also the battle he'd begun to wage against her. There was no better way to seal her victory than to kiss her basketball superstar girlfriend Sue Bird. A momentous snapshot on all fronts. Another post-world cup kiss starred Dutch player Merel Van Dongen and her Spanish girlfriend Ana Romero who hadn't been able to go and watch her play as she'd been commentating all the Netherlands' matches on Spanish television. Ana surprising Merel and then kissing on camera without a care in the world is iconic behaviour, and is another important example of acceptance and normalisation.

The last one of the bunch is none other than Kelley O'Hara's. Not only was this moment meaningful for the kiss itself, it was revolutionary as it doubled up as her public 'coming out' moment. To be able to do something so big with such a small gesture is truly powerful. Publicly coming out with an interview or a statement is important, but moments like this which appear to be just a matter-of-fact action are equally essential in moving past the idea that all lgbtq people owe society a big coming out moment. It is the simplicity of the action which makes it so monumental. Plus, she not only won the World Cup and 'came out' by kissing her girlfriend that day, she also went on to party like a maniac despite a probable concussion - something which I thought deserved a mention

Woso Pride Month 2020 [Day 7/30]

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whydoiwrite · 3 years

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I love Linds and she’s at the top of my fav player list. If we are going just NT games, she outranks Sam in my book. But with so few NT games this year, club has played a far larger part. No doubt Lindsey carried the Torns on her back, but that was a while ago. And she battled injury to be out on field consistently. The fall series wasn’t the most intense and credible competition— and the Torns looked less than amazing for most of the Challenge cup. So, with that all being a bit ago, and Sam absolutely standing out at Man City (who is, of course, playing consistent competition) I can see why she gets the edge in this award. (And, while it was out of her control, I doubt missing the Netherlands game helped Lindsey’s case. It’s hard to remember Feb and March at this point.). Us soccer has ridden the publicity of the WSL crew hard, and Sam has been a stand out in that. So, crazy year that is 2020, and all things considered, Sam bringing home the award over Linds isn’t the biggest robbery. Here’s to hoping the Great Horan continues her momentum and 2021 is her year.

I don’t know about that take. The weird dependency the NWSL has on USSF, and USSF not really giving a fuck because they’re unaffected by players going overseas rubs me wrong. I struggle with what I believe is the inequity of bringing WSL minutes into this conversation. So Dunn and Horan choose to rest their bodies instead of going back to Europe and/or there’s not enough money left in the coffers of the big WSL clubs to bring them over, and now we’re going to praise Mewis for going or at least getting in early? They didn’t have equal access to head to Europe, and in my opinion, even if they did have the chance to go, both Horan and Dunn are now being effectually punished for wanting a break or wanting to stay loyal to the Thorns.

And while we’re at it, if we’re going to talk NWSL, Sam has all the help in the damn world on the Courage to make her look good and keep her healthy. Lindsey doesn’t. She battled injury because she has to do way more than Sam does. And that carries over onto the NT, where she probably doesn’t have to put her body on the line because of who’s behind her, but she does anyway because it’s in her blood. Yet, with their stacked, Paul Riley-led team, the Thorns knocked the Courage out of the Cup and then won the Fall Series. (And if we are going to talk about club performance, what about when Alex won without doing anything for the Pride?)

Finally “a while ago” is not a reason to not vote for her. Saying January and March where she was scoring bangers is not fresh enough in peoples’ minds is bs. Because if you can’t be objective, and if it’s too hard for you to think back to 11 months ago, then why are you even a journalist? This award is usually bullshit because of the dumbasses who get to vote for it. I feel like there should be some actual soccer knowledge/experience required, and “I’m a WoSo journalist doesn’t count.” They’ve learned the game well enough, sure, to throw around phrases like “I rate her highly,” “box midfield,” and “textbook defense,” but not the intricacies of the game, and in that, they miss a whole fuckton in players like Horan and Dunn.

For the record, I’m leaving Press out of the conversation because I think she’s hated enough in the NWSL for what she pulled with Houston (which btw, good for her) that she’ll never win, unfortunately.

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wosouswntpride · 4 years

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Rosengård - the first football team with a rainbow flag on their shirt

It’s quite a common occurrence now for there to be rainbows featured on the back of shirts, examples of which are Wolfsburg, the US national team and Orlando Pride,

but the first to do so was the Swedish team Rosengård. In 2015 they became the first team to fly rainbows from the corner flags during a Champions League match, and in 2017 they first featured the now iconic rainbow on the top of their shirts. This didn’t come without a fight though since UEFA initially banned the women’s team from doing this on the grounds of the Pride banner not being a national flag. However Rosengård persevered, with the club CEO Klas Tjebbes arguing for the cause, until ultimately UEFA relented by saying that that they could not approve it according to their statutes, but that they also saw no reason to stop it.

Rosengård knew how much those six simple stripes could mean to people, Tjebbes stated at the time that “we not only want to win matches, but also to be a community player with a good base of values.” Anita Asante, who also played for the Swedish team at the time joined in with the support of the cause saying that “having the rainbow flag on our shirts is a good symbol which illustrates our openness as a club. That we are welcoming to all people, of different backgrounds and different identities.”

For them to be pioneers in this area, to have fought against UEFA’s prejudices disguised as existing restrictions, and to recognise that this is something so small yet that has such a big effect on people, is really commendable. Which is why today’s pride post is dedicated to Rosengård and their pride donned shirts throughout the last few years.

2016 (during the Champions League match against FFC Frankfurt, including players of such calibre as Marta, Sara Bjork Gunnasdottir, Ali Riley, Lieke Martens, Ella Masar, Anita Asante)

2017 (Anita Asante against her soon to be team Chelsea and English teammate Fran Kirby and Folkesson against Ji So Yun)

2018 (German player Anja Mittag and Norwegian player Lisa-Marie Utland during celebrations after winning that years Sveska Cupen)

2019 (Caroline Seger’s transfer to the club has been vital for them, plus is the very embodiment of the valuesbcarried by that little rainbow)

2020 (with the league about to begin their kit release has already happened and, in keeping with their now 5 year old tradition, the little pride flag which caused such a stirr half a decade ago still remains as a fixed part of the club shirt and club values)

Woso Pride Month 2020 [Day 18/30]

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the-necessary-unnecessary · 4 years

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Katie and Ruesha best moments on Instagram

Continuing on @soranpreath‘s work in this post, I have compiled practically a masterpost of katie and ruesha’s greatest hits

Woso Pride Month 2020 [Day 21/30]

#i had this in mind for today anyways and then saw that the other post was going round and that made my compilation job easier!#the cara delevigne one is just pure gold #they genuinely have every comment and post under the sun here #katie mccabe #irewnt #arsenal wfc #ruesha littlejohn #not west ham wfc any more...#woso pride month 2020 #pride month #lgbtq+#og

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the-necessary-unnecessary · 4 years

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A guide on how to figure out whether two spaniards are showing off typical espanish tendencies or if they're actually dating (aka FAQs)

Hand holding?

Nope, each very much separately gay.

Arm around the other's neck?

Neither, nothing to see here just two gal pals being friendly

Kisses on the cheek? Like I know Spaniards say hello by kissing each other twice but not like this right?

It is indeed like this when you're typical espanish friends :)

Hand holding AND arm around the neck AND kissing on the cheek?

Abort mission she's been friendzoned

Okay but what about hanging out topless? like that cant be something people just do casually together unless they're actually dating

Okay fair enough, sometimes this is a pro homo activity buuuut

definitely not always! Covering up exclusively for photos is a very gal pals thing to do too

Right okay got it (although tbh I haven't) nudity doesnt equal relationship. But full on the mouth kissing must be right? There's no way around this one is there?

Well you're in for a surprise here because once again, there is nothing going on other than friendship here. Eli is very much taken by a girl, just not this one.

Aarrghhh okay I give up. Spaniards are officially a different species which I shall never fully understand

Please don't give up just yet, there's some hope left as there are a lot of people who do post pictures kissing and are actual couples, spaniards dont just reserving the kissing business to friends

But the moral of the story-come-Q＆A session is that you never truly really know until they tell you. Sometimes it seems like you can figure out more by who doesn't want to make it obvious that they're spending time with each other (looking at no one in particular here obviously). But mostly the best thing to do is sit back, relax, and tear your hair out over their typical espanish antics until they tell you themselves

Woso Pride Month 2020 [Day 12/30]

#the end #mapi leon #alexia putellas #espwnt #leila ouahabi #maitane lopez #eva navarro #laia alexandri #ona batlle #anita marcos #carmen menayo #lola gallardo #eli del estatal #andrea falcon #vicky losada #teresa abelleira #woso pride month 2020 #lgbtq+#pride month

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the-necessary-unnecessary · 4 years

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pride iconography in the Women's Super League

Woso Pride Month 2020 [Day 20/30]

#basically the true gay legend teams are reading west ham and arsenal #liverpool wfc #west ham wfc #fara williams #lia walti #reading wfc #arsenal wfc #katie mccabe #brighton and hove albion wfc #woso #woso pride month 2020 #my gifs #og #fawsl #women's championship #lgbtq+#pride month

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the-necessary-unnecessary · 4 years

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Anita Asante is one of the only Black women’s footballers in England who has spoken openly and to the media about her sexuality as well as the amplified struggles she faces as a black woman within the LGBTQ+ community. Her contributions to the discussions about both lgbtphobia and racism in football and beyond have not been widely talked about, so I thought I would compile a list of quotes and interviews she has done talking about these issues.

Woso Pride Month 2020 [Day 5/30]

On what it’s like to be a member of the LGBTQ+ community: “One of the challenges that comes with growing [LGBTQ+] visibility is that each person is very dependent on the systems that immediately surround them. If you feel that support isn't fully there for you, it's very hard to navigate."

On the process of coming out to her parents: "I expected a negative response from my immediate family, there was quite a strong religious faith there, and our African culture. I felt they would worry how everyone else in our circle would respond. When I was back from America, I was in the car with my mum going to the supermarket one day and she just outright asked me. I'd wanted it, to be honest, and I said 'yeah'. She had a hard time taking it in initially, and it took a while for us to really talk about it on a deeper level. Largely, there was silence." Back in America, her father called and said, "'your mum told me'. I was like, 'OK...' But then he quickly said, 'I'm just upset you didn't tell me first'. My dad and I have always been very close. I was so grateful. And I thought, 'yeah, why didn't I tell dad? I tell dad everything!'My mum won't mind me saying this - it was hard for her. But I think my dad made her see that the worry was ridiculous, and that there are far worse things your child could be. It was a rollercoaster and I know it's like that for a lot of people. Ultimately it brought us all closer. My brother is also gay - and out - and for both of us, having each other as an ally in the family has been very comforting.”

On the oversexualisation of players in relationships with other women: “For women, there are people for whom being in a lesbian relationship is seen as sexy or cool. Nine times out of 10, it's men who then comment and that emphasises this threat to women and their bodies. A compliment is fine but understand that these are elite athletes. Often they're getting oversexualised based on either their aesthetics or their sexuality."

On how England can learn from Sweden when it comes to tackling racism and homophobia: "they would not only bring the topic up to make it a talking point, but they would work with other entities within the community to address the issue. They have actively used sport as a tool for integration within society with players happy to share their back stories to help others feel secure and know how to deal with things themselves. We as a nation have a lot of diversity and I think we need to think on the same level as Sweden. We can definitely take some best practices from them and try to implement them over here. It was not always an elaborate thing, sometimes it was the small things like having the corner flag as a Pride flag or having the team march in Pride. Obviously we do a lot of big campaigns here around racism, but it's not just about campaigns anymore. It's also about when issues arrive - knowing the protocols and the penalties for those who go against the grain and behave inappropriately.”

On whether racism and other forms of discrimination in football have actually decreased in recent years: “Over time there’s been this assumption that racism, discrimination, all these things have vastly improved. But the reality is it really hasn’t. We have never looked at how many people voice when these things happen to them. Is it happening less? Or are people not speaking up?”

On what football needs to do to stop discrimination: “As a player I would be absolutely willing to sacrifice not having the fans or the atmosphere for however long to try and shift that culture. The only way you can do that is if you’re serious about affecting a change in culture positively. It’s not a football problem. Football highlights the problem because it’s so popular and it’s on TV, online, it’s everywhere. But it’s a society issue, a cultural issue. Football has the opportunity to find and discuss ways to deter the people who are discriminating”

On representation within women’s football: “I felt, personally, quite a lot of comfort in my teams and in my sport. It’s about people being willing to step out and represent their sexuality, their race, whatever it is, they have to feel secure and confident in that. We have to also place emphasis on allowing those environments are allowing people to be their authentic self, and be able to just share their personal stories and experiences and that’s how we’re going to be able to get those messages out there about positivity and inclusiveness so that younger generations feel like they can move through this world without fear of negativity and negative criticism just because of who they are.”

On the media’s focus about sexuality and race: It’s also important that the media doesn’t always only focus on these things that are parts of people. There are so many different parts of an individual and it’s not just their sexuality, it’s not just their race, it’s not just their education it’s a whole multitude of things. Sometimes athletes just want to be recognised as athletes.”

Finally, today Anita and Welsh rugby player Ashton Hewitt, alongside her reporter and ex-hockey player girlfriend Beth Fischer did a two hour instagram live about race and identity as well as the recent surge in the Black Lives Matter movement. I would recommend watching it all as it has been uploaded onto Neetz’s ig page (Part 1 Part 2). I’ll leave you with a few short quotes though: “violence is what brought us change and decades of unrest are now coming to the forefront”, “this is not just about the criminal justice system, every single institution in the country needs reform as systematic problems require systematic solutions”. I also found it abysmal that FIFA and UEFA came out with a statement saying players would not be fined for taking a stand, as before they would have been due to the “manifestoes of not mixing politics and sport”

#she's spoken out so much more but i selected ones where she spoke about both racism and homophobia #as ella masar said anita is one of the current players most likely to make long term changes in both sport and the world as a whole #also she announed in her live that she's leaving the club so yeah that's confirmed #anita asante #chelsea wfc #racism #homophobia #blm #woso #pride month #woso pride month 2020 #og #lgbtq+

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the-necessary-unnecessary · 4 years

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Rosengård - the first football team with a rainbow flag on their shirt

It’s quite a common occurrence now for there to be rainbows featured on the back of shirts, examples of which are Wolfsburg, the US national team and Orlando Pride,

2016 (during the Champions League match against FFC Frankfurt, including players of such calibre as Marta, Sara Bjork Gunnasdottir, Ali Riley, Lieke Martens, Ella Masar, Anita Asante)

2017 (Anita Asante against her soon to be team Chelsea and English teammate Fran Kirby and Folkesson against Ji So Yun)

2018 (German player Anja Mittag and Norwegian player Lisa-Marie Utland during celebrations after winning that years Sveska Cupen)

2019 (Caroline Seger's transfer to the club has been vital for them, plus is the very embodiment of the valuesbcarried by that little rainbow)

Woso Pride Month 2020 [Day 18/30]

#its a very late one but a very important one!!#swewnt #fc rosengard #fc rosengård #caroline seger #anita asante #anja mittag #lise marie utland #ella masar #ali riley #marta da silva #sara bjork gunnarsdottir #og #woso pride month 2020 #pride month #lgbtq+#uswnt #vfl wolfsburg frauen #orlando pride

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the-necessary-unnecessary · 4 years

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woso couples x text posts

Woso Pride Month 2020 [Day 6/30]

#its a lighthearted one today!#magdalena eriksson #pernille harder #hardersson #ashlyn harris #ali krieger #krashlyn #alexia putellas #jenni hermoso #fcb femeni #katie mccabe #ruesha littlejohn #tierna davidson #uswnt #espwnt #irewnt #woso pride month 2020 #text posts meme

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the-necessary-unnecessary · 4 years

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In honour of #AsOne2023 pulling through here's a compilation of out and proud Matildas and Fern players with their girlfriends/wives

Woso Pride Month 2020 [Day 25/30]

#woop woop!#i gotta dash but ill answer stuff tonight :))#auswnt #nzewnt #matildas #ferns #sam kerr #hannah wilkinson #tameka yallop #emily van egmond #chloe logarzo #emma kete #emily gielnik #mackenzie arnold #elise kellond knight #woso pride month 2020 #pride month #woso #lgbtq+

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the-necessary-unnecessary · 4 years

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Lucy Bronze & Keira Walsh: gay connection and gay celebration

Woso Pride Month 2020 [Day 17/30]

#i dont think the video version of this has blessed tumblr so here you all are!#its doing pretty well on the poll too!#keira walsh #man city wfc #lucy bronze #olympique lyonnais feminine #engwnt #lionesses #wwc19 #woso pride month 2020 #pride month #og

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the-necessary-unnecessary · 4 years

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“looks can be deceiving”

Happy 25th Birthday Maria Pilar León

Woso Pride Month 2020 [Day 13/30]

#yes today is dedicated to mapi bcs she's an icon in herself #(and i have nothing else planned for the day)#mapi leon #fcb femeni #fc barcelona femeni #espwnt #spain wnt #mapi león #maria pilar leon #maria pilar león #woso pride month 2020 #pride month #og

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the-necessary-unnecessary · 4 years

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Casey Stoney: the woman, the myth, the legend

Stoney’s iconic legacy within the footballing community cam be outlined by many things, from her sporting prowess to her enormous success so far as Manchester United women’s first manager to her match punditry excursions. However within the LGBTQ+ community her icon status can primarily be defined within three points: her coming out in 2014 being the first England national team player to ever do so, her having the most adorable family with ex-teammate Megan Harris and their three kids, and her absolutely DESTROYING H*nkle on live television. Lets break this down

Coming out in an exclusive BBC interview in February 2014

"For the last 10 years I've always cared too much what other people think. I was frightened of the stereotypes, frightened of being judged, frightened of what other people might say, especially the abuse you can get through social media. But I think I'm in a place where I feel so comfortable in my own skin, I feel so loved by the person I'm with, that I feel I can face anything."

This was a step forward for not only her own acceptance but also the acceptance of gay people within the (British) footballing environment. Drawing on the massively positive response the diver Tom Daly got just a few month earlier she decided to take the plunge (of in her case, take a shot at it) and publicly come out. She immediately became the most high-profile out player in English football, and the only current out player at the time.

She raised an interesting point about why she was the first woman to do so too: “I could look at it two ways, is it because people don't feel like they need to come out and talk about it because it's never been an issue? Or is it because, like I have been for the last 10 years, people are frightened? Even in this day and age, frightened of being judged, frightened of what people might think of them, or what they might say? It doesn't change you as a person.” Either or, her coming out had a massive impact on the women’s footballing community. Seven months after she did another interview where she was shocked at the hugely positive response and support she received, also stating how much of coming out helped her become “more comfortable with myself, more happy with myself”. Ultimately what she achieved was wider visibility and discussions about the LGBTQ+ community, saying that “if you can raise the issue and get people talking about it then you can start to educate people.”

Happy family

“to anybody who ever questions why we've had children, I'd say: Well look at what we've been through to have them and look at how wanted they are."

In June 2015 both Stoney and Megan Harris spoke openly about both their relationship and their process with a fertility clinic, which was the start of the journey towards the family they have today. From the start of their relationship back in 2011 when Casey joined Megan’s team Lincoln Ladies in the WSL to the birth of twins Teddy and Tilly four years later to the more recent birth of their third child Willow they are the embodiment of what how a family with two mums can be every bit as much of a family as any other model. Their openness with their processes to have children such as through interviews about IVF treatment are also very noteworthy. The validity that comes with them living their lives normally, the acceptance that others get from seeing the way they all except each other is immense and more than worthy of icon status.

Destroying homophobes on national television

“voices in your head are never a good thing love”

The latest thing of gay icon worthy note she has done was when she was commentating an England match and, unbeknownst to her, a private conversation that she though was off air during half time was in fact broadcasted to the whole of the spectator audience. Highlights include [talking about when H*inkle turned down an uswnt place because God told her to] “mate, that’s called schizophrenia… that’s the start of something very disturbing… voices in your head are never a good thing love.” Wiser words have never been uttered. Also of note was when they went on to discuss a Luis Theroux cult documentary she watched where “they’re flicking through all these photos of like gay people and my face appears” “and they’re like no more f*ggots, they should all die and all that, I’m like ‘yeah that’s me! Claim to fame.” It does not get more iconic that that I’m telling ya.

Woso Pride Month 2020 [Day 22/30]

#it just had to be done #what an all round icon #not too late to vote for her if you want to!#casey stoney #engwnt #megan harris #lionesses #man united wfc #manchester united wfc #og #woso pride month 2020 #pride month #lgbtq+#wlw #north carolina courage

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the-necessary-unnecessary · 4 years

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“I am who I am, who I always have been”

A year ago today Katie McCabe and Ruesha Littlejohn made their relationship public during an Irish Pride campaign that saw the AVIVA national stadium be lit up in the colours of the pride flag for the first time. Although the two of them never hid it on social media, this campaign and their story making waves amongst the press has had a large impact in a country that has not had the closest relationship with LGBTQ+ rights in the past.

In Ruesha's own words “We're openly gay, we're openly together so what's there to hide? We're quite happy doing that. If it helps people then it's all for the cause, there's nothing to be scared of. There could be backlash, but we're happy to deal with it together ”

Woso Pride Month 2020 [Day 4/30]

#also you can vote for this moment as the most iconic gay woso one!#i really like how this turned out :))#ruesha littlejohn #katie mccabe #irewnt #west ham wfc #arsenal wfc #woso #pride month #woso pride month 2020 #lgbtq+#wlw #og #my edits

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the-necessary-unnecessary · 4 years

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Full results of the voting for most iconic gay moment in women's football history

20. Anita Marcos casually dropping that both her and Rosa would hook up with a girl (1 vote - 0.2%)

20. Erin Mcleod and Ella Masar going from world cup gal pals to a married couple (1 vote - 0.2%)

18. Stefanie Van De Gragt's pregnancy announcement (2 votes - 0.4%)

17. Martina Voss-Tecklenburg stating that "it's not unusual" for there to be couples within a team (3 votes - 0.6%)

16. Elena Linari coming out in October 2019 and speaking up about the lack of acceptance for the LGBT community in Italy (6 votes - 1.2%)

15. Lucy Bronze and Keira Walsh's celebration after Bronze scored a goal against Norway in the 2019 World Cup (10 votes - 2.1%)

15. Lily Parr not only being one of the biggest figureheads as a member of the 1920 Dick, Kerr Ladies squad but also openly living with her girlfriend Mary (10 votes - 2.1%)

13. The gay club migrations (ie. clubs take both of the players in a relationship or neither of them) (12 votes - 2.5%)

13. Megan Rapinoe standing up for herself and everyone else's rights every chance she gets (12 votes - 2.5%)

11. Katie McCabe and Ruesha Littlejohn coming out during the AVIVA campaign (13 votes - 2.7%)

10. Abby Wambach kissing her then wife after winning the 2015 World Cup (14 votes - 2.9%)

10. Mapi Leon being the first professional Spanish footballer to publicly come out in 2018 (14 votes - 2.9%)

8. Casey Stoney coming out and continuing to be loudly out and proud with her whole family (16 votes - 3.3%)

7. Nilla Fischer encouraging more visibility for diversity and inclusiveness at Wolfsburg for both men's and women's teams (eg. wearing the rainbow captain's armband for all the games not just for pride) (20 votes - 4.1%)

6. Jordan Nobbs telling Leah Williamson that she's proud of her after Arsenal won the league in 2019 (30 votes - 6.2%)

5. Merel van Dongen standing up for LGBT rights and talking openly about her sexuality any chance she gets (30 votes - 6.2%) NOTE: In the tie-breaker this moment won with 65% of the votes (100/154 votes)

4. Ashlyn Harris and Ali Krieger getting married to become the first two players to play as a married couple (35 votes - 7.2%)

3. Kelley O'Hara 'coming out' by kissing her girlfriend after winning the 2019 World Cup (37 votes - 7.6%)

2. Vivianne Miedema's "Perfect daughter-in-law” moment (101 votes - 20.7%)

1. Magdalena Eriksson and Pernille Harder's kiss at the 2019 World Cup which caused a movement (120 votes - 24.6%)

#there we go folks #the full breakdown of results!#is it as you expected or not?#woso pride month 2020 #futfem lgbtq+#og

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the-necessary-unnecessary · 4 years

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Mapi Leon's coming out story: the impact of words.

Being the first professional Spanish women’s footballer playing in Spain to publicly come out she caused waves amongst the media and general public (Laura del Rio had previously given interviews about her sexuality but that only when she had moved to the US to play). I have translated the article in which she came out on this day two years ago below because google translate won’t do it justice, but I also wanted to give a bit of backstory about the impact that her coming out had. Now Mapi isn’t just any Spanish player, although obviously not that well-known, she made headlines for being the first female Spanish player to have a transfer fee attached to her when she moved from Atletico to Barça. The fact that she had a higher profile than most other players makes her coming out so publicly even more of a big deal, because her larger platform meant she had more to lose but also meant she understood the power of her words in influencing her audience. Although people just living their lives on social media and casually mentioning their same-sex partners in interviews without a coming out moment is very important, her doing an interview for the national press openly talking about coming out as well as discussing her footballing career is essential too.

Six months after coming out she did another interview talking about the reception that she got on social media after coming out. She said that ‘she didn’t stop receiving messages: “Thank You”, “I saw you and you gave me strength”, “I’m not alone”. Women and Men from all over Spain recognised her gesture and saw themselves reflected in it. “I read them all, but I wasn’t able to reply. I didn’t think that it would turn into something so important for so many people.”’ Her coming out resulted in her being invited to be part of the opening events of Madrid Pride 2018. “When I came out publicly, I became aware of the significance of the action, and that it was much bigger than a single moment or my private life.” She also recognised how different parts of Spain reacted dissimilarly to her coming out and being a public figurehead: “In Barcelona they said ‘well okay great,’ but maybe in less urban areas like Zaragoza [where she is originally from] it wasn’t all like that”, even if bigger cities are more accepting there are places that needed to hear her words more.

Not only was it an influential moment in many supporters’ lives, she also had an impact within the women’s football community itself. She said that as a result of her coming out she saw “more photos, more nods towards players being in relationships with women on social media… as if now one’s sexuality matters even less [in women’s football]. Before you shied away a bit, at the end of the day we’re footballers, not just people, we represent a club, a country, a supporters base… and maybe that was why there was a bit of shyness online. Now I see that everything is done more naturally, without shouting about it on rooftops, but indirectly doing just that.” Even though she didn’t know how much of an impact her words would have at the time, her coming out story helped so many people and continues to be a beacon in Spanish LGBTQ+ visibility – which isn’t always as holistic as it’s sometimes portrayed to be on here.

I have left the translated version of her initial coming out news article below the cut.

Woso Pride Month 2020 [Day 23/30]

FC Barcelona’s defender is left-footed like Messi, she’s just one the Copa de la Reina and in August she will be called up to the national team. She thinks that it is important to “stand up for everyone’s rights”

“I was never very into dolls. I preferred to play ball with my brother and his friends.” And did you beat them? “Well, if I had been bad at it the boys would have kicked me out.” Maria Pilar León is tenacious and tough, perhaps that’s why she’s a centre-back. This blonde 23 year old woman kicks a ball with her left foot like Messi, has a tattoo sleeve on her arm that reminds one of Sergio Ramos’ and they compare her with Piqué due to the ease she has with playing the ball out of the penalty box… although at first sight she looks more like Shakira. Like them, she steps onto the pitch with the fierceness of a warrior. Only a few weeks ago she won the Copa de la Reina with Barça, a goal in the last 10 seconds of the final gave them the victory over Atletico de Madrid. There’s another trait that makes her similar to those footballing icons: she openly and naturally lives with her sexuality, for she also likes women. “And there’s no issue with that. This is who I am and there’s nothing wrong about it”.

Mapi, like they call her on the pitch, doesn’t want life to catch her offside. In a sporting environment with notoriety of being sexist and chauvinist, she wants to score a goal against homophobia. “When you’re a public figure, you have some sort of responsibility. I think that it’s important to stand up for everyone’s rights, there is no need to hide. We often hear pretty disgusting things in football stadiums, not only homophobic slurs but also racist ones, and I believe that we – as the people in sport – need to send a clear message about tolerance and against hatred.” Fair play was about this.

Here we can return to the first paragraph. Mapi is tenacious and tough, she’s also brave and not only on the pitch. You need a lot of courage to talk publicly about something that male footballers are silent about. “I can understand their silence given how chauvinistic football can be. There are a lot of closed-minded people who would insult them, although that kind of insults tell you more about who says them… There’s a lot of pressure in a match, you have to be extremely concentrated and to stand up to that kind of thing is tough. So, in that sense, I understand why they don’t come out. But, on the other hand, it’s something so natural that it escapes me for as to why they don’t do it, I think if they were open the mentality would change bit by bit. In this sense, we have to move forward and progress.”

Chants such as “Michel, Guti (or whoever else), faggot” are common place in stadiums, but Mapi rests assure that she has never suffered from any homophobia on the pitch. “It’s true that there are players whose parents think that this is an illness, but I’ve been lucky in this respect. My parents told me that they would love whoever I loved. And never have I been insulted by anyone nor nothing like that. Maybe it’s because football is, above everything, chauvinistic and sexist. So the bottom line is that a lot of people aren’t thrilled that we women play. I guess those that come and see our matches a more in favour of equality. They are more open minded. They like seeing us play, they enjoy it.

And it’s true, every year more and more people enjoy women’s football. In other countries, like the US, the sport is clearly booming. 1,500 universities have their own teams and there are stars, like Alex Morgan, who take photos alongside Messi. In Spain the situation is a lot more modest, although it is beginning to change. Mapi, for example, has almost 45,000 followers on Instagram. A lot more than well-known actors like Bárbara Lennie or Emma Suárez. “Yes, one could say that I have fans. There are three girls who always come and see me play. It’s pretty cool when you see them with your shirt on. Thanks to her speed and her tactical intelligence she is one of the leading figures in the Liga [now Primera] Iberdrola. In fact, she was the first female Spanish player to be a paid transfer in women’s football. Barça paid 50,000 euros for her transfer from Atletico de Madrid. A big milestone for women’s sport, and something that felt impossible to this woman who collected Ronaldinho stickers when she was younger.

“I wouldn’t be able to explain to you what I felt when they signed me, I felt complete joy. It meant that I hadn’t be mistaken in choosing football as a career. To be honest I wasn’t a great student, I scraped through. In the 4th year of ESO [Year 11/Grade 10] one of my teachers always said: ‘be careful because next time you might not pass…’ He basically told me that I wasted too much time by playing sports and I should stop playing football. Now I think about him a lot. He didn’t see me having a future, but I stuck with my passion and it ended up being the right decision.”

Mapi has played since she was a young girl, but her career started when she was 17, when Real Club Deportivo Español made her an offer. She was forced to leave her parents, Javier the mechanic and Pilar, a caregiver, in Zaragoza and jump into this adventure head first. “They were sad that I left home, but they always supported me.” The next season she received an offer from Atletico de Madrid. With them she won the league. And from there came the famous signing with Barcelona. Now, having finished the season, the centre-back will meet up with the national team to train for two matches in preparation for the 2019 World Cup in France. They have already qualified and are ready to bring the cup home. “Hopefully the men will also win in Russia”.

QUESTION.- Don’t you fear your club’s or the Federation’s reaction after talking about you being homosexual? You are the first professional player in the league to talk about it publicly…

ANSWER.- I don’t think it will be a problem. My personal life is my own and shouldn’t bother anyone else. I hope that they will support it because football needs to start opening itself up. If there are now people who are openly homosexual even in government, how could there not be homosexual people on football pitches?

Q.- And in the changing rooms? Could that not be weird? Prejudices still exist…

A.- I once talked to a [male] friend about this. He got quite caught up about it, but it’s stupid. Your teammates are like family, like sisters. With the tension you have about a match you aren’t focusing on whether they’re looking at you or that kind of thing. There’s a lot of familiarity between us.

In some ways, Mapi has cracked a glass roof, but the financial figures that women’s football deal with, compared to the ones the men deal with, are still ridiculous. A mediocre player in La Liga can win around a million euros per season, whilst most female players earn around a thousand euros per month. There are agencies, such as Carlos Rodríguez’s UPro, who manages Mapi, that try to improve the situation, but the gap here remains an abyss. “There’s always a lot of talk about the difference in salaries between women’s and men’s football. I understand that they earn a lot of money because they generate that kind of money and I’m not against that. Although it’s also true that the figures are exorbitant, everything has got exponentially higher… In the end, we do the same that they do. We dedicate the same amount of time to the game but few follow us, it may be the case that people like us but what’s missing is more promotion.

Q.- For example Doña Letizia didn’t go to the Copa de la Reina final [this means the Queen’s Cup. Leticia is the Queen of Spain and the men’s tournament called Copa del Rey after the King is always attended by him]

A.- I don’t know why she didn’t attend it. Maybe she wasn’t made aware of it, but if the King goes to the guy’s cup final she should come to ours as it carriers her name. It would really help up as it would attract a lot of attention in the press. Hopefully she’ll go next year [Spoiler: she did!]

Q.- Your male counterparts are currently playing in the World Cup hosted in Russia, a country that has a legislation which contains a crackdown on LGBT rights. What do you think about a competition like this one being played in a country like that?

A.- It’s a mistake. In some way it seems like they’re backing the homophobic legislation. In Chechnya there have been concentration camps for homosexuals and that’s something that Putin tolerates. We shouldn’t look away when presented face to face with such issues. This isn’t only about LGBT rights; these are human rights. That’s not the message of tolerance and respect that sport, and specifically football, should affiliate itself with.

Mapi is very certain about this. The match against homophobia in football can be won. She has scored the first goal. Now what’s left to do is for a lot of other athletes to join the team.

#its long but so so worth the read #talks about many things not just her coming out #the interviewer is clearly a bit clueless at points but eh mapi makes it worth it #mapi leon #mapi león #espwnt #fcb femeni #fc barcelona femeni #spain wnt #primera iberdrola #my translation #og #lgbt #lgbtq+#woso pride month 2020

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