This February, we came together with the Arsenal family to celebrate LGBTQ+ History Month and mark the continued importance the LGBTQ+ community has in football and beyond.
The LGBTQ+ community has continually broken-down barriers on and off the pitch, and we stand together to ensure everyone feels welcome to be a Gooner.
We are proud that, through Gay Gooners, we have the first and largest LGBTQ+ supporter group in England, with more than 2,000 LGBTQ+ supporters and allies uniting to provide a safe and welcoming space for all.
Earlier this month, the group led their annual five-a-side competition, bringing together Arsenal supporter groups from different backgrounds for an inclusive football tournament at The Arsenal Hub.
This year's title went to Jewish Gooners, who were victorious for the second year running and were presented their award by special guest and club legend Lee Dixon.
Gay Gooners co-chair Jacob speaks below on the importance of the day and celebrating the 40th anniversary of Arsenal in the Community this year.
We celebrated the campaign officially at our women’s win over Tottenham Hotspur, where we were joined by Selena, Nirali and Daisy from our Gay Gooners and Arsenal Women Supporters Club. The group spoke on the importance of safe spaces in football and shared how they found sense of belonging through their respective supporter clubs and at Arsenal more broadly.
At our Premier League fixture against West Ham, Gay Gooners Jacob and Elliot also chatted pitchside and on our Live From N5 show about the work they’ve been a part of with Arsenal, and the importance of our continued support for LGBTQ+ campaigns.
This year, Arsenal in the Community celebrates its 40th anniversary. Set up in 1985 to offer a safe space to play football and develop programmes, Arsenal in the Community now delivers sport, social and educational initiatives to more than 5,000 people each week.
Over the years, we have taken an active role in providing LGBTQ+ education and tackling homophobia. Trained by Stonewall, our Community team delivered LGBTQ+ History Month workshops to schools throughout February. Students designed their own rainbow armbands and sessions were focused on creating safe and supportive spaces, with resources developed in collaboration with local LGBTQ+ charity Forum+.
Everyone in the Arsenal family can make a difference by having conversations, listening to others, understanding the stigma that still surrounds the LGBTQ+ community and calling out discriminatory behaviour when we see it. We should all feel welcome to be a Gooner.
As stewards of our club and our values, we ask supporters at Emirates Stadium to report any form of discrimination and abuse by texting 67777 with their block, row and seat number.
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