“Little Britain” and “Bake Off” star Matt Lucas has spoken out about facing anti-gay abuse from football fans before matches “twice so far this season.”
The Arsenal supporter shared on Twitter/X: “I’ve been verbally abused twice on the way to football matches this season. Both times, I was minding my own business, walking to the ground, when I was called ‘a f***ing queer c***’ and told, ‘our club doesn’t want disgusting gay fans.’”
Lucas added: “If you’re a player and that offends you less than wearing a rainbow armband for a couple of matches, maybe you’re part of the problem.”
He did not specify which team the abusive fans supported.
His experience follows new Stonewall research showing a quarter of LGBT+ people feel unwelcome at live sporting events. The charity also found many feel unsafe participating in or watching sports.
Blackpool FC striker Jake Daniels, the UK’s only openly gay male pro footballer, responded to the findings: “While we’ve seen progress, too many LGBTQ+ people still feel unwelcome in sport. In 2024, that needs to change.”
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