After a football weekend tainted by homophobic controversies, the government is tackling LGBTphobic discrimination in sport. This Wednesday, May 17, the Minister of Sports, Amélie Oudéa-Castera will present jointly with the Minister for Equality between Women and Men, Isabelle Rome, an action plan of fifteen measures aimed at combating homophobia, transphobia and biphobia.
This roadmap that “L’Obs” was able to consult lists fifteen measures divided into three main areas: information, prevention and sanction.
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Among these measures, the Minister must in particular announce an automatic stadium ban for those convicted after having made homophobic remarks in sport. This is an additional penalty which is added to a prison sentence or a fine.
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Until then, judicial stadium bans were pronounced only in the following cases: violence during a match, even outside a stadium, introduction of alcoholic beverages or a state of drunkenness in a stadium, incitement to hatred or violence, wearing racist insignia during a match, introducing or using smoke bombs, carrying a weapon or throwing any object that could be used as a weapon (stick, projectile, etc.) in a stadium, invasion of the pitch or participation in a group of supporters dissolved or suspended by the prefect.
Strengthen sanctions
The judicial stadium ban, for a maximum of five years, is currently not pronounced by the judges: 24 cases were identified in 2021, according to AFP.
These prohibitions, pronounced by a judge, differ on the other hand from the administrative prohibitions issued by the prefect. The prefect of police can indeed notify by decree a stadium ban if the supporter has been violent, racist or if he belongs to a group of dissolved supporters.
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The ministers want to broaden the sanctions against the authors of discriminatory remarks. By systematic stadium bans therefore, but also by raising the awareness of disciplinary commissions, judges and referees on this subject. The filing of complaints, reporting to the public prosecutor or the constitution of a civil party for sports associations/federations will also be systematic.
Inclusion of transgender people
This plan of fight of the government will create the publication of studies on the extent of anti-LGBT acts in the field of sport. Prevention is highlighted with the creation of a guide to raise awareness of issues relating to LGBT + people and the establishment of anti-discrimination and equal treatment commissions in the federations.
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Finally, the government is working to provide a framework for the practice of sport by transgender people in high-level competitions. To do this, a group of experts will be created in order to “to formulate recommendations for the sports movement, based on objective, measurable and fair criteria” leading to the inclusion of transgender people in competitions.
43% of French people witness anti-LGBT behavior
According to figures from the Ministry of Sports, 77% of French people perceive the professional sports environment as being homophobic and 43% of French people have already witnessed homophobic or transphobic behavior in the sports environment.
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The presentation of this plan comes on the occasion of the international day against homophobia, transphobia and biphobia. Last weekend, football’s operation to wear a flocked rainbow shirt to fight homophobia turned into a fiasco. Five players from Toulouse and Nantes in Ligue 1 refused to wear it, provoking the indignation of several associations.
