The Premier League is under fire this past weekend’s Brighton’s Pride Festival, where its attitude towards homosexuality has been criticised. The protest has been organised by Paddy … read morePower, who are partners of Brighton Pride, which is the UK’s biggest LGBTQ event. For the first time in history, there are over one million openly LGBTQ people in the UK alone. In other words, 1 in 50. That means one of them is happy, self-confident and proud of their sexuality... and the other 49 are Premier League footballers. Because isn’t it curious that, out of the hundreds of male footballers in the Premier League, not a single current player is openly gay? That’s why, as an official partner of the Brighton & Hove Pride Festival 2018, Paddy Power wants to show our support by encouraging our national heroes to come out and become role models, not only on the field, but off it as well. Because a Premier League with gay players shouldn’t be a fantasy league. On Saturday, August 4th, Paddy Power launched their float in the Brighton & Hove Pride Parade: the first official bus for gay professional footballers. Fabulous, fierce, and with all the rainbow trimmings...and absolutely no one on it. Because while the LGBTQ community has made incredible progress in other levels of society, when it comes to professional football, there’s still no gay in game. With their empty bus amongst the hundreds of other teeming with people, Paddy Power sent a powerful statement about the state of play in professional football, and a special message to any professional footballers who might be considering coming out: We’re ready when you are.
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