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The National Amateur League takes the field against homophobia
The campaign starts today social and on the playing fields in collaboration with Arcigay and Gaynet
Giving voice to respect and freedom of expression.
“Imagine having to show only half of yourself”, with the hashtag #StopHomophobia it's the countryside social and on the playing fields against homophobia, which translates into a daily and concrete commitment of the National Amateur League in synergy with Arcigay and Gaynet.
In particular, on May 17, on the occasion of the International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia (IDAHOT), an even stronger message is launched.
The project, which will be developed in stages scheduled from today to Saturday 18 May, will involve sports clubs with a social challenge against homophobia.
In the world of football, homosexuality is still a taboo.
According to research by Outsport, a European project co-financed by the Erasmus+ programme of the European Commission, 82% in EU countries have witnessed homophobic language in sports contexts, 1 in 3 have never come out at all, and 16% declare having suffered verbal or physical violence in the previous 12 months.
Both in our country and in Europe, as research shows, the sport that is most abandoned due to homophobia is football.
Lega Nazionale Dilettanti, Arcigay, and Gaynet are uniting to fight homophobia in all its forms and help make football a welcoming environment for all members of the LGBTQIA+ community.
“As the Amateur League, we believe that sport is first and foremost a tool for inclusion. Luca De Simoni, Coordinator of the Social Responsibility Area at LND, states:– therefore this year too, together with Gaynet and Arcigay, we want to promote a message of awareness and at the same time support for those who still only show half of themselves”.
“European football, starting from countries like Germany – they declare Marco Arlati, National Secretariat of Arcigay for Sports, and Rosario Coco, President of Gaynet, (who is also currently an openly gay footballer in the second division) – has now understood that inclusion is a matter of human rights, social responsibility, and sporting results. This campaign presents the fight against homophobia as one of the necessary steps to bridge the gap between our football and the European one, restoring the football movement to its educational role and allowing the potential of every footballer to be unleashed on and off the field, as Jakub Jankto has repeatedly demonstrated. Sport, along with families and schools, are the social spaces where individuals are taught to respect and value differences, which must be expressed freely from the very beginning, not only after achieving significant sporting results or retiring from professional activity. We thank the Lega Nazionale Dilettanti for choosing not to remain silent, but to fully act in its role of valorizing and personally developing those who participate in and live the world of football.”
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