The story of a gay footballer from Coronation Street changes the conversation about homophobia | Football news

James Bailey of Weatherfield County has been feeling heavier in recent weeks.

The young footballer's personal struggles have been an ongoing story on the most-watched British soap opera, Coronation Street. James received support when he left his mother and brother gay last year, but after telling his father Ed in February, the reaction was far from positive. A social media error later saw rumors starting to circulate through the county fan base, prompting James to divert the uncomfortable questions from the club manager and the press secretary.

Because soap has spread over the hours due to the pandemic, James’s plight has dragged on, and last Friday, a paved confrontation with a follower who made homophobic taunts threatened to become violent.

For Nathan Graham, the actor who plays James, the character's bow is now approaching a critical moment. "It's like that pressure cooker, everything is bubbling up there," says Graham. "When this fan comes in and mistreats him, it's too much and he takes it out on him."

"James still has a problem that his father doesn't accept him. He hasn't gone out publicly because he's not ready for it. So he steps back and surrenders realizes that he needs to reconsider his whole approach. As a people, we can only take as much before we reach our tipping point. "

Graham talks to Sky Sports to mark the International day against homophobia, biphobia and transphobia, an annual awareness day observed for more than 15 years. The theme for May 17, 2020 is "Breaking the Silence," and it comes at a time when James' journey in Corrie It has become an important topic of conversation for the 8 million viewers and also for a wider audience. In the absence of a model of gay or bi behavior in men's professional football in the UK, history will have a particularly significant impact on whoever is reflected in James.

"Soap operas and TV series are effective in raising awareness of topics that are not necessarily available," says Graham. "If you start to create conversations in different communities or areas of the world of football, and if young children are watching who is playing football and who might be gay, it shows that it is important to shed some light on this issue . "

Having grown up in the 1990s and early 2000s, Jehmeil Lemonius would have benefited from such representation. He is now responsible for diversity and inclusion in the Football Association and has played as a striker for Stonewall FC – The UK’s first gay football club, which has been playing in Stage 7 of the non-League pyramid for several years. As a teenager, Lemonius' talent could have taken him into the professional ranks, but for that he also needed great self-confidence, which was more difficult to achieve.

"If I look back and think about my experiences when I was younger and trying to accept my own sexual orientation, it was a very confusing time," says Lemonius. “I didn't know anyone who looked like me who might or might not be gay. The only one who was close was Justin Fashanu, whose life obviously ended in a very tragic way. This is not the kind of experience that you would like to have with you when you navigate who you are. "

In February, Fashanu was posthumously inducted into the National Football Museum's Hall of Fame, a festive and moving occasion. After the attacker committed suicide in 1998, his complex history was often summed up in a simple warning story, which had a confusing effect on the next generation.

"Many of my difficulties were trying to find a sense of belonging to the football community while knowing that being gay was that part of my identity that was not reconciled," says Lemonius. . "It was difficult and I think that if I had had this reconciliation, my experience would have been extremely positive.

"It shows the power of visibility and you can never underestimate it. You cannot be what you cannot see, and unless you have these positive role models, people will always feel like elements of their identity. " are not valid in certain spaces. "

The intertwining of homophobia and racism in Fashanu's history has made him a totemic figure in the fight against discrimination; a charitable foundation in the name of Justin He was recently released by his niece Amal. Graham believes that the Coronation Street The story involving James is based on this heritage, but it fits into modern male professional play, with its high percentage of black players. "Representation is important. Someone could watch the show and see a mirror of themselves, especially if it is a young black man who is gay."

He hopes that viewers will better understand what constitutes discrimination and how to deal with it. James' father, Ed, had already told his son that he had to hide his sexuality to avoid homophobia, contrasting with the way none of them can hide his race and therefore have to deal with racism.

However, when Ed receives racist comments at work, he sets off a chain of events that make him think differently about what his son is going through. "Unfortunately, homophobic and racist abuse still occurs, but a footballer like James shouldn't have to be alone in this," said Graham.

Lemonius is encouraged by the deeper nuances explored in the soap opera: an intersectional approach. "When going out and sailing this journey, I always felt more aware of being black before I was gay, especially in LGBT spaces. These are two different barriers with which someone like James would certainly have to face. You can also add someone else who might have a disability or be of a different gender. "

Welcoming cultures, winning mentalities

To help Graham learn more about the experience of being a gay athlete, rugby league player Keegan Hirst, who was born in 2015, told him about some of the parallels between his own journey and that of James. . "The scale of the two sports is obviously very different," says Graham, "but from what Keegan said, it seems that RFL has no tolerance for homophobia in its sport, which made him feel that the environment was safe for him. " exit. I think that within football it is not zero tolerance. "

Lemonius helps deliver AF's “In Search of Progress” goals, which have a strong commitment to supporting the inclusion of LGBT + in football. He is encouraged by the progress that has been made: "the match is going in the right direction", but with so little visibility in British men's football, it can be difficult to demonstrate the need for this particular conversation.

"There can be a victimless state of mind, a feeling that we can't be homophobic, because there really aren't any homosexuals, bi's or bi's Question players on the field to be homophobic. & # 39; A character like James Bailey helps people understand that they exist in men's football, and they could be players or coaches as well as fans. "

This victimless state of mind maintains the status quo. "LGBT people tend to suppress a lot of trauma and discrimination, in some cases in their everyday life. chances of being exposed or discussed other than that, they're pretty slim. "Meanwhile, non-LGBT players who experience these same micro-assaults are even less likely to report them, so the culture persists.

In each football environment, key people shape and control these cultures and can help reduce the pressure on players. "In the end, they are just athletes: they have trained their whole lives to play football and that is all they want to do," said Lemonius. "But if they can also be authentic, we will make the most of them. I hope we can really train the coaches to create these environments, but we are fighting for years and years of cultures, and that takes time.

"We all want to improve and maximize the performance of the athletes, and it is not just about being LGBT. A large part of the England men's team is made up of people of color , so when England plays in countries where there is racist abuse, this obviously is going to have an impact on the performance of the team. The way the country has recovered from all of The team after playing in Bulgaria last November was really powerful: so they know that all their identities are valid, that identity is a strength, not a weakness, to think that coaching is recognize it, move away from archaic methods and evolve towards a psychological element. "

In future episodes, James will have a chance to be more open with his teammates, and the reaction of his club boss in Weatherfield County will be crucial. Finding the truth in this context is very important to Graham and the Corrie team. "If the captain, the leader, agrees, then if someone else criticizes James, he will criticize him and say no, that’s not how it goes here," explains L & # 39; Actor. "I think it's a good thing to show off. Breaking the silence means feeling supported: when you're ready, you're ready. There should be no time to go out and no one should feel compelled to do so. "

With Mental Health Awareness Week Since Monday, there has been a correlation with other situations that could cause distress in the locker room. In his work, Lemonius suggests practical ways to offer assistance on a wide range of topics, and he turns to older players for an example. "For LGBT + inclusion, we are talking about a pseudonym and it is the same whether you support a player who is experiencing financial difficulties; a player who has problems with his partner or family problems; everything it is about being a good teammate, and the captains absolutely help establish these cultures in the clubs.

"But there can be a disconnect in LGBT +. Especially when I train at the academy level, I find that players are used to having homosexuals, bi and trans people in their schools and that they now receive inclusive education too. But when they go back to the academy, you don't talk about it and it goes from captains to coaches to managers, ultimately it’s is a question of culture.

"I think sometimes little things have a big impact. For example, asking really inclusive questions to people, leaving the door ajar so they know you are someone you trust they can talk to about. No matter what. Type of language you use. If people are comfortable talking to you about other personal issues, you are already creating an inclusive environment. You may then feel like hang on to something else. "

As James' story unfolds and he becomes less reluctant, Graham has focused on achieving an honest performance. "In life, we all struggle with certain things, and we hide those that we don't want people to see. For me, it was about trying to be the master of the fight of the character, not to be false and to feel the weight. Of all the circumstances

"As a black man, I have received petty racist abuse, but I never felt like I should report it; there has never been too much of things I couldn't handle. You can resort to these situations and then imagine what it would be like if it were even worse. "

The drama will intensify for James next week, both within his family circle and among his teammates. However, despite the many challenges his character faces, Graham insists Coronation Street You are aware of your responsibility to be constructive. The conclusion of the narrative arc should support the work done by Lemonius and his colleagues from FA.

"It is important to highlight the barriers that still exist, and it is not always easy," says Lemonius, "but ultimately, I don't know any LGBT people who have come to regret it."

Out of Corrie and the club's fictional fan base, James Bailey of Weatherfield County will not be a family football name, but the character may still have his legacy. "I only remember when I was 15 and if I saw this story on TV, I don't know where I would be now," says Lemonius.

"I hope that many young people are truly inspired. This story says that there is not just one type of LGBT person, and without a doubt, there are people LGBT in men's football. "

Coronation Street continues on ITV1 on Monday at 7:30 p.m.

Sky Sports is a member of TeamPride which supports Stonewall's Rainbow Laces campaign. If you want to inspire others in sport by sharing your own story of being LGBT + or an ally, please contact us here.