Rainbow Laces 2018 – The Lead Up…

Another year and another Rainbow Laces campaign complete and once again there is so much to talk about, but first, what is Rainbow Laces all about?

The campaign is run but Stonewall; the UK’s premier LGBT charity and aims to make sport welcoming and accessible to everyone. By wearing Rainbow Laces in their shoes, sportspeople can show their support of LGBT people and their right to participate in sport without fear of prejudice.

You may remember that West Ham United and Pride Of Irons were in the spotlight for the 2017 Rainbow Laces campaign and a year on, we’re still working together not just to  make this campaign a success, but throughout the season. Showing support for LGBT fans, staff and players.

Let’s start with the club itself and Supporter Care Manager Hugo Scheckter. Hugo joined West Ham from Southampton where he made the decision to come out as gay whilst working within football. The area of player care is a relatively new one in football but worth reading up on to get an idea of why they are so important. As well as joining us in a meeting between POI and the club to discuss the campaign, Hugo appeared on Sky Sports ‘The Debate’ where he spoke openly and honestly about Rainbow Laces. The audio is available as a podcast and I would recommend you check it out to hear a true voice from the club.

So often with LGBT groups – including Pride Of Irons – you see the same faces who run those groups speaking out on behalf of their members. This year we were so fortunate that our members volunteered their time and put themselves out there to bravely talk about their experiences.

Pride Of Irons member Natasha spoke to the Premier League about her experience as a West Ham fan and a Trans Woman. Her video was released on the Premier League website and tweeted out to their 18,000,000 followers on Twitter.

Thank you so much to Natasha for being a voice for so many others. Please take a moment to watch Natasha’s video and comment and retweet it too.

Back to West Ham and West Ham Captain and out gay woman, Gilly Flaherty spoke frankly about being an out player and what it was like growing up knowing you’re different.

Check out here video here and send her some love on Instagram.

There’s more to come from the campaign but we’ll leave you to digest this post first. More positive news and info to come in the next post, but for now; COYI!