Henderson and Barton prove some LGBT 'allies' can't be relied on - It's just PR

24 January 2024 , 08:00

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The LGBT+ allyship of Jordan Henderson and Joey Barton has proven to be false (Image: Alex Livesey/Getty Images)

The past 12 months have been brutal for those in the LGBT+ community who love football.

First, we endured an explosion in incidents of homophobic chanting. Then we had to deal with the fallout from supposed ally Jordan Henderson's move to Saudi Arabia, where same-sex relationships are illegal and punishable by the death penalty.

To cap it all off, rent-a-gob Joey Barton has shown his true colours and is hitting out at the community's participation in the sport. In his latest bizarre rant, the former midfielder, who once played 12 minutes for England, claimed that gays "usually" don't know anything about the game.

Try telling that to gay footballers like Jake Daniels and Josh Cavallo, or the many high-profile gay journalists and presenters, or even the gay executives like Thomas Hitzlsperger, who came out 10 years ago. It's a ludicrous comment.

Turn the clock back to the time Hitzlsperger came out and, rather remarkably, you would find Barton to be one of the most vocal allies of LGBT+ rights within sport. Back in 2013, the then-QPR player threw his backing behind the Rainbow Laces campaign.

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"It's quite crazy, that in the 21st century, this is something that needs to be addressed but there are still many people out there with closed minds," he told the Guardian at the time.

"A lot of institutions and other sports are quite liberal and forward-thinking but, for some strange reason, football has never adequately broached the topic of sexuality. It speaks out about racism, but it's never really managed to address homophobia in football.

Barton was a vocal supporter of Rainbow Laces when he was a player (Charlie Crowhurst/Getty Images)

"By wearing them players could stand together and show that sexuality in sport doesn't matter which would take a big step towards not only kicking homophobia out of football but also pave the way for a more tolerant environment where in the future all players would feel like they could be open about their sexuality."

A welcome interjection you might think. But his latest rant flies in the face of those sentiments. Now it seems Barton latched onto the issue of homophobia in football simply because, at the time, he thought it made him look good, not because he cares strongly about the subject.

It's much like Henderson, who was also seen as an ally for his support of Rainbow Laces. You may remember he said back in 2021: "I do believe when you see something that is clearly wrong and makes another human being feel excluded you should stand shoulder-to-shoulder with them. You also have a responsibility to educate yourself better around the challenges they experience."

But Henderson, too, conveniently overlooked his pledge to call things out that are "clearly wrong" when Saudi Arabian cash was waved under his nose, and subsequently failed to make any comment on the state's persecution of the LGBT+ community.

Though they are two different sides of the coin, Henderson's decision and Barton's recent comments prove that their previous statements were all just part of a successful PR exercise. And when push came to shove they were only too happy to put their own needs first and ditch LGBT+ fans.

Henderson and Barton were rarities - players who seemed to be willing to stand up for us. But they've now shown that just isn't the case, and have left an angry community in their wake. Not that they seem to care.

The former Liverpool captain appeared to hit the nail on the head when he said back in 2019: "The idea that any of them would feel excluded from playing or attending a football match, simply for being and identifying as who they are, blows my mind."

I wonder now if he can see why we still feel excluded. Because when supposed 'allies' turn their backs on the LGBT+ community, it signals that we are still alone. And with Barton's sudden unprovoked attacks, we as a community are under attack once again.

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The next decade, the second of the 'Rainbow Laces era', was set to drive further equality. Now it looks like another battle for LGBT+ inclusion is brewing. It is one we won't lose, but those who claim to be allies can no longer be relied upon to help.

Jacob Leeks