Jamie Skey writes:
Fifty teams from six continents will be competing for the holy grail of gay football. The hosts, Leftfooters FC, who have played in three other IGLFA tournaments, will be taking it seriously while partying at the same time. The Leftfooters believe that this tournament will be important for raising the profile of homosexuality for a number of reasons.
"Originally the event was set up part to dispel the myth that arose after the 1980s that gay men and women were not healthy after the emergence of HIV/AIDS. It was also a great opportunity for gay men and women to diversify and take part in activities with like-minded people but taking part for the love of their game, not their sexual preference," said club spokesman Chris Basiurski. "Many gay people were disenfranchised from sport due to homophobia, this kind of event helps create a safe and tolerant environment for people to play and express themselves. Homophobia is still rife in football and football is not well respected in the gay community. We are hoping to change both of these," he added. READ MORE