Blow the whistle on LGBTIphobia!

As every year, we gather together today on the occasion of the LGBT Pride demonstration in Barcelona and Catalonia, to claim, denounce and, why not, celebrate some achievements. Unfortunately, as we all know, LGTBI people continue to be subjected to discrimination, harassment or rejection, even in our country, where law is on their side. In spite of the progress that has been made, LGTBI phobia is still present in society and, especially, in the sports world, where there are hardly any LGTBI people, or, if there are, they have to face discrimination. Have you ever wondered why there is virtually no one who is openly LGTBI in elite sports, and, especially in some specific ones? It is paradoxical how sports practice is a very important mechanism to promote values such as healthy lifestyle, teamwork or self-improvement, whereas, in turn, it is also one of the areas in which there is a shortage of respect for diversity. We want to denounce LGTBI PHOBIA in the sports world. We cannot accept that, in our country, a referee can be publicly persecuted just because he has decided to state what his sexual orientation is. We cannot accept that in the elite sports world, LGTB people are forced to hide because their orientation is seen as something negative or bad. And we also want to demand a firm commitment and concrete actions on the part of public administrations, sports clubs and professional and amateur sportspeople to end LGBTBI phobia. Right now, our primary goal is focused on the sports world, but we cannot forget that in other countries LGTBI people are persecuted, tortured and even face death in theocratic regimes where the morality imposed by religion does not accept sexual diversity or gender identity. Special mention should be made of Chechnya, where it has recently been made public that the state does not accept diversity and where LGTBI people are violently persecuted, tortured and murdered. We cannot be accomplices of such brutality. We have to make our voices be heard loud and clear;

ENOUGH IS ENOUGH! LET’S PUT AN END TO DISCRIMINATION AND VIOLENCE, in the sports world and in other areas. LET’S BLOW THE WHISTLE ON LGBTIPHOBIA!