We’re all looking forward to Monday; our team is playing with courage and guile; Poch is back at the Lane and there’s nothing like a London derby.. However, a number of Spurs fans, yep, the people you hug when the ball hits the back of the net, are approaching the game with trepidation and some dread.. All because of a particular chant levelled at Chelsea. 

If the ‘RB’ chant wasn’t homophobic, nobody would bother. It’s used precisely to be insulting and hateful, and when the affected community tells you it’s homophobic (we’re doing it right now!) and explains the impact, please hear us (see Lee’s story).  It’s also exposing a new generation of young fans to words and terms that provoke questions they shouldn’t have to ask.

We’ve all heard it; we know it’s homophobic (despite some proclamations that it’s not) so please don’t use it and challenge those around you that do… 

The chant has gained prevalence the last couple of seasons and while we imagine that most fans don’t sing this with intent to make LGBTQ+ fans feel ostracised, uncomfortable or demeaned, the impact it has on us shouldn’t be underestimated. The term has been used over many years to victimise gay men; it’s distressing to hear it chanted when Chelsea play. We hope we don’t hear it on Monday.

We’re Spurs, we should be better.

We know that our great Club is committed to ensuring that following our team is safe and inclusive for all fans and won’t tolerate any form of discriminatory behaviour. Thanks to this, our global LGBTQ+ fanbase is proud to be part of a club that fights all forms of discrimination – on and off the pitch – and for the most part, this is echoed by our fellow fans—let’s not let this chant spoil our sense of belonging. 

It’s time to retire the chant.

We all love this game and we want to win matches and trophies, but we want to do it with style. Homophobic language, when unchallenged, can have real-life consequences: together, we must be the change we want to see. Making change, fan by fan if necessary, is why we’re here and we won’t rest until we’ve done it. And we’re doing it; we have been involved in Fan Education, delivered by Kick It Out alongside the Club for those who have been charged for using this term. The sessions are transformatory, but we’d love not to have to rely on them. 

Discrimination and abuse have no place in our game. Should you hear or experience anything you consider to be unacceptable, or that goes against the Spurs Respects ethos please report to a Steward. If that doesn’t feel safe or appropriate, and/ or you want to remain anonymous, you can either report via the Official Spurs and Stadium App or text the details of your location, the location of the offence and the keyword to describe the incident to 07537404821 (i.e.”STAND Block 540, row 30, seat 123″).

Keywords:

FOUL (language & behaviour)

ABUSE (abusive behaviour)

RACISM (racist chanting & shouting)

SEXISM (sexist comments or chanting)

HPH (homophobic chanting)

DRINK (drinking alcohol in view of the pitch)

SMOKE (smoking in the stadium)

STAND (persistent standing)

PYRO (use of or intended use of any pyrotechnic or smoke bomb)

Other (please specify)

You can also use the Kick it Out app and we would also appreciate it if you could contact us: info@proudlilywhites.uk so that we can continue to work with the Club to eradicate homophobia in all its forms.

We all want the team to do well, all together, as Spurs fans. COYS!