RT Article T1 Homophobia, hate crime and men’s professional football JF Hate crime in football SP 103 OP 123 A1 Humphries, Connor A2 Magrath, Rory LA English YR 2023 UL https://krimdok.uni-tuebingen.de/Record/1923994034 AB This chapter focuses on English men’s professional football, which has traditionally been a hostile environment for sexual minorities. Gay male footballers, or even those suspected of being gay, have been excluded, marginalized and subordinated from the game by men attempting to (re)prove and (re)establish their heteromasculinity. Over the past two decades, however, attitudes towards homosexuality have seen a marked improvement in the United Kingdom and, indeed, across much of the Western world. While there remain claims that sport – and men’s football in particular – is slower to adopt social change, a significant body of research has documented how football is becoming increasingly acceptant and inclusive of homosexuality. In this chapter, we outline some of this research before examining some of the ongoing issues with respect to homophobia in the professional game – paying particular attention to Kick It Out’s annual reporting statistics, which include reports of discrimination based on homophobia, biphobia and transphobia. NO Literaturverzeichnis: Seite 117-123 SN 9781529227185