【Bayo】

A campaign to tackle homophobic,Bayo biphobic and transphobic attitudes in sport has revealed that almost three-quarters of British football fans have heard anti-LGBTQ remarks at games over the last five years.

SEE ALSO: Member of the royal family comes out as gay and makes history

The study, commissioned by Stonewall as part of the Rainbow Laces campaign, also found out that one in five 18- to 24-year-olds said they would be embarrassed if their favourite player came out.

Young people are also twice as likely to say anti-LGBTQ language is harmless if it’s just meant as "banter".

---

You May Also Like

---

---

This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.

This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.

This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.

This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.

This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.

"While the majority of people see homophobic chants and abuse as a problem, and want to see sport become more welcoming of lesbian gay, bi and trans players and fans, there is a persistent minority who believe this sort of abuse is acceptable," Ruth Hunt, Stonewall's chief executive, said.

"These vocal few may be under the illusion that anti-LGBT language is harmless but it makes lesbian, gay, bi and trans fans and players feel unsafe, unwelcome and unable to be themselves."

Mashable Trend Report Decode what’s viral, what’s next, and what it all means. Sign up for Mashable’s weekly Trend Report newsletter. By clicking Sign Me Up, you confirm you are 16+ and agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Thanks for signing up!

"We need high-profile sports clubs and personalities to stand up as allies and help make sport everyone's game by showing that homophobic abuse has no place in sport."

The research also showed some encouraging trends.

The majority of football fans (88 percent) said they would be either "proud" or "neutral" if their favourite player came out as gay. Most people also thought that offensive language directed at LGBTQ people in sport is a problem.

The rainbow laces on the boots of David Stockdale of Fulham. Credit: Corbis via Getty Images

In the Premier League, Arsenal was singled out as an example of a club who wholeheartedly supported the Rainbow Laces initiative, which calls on players and professional teams to wear rainbow-coloured laces during games.

Only a few professional footballers have come out in the UK. Thomas Hitzlesperger, a German midfielder who played for Aston Villa, came out after his retirement.

• Tech
• Digital Culture
• Social Good
• Science
• Games
• Life
• Deals
• Entertainment

• Social Media Forensics
• Brad Pitt movie roles ranked by his viability as a husband
• Michelle Obama gave the world a classic Barack impression
• Heartbreaking Facebook video puts spotlight on Charlotte police shooting
• Malls and movies and drones, oh my.
• We're so proud of jewelry designer John Mayer
• Google launches Allo, its AI
• Get an exclusive look at Hulu and AwesomenessTV's new series 'Freakish'
• Small Man in a Memory Hole
• London police officer has epic dance off with person in giant pig costume

• Meituan denies rumors that its couriers must be under 45 years old · TechNode
• Double 11 shopping festival shows lower
• Tesla accelerates launch of Full Self
• Baidu names new head of autonomous driving in reality check: report · TechNode
• Former MeiOne staff jailed for three years for receiving benefits · TechNode
• Eddie Wu continues to lead Alibaba’s Cloud division in the recent adjustment · TechNode
• Tencent’s Delta Force surpasses four million pre
• EV maker backed by Huawei, CATL, and Changan launches first electric sedan · TechNode
• Jaguar Land Rover’s China JV reportedly lays off 20% of workers · TechNode
• JD reports modest revenue growth in Q3, CEO to assume leadership of retail sector · TechNode

• Fighting Words
• Social media captures aftermath of police shooting in Charlotte, N.C.
• Twitter to livestream general election debates with Bloomberg Media
• George Clooney learns about Brangelina's divorce mid
• Going Deeper Underground
• Okay, start screaming: Lady Gaga's 'Perfect Illusion' video is here
• Joss Whedon and his celebrity friends want you to vote on election day
• India's most elite universities have banned startups from recruiting on campus
• Going Deeper Underground
• Secluded library retreat is a book lover's dream

• Right to Burn
• Baby otters scamper happily, oblivious to Brangelina news
• India's most elite universities have banned startups from recruiting on campus
• Emma Watson's UN speech calls on universities to address sexual violence on campus
• Shave the Billionaire
• Come closer: Curious sea lions keen to inspect this over
• Put down that pug: Vets urge people to stop buying flat
• Bernie Sanders sparked the idea for 'Survivor: Millennials Vs. Gen
• Going Deeper Underground
• Michelle Obama gave the world a classic Barack impression