Straight up... in decline

I’ll admit that I loved Justin Fashanu and he broke my heart.

I was 6 when the man from Norwich scored a sublime goal against my beloved Liverpool and just beyond the reach of the superhuman Ray Clemence. It was a thing of beauty; of natural instinct, great power and supreme talent. I was gutted, but I had to applaud my appreciation for what I had just witnessed.

In 1980 all that mattered to me was football and friends. 40 years later Fashanu is rightly remembered in the Football Hall of Fame for what he brought to the game.

in the coming days, the FA promotes its Rainbow Lace campaign in conjunction with Stonewall. It asks all those from the footballing family to be fully-inclusive, be more respectful, be better educated on all issues of sexuality.

There are about 3,500 players in Essex Veterans Football...

In the latest studies, 95% of the UK population claimed they were straight...

An increasing number identify as LGBQT+...

That means nearly 200 in our league are NOT comfortable as publicly stating “I’m straight!” and that breaks down to at least one player in every team... that one player who scores a goal for your team, makes a saves that wins you a game or sits next to you in the (socially-distanced) changing room. They are the person you like, rely upon, enjoy the company of.

Their sexuality has no negative impact on the pitch and no one should have a negative impact on their sexuality off It. Laces should be worn, lessons should be learnt and lampooning should be stopped... full stop.

I could list all the famous faces from history that were not heterosexual and changed the world to be a better place, but there are others that deserve greater recognition... for my friends that are gay, those that have been married to both genders and others that are fluid in their sexuality, I will wear my rainbow laces as a sign of my support.