{"id":40014,"title":"QPR & Rainbow Rangers combine in February","description":"This article was first published on the QPR website on 28 February 2023. \nQPR and QPR in the Community Trust have been proud to once again shine a light on the positive work of our official LGBT+ supporters\u2019 group, Rainbow Rangers, over the past month.","content":"

This article was first published on the QPR website on 28 February 2023.<\/em>

QPR and QPR in the Community Trust have been proud to once again shine a light on the positive work of our official LGBT+ supporters\u2019 group, Rainbow Rangers, over the past month.<\/strong><\/p>

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Not only is February the dedicated month of action for the Football v Homophobia (FvH) initiative, it also marks LGBT+ History Month \u2013 a chance to reflect on and celebrate pioneers past and present who\u2019ve helped people from LGBT+ communities on the road to equality.<\/p>

While significant progress has been made, football-wide there is still plenty of work to be done to completely stamp out homophobic behaviour from the game.<\/p>

Campaigns such as FvH continue to be key in bringing awareness to the issues \u2013 but education is also essential in making football a safe and welcoming place for everyone.<\/p>

As well as show our support for the FvH campaign at all three of QPR\u2019s home fixtures in February \u2013 R\u2019s boss Gareth Ainsworth sporting a Rainbow Rangers pin badge for Saturday\u2019s match versus Blackburn Rovers, for instance \u2013 we were delighted to last week welcome members from Rainbow Rangers to our Heston training ground to deliver awareness workshops to staff and players alike.<\/p>

The group also interviewed director of football Les Ferdinand on the subject of inclusion in the sport.<\/p>

\u201cConversations have come a long way,\u201d Les said. \u201cTwenty years ago, we weren\u2019t talking about matters such as LGBT rights \u2013 when I was a young player, racism and homophobia was much more prevalent in football.<\/p>

\u201cThe fact that conversations are now taking place can only be positive \u2013 but it\u2019s about more than that. It\u2019s about actions.<\/p>

\u201cWe want to make football, and QPR specifically, a safe and welcoming place for everybody. We\u2019ll do anything we can to achieve that and we\u2019ll always welcome education about what we can do as a football club to be fully inclusive.<\/p>

\u201cYou\u2019re not going to stop discrimination from all walks of life completely. But the more you can educate and talk, the better understanding people can have.\u201d<\/p>

Remarkably, research has suggested that those who are LGBT+ but are yet to come out are up to 33 percent less productive in the workplace.<\/p>

\u201cThat stat has to be the same for football, doesn\u2019t it?\u201d Les added. \u201cIf we do have LGBT players at QPR, hopefully workshops such as these give them the platform to come out and say, \u2018This is who I am\u2019.<\/p>

\u201cThis is a safe place to do that \u2013 they would be 100 percent supported.<\/p>

\u201cI implore any LGBT footballer who hasn\u2019t yet come out to do so, because I know that football would be behind them.\u201d<\/p>

Rainbow Rangers chair Richard Young said: \u201cAs a supporters\u2019 group, a lot of our focus is on the experience in the stadium, so it was invaluable to also be able to talk directly to coaches and players about what LGBT+ inclusion looks like on the pitch and at the training ground.<\/p>

\u201cOur sessions are based around sharing facts and experiences \u2013 diverse experiences that people may not have thought about before.<\/p>

\u201cWhile it can be intimidating sharing your personal stories with club legends and future Rangers stars, the reaction and engagement from everyone we talked to was immense.<\/p>

\u201cIf just one coach or one future player is now better equipped to support their LGBT+ friends, team-mates or colleagues, then it was worth every minute.<\/p>

\u201cThe support and engagement we've received from the Trust and club all-season long has been exceptional. Words are cheap, but the actions of QPR show that this really is a club committed to making football a game for everyone.\u201d<\/p>

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