Paul Amann, founder of the Kop Outs, speaks out about the role of fans in calling out homophobia.
The Kop Outs, Liverpool’s official LGBT+ supporters group, was founded in 2016 by Paul Amann, five years after being selected as the supporter’s committee representative.
When asked about whether the group had faced any hostility, Paul said that the vast majority of responses had been positive.
“90% plus of fans are actually pretty decent people and part of the issue that we’ve tapped into very much at Kop Out is developing allyship through storytelling, through talking about relatable issues in a way that can be heard, can be understood, and people can realise, okay, I’m not a homophobic idiot, but what do I have to do?
“What’s my responsibility in being a nice person?
“And that’s what we’ve tried to tap into with Kop Outs in particular, is to tap into the decent fans, to tap into the allyship, to support people, to not just be a bystander, but to be an active ally.
“That has been absolutely transformative for LGBT+ fans’ experience at the game because they now know, because they’ve seen it.”
A stark example of this took place in 2021, when Liverpool travelled to Norwich for a Premier League fixture, the first that allowed full stadium capacity since the pandemic.
However, the reaction of other fans was “incredibly humbling”:
“I had over a dozen come up to me individually and say, hey Paul, I was at that game and I tapped somebody on the shoulder and told ’em to stop.
“Paul, I was at the game. We couldn’t reach the idiot that was chanting nonsense. So we chanted good songs louder.
“To know that they were picking up our struggle and dealing with it as fans in a really great manner, and not having to look to policing our way out of an issue, but actually to have fan pressure leading the way was incredibly humbling and really, really cool to think that actually the messaging and the storytelling that we’d gone on with was reaching people.”
Where do the problems lie?
While Paul praised the reactions of fans of challenging homophobia at the games, he believes that there is still work to be done on addressing social media abuse.
After the official Liverpool FC retweeted the Kop Out’s tweet, condemning the homophobic chant at Norwich, the group faced significant abuse.
“It’s fair to say that the response on social media was 50-50. And some of the 50% against us were pretty grim, with all kinds of tropes being aired, which were not pleasant, and it was only after Jurgen swung behind it and did the piece to camera with me, that went out on the socials and the response on the socials had to be 90-10.
“That helped make sure that actually, this wasn’t just the whining LGBT+ plus people, but actually it was somebody at the club going, yeah, no, don’t do that, so some leadership is really vital in all of this.”
Paul was clear to emphasise that abuse the Kop Outs has faced only came from a small minority of fans.
“We are at an advantage at Liverpool Football Club and the history of our fan base because there is a self-identity amongst scousers around mutuality and solidarity and, fighting for the underdog and all that kind of stuff.
“But more than that, there’s a real focus on fan safety by our fellow fans and not one of our fans would ever want to think about another fan feeling unsafe at the match in whatever context that means.”
There is however, one group, that Paul describes as “dinosaurs”:
“Dare I say, it’s the agents who are probably the biggest dinosaurs in some of this.
“It’s not the journalists necessarily, it’s not the fans, it’s not the fellow players. It’s their agents who will very often be the ones quietly cancelling a player or “don’t let on” because you know, you’ll lose all your commercial sponsorship or, you’re not gonna transfer to Club X if you come out, et cetera.”
What’s next for LGBT+ representation in football?
The Premier League has made a considerable effort to promote LGBT+ inclusivity, including partnering with the charity, Stonewall, for the rainbow laces campaign.
But Paul’s aim for the future is for there to be no need for LGBT+ groups.
“I’d want there to be a day when being LGBT+ in football wasn’t an issue any more than whether somebody’s got hair, whatever race they are, whatever background they’re from.
“That it becomes an absolute non-issue for a gay wedding to take place and be as unremarkable as a heterosexual wedding amongst footballers.
“When a player is able to be their authentic self and the point to the guy from Blackpool [Jake Daniels] when he came in the very next match, he scored more goals, when you are not thinking about having to suppress part of your identity.”
If you wish to join or contact the Kop Outs, follow this link to their website.
(Featured image provided by Paul Amann)
