Dhorasoo tackles great taboo
Friday 17 February 2006
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Vikash Dhorasoo is a vocal campaigner against discrimination in French football (©Getty Images)
In France, no professional footballer has ever dared "come out" and homosexuality remains just as much of a taboo there as it does across Europe, but this could be about to change. When Paris Saint-Germain FC and France midfielder Vikash Dhorasoo agreed to champion the cause of Paris Foot Gay (PFG), he was making an important stand for the gay community in France, and against discrimination in general throughout the sport.
'Change mentalities'
PFG play in a local league and were only formed in 2003, but they shot to prominence last November when Dhorasoo pledged his support to their campaign. Earlier this month club president Bruno Laurent took part in the 2nd UEFA uniteagainstracism conference in Barcelona where homophobia was the subject of one of the workshops dealing with other forms of discrimination. Laurent proudly boasts that PFG are "the first officially homosexual football side in France", and that it is open to players of all sexual orientations. "The ultimate challenge of this side is to change mentalities so that football and homosexuality are no longer antagonistic towards each other," he told the magazine Illico.
'Dreadful consequences'
In stadiums across Europe supporters still consider homophobic insults one of the most derogatory ways of abusing opposition players, fans or the referee. In France they are illegal, and come at a high social price. "Our research showed that seemingly insignificant insults can have dreadful consequences when someone realises their sexual orientation," sociologist Eric Verdier said. "Do you think a teenager will talk frankly with his father after he has heard him shouting ‘queers!’ at a football match?" A government inquiry recently established that the discovery of sexual orientation is one of the largest reasons for suicide among 15- to 25-year-olds in the country.
'Fight discrimination'
"Paris Foot Gay aims to fight discrimination by becoming a prominent part in this community and encouraging gay sportsmen to come out," Laurent said. Dhorasoo's role in this process is key. The French media made much of the former Olympique Lyonnais and AC Milan player's decision to promote PFG, highlighting at the same time the fight to rid homophobia from stadiums. Dhorasoo's stance was a brave one, considering he is a heterosexual father of two and has never been attracted to men. "I did that for the gay community," Dhorasoo told Illico. "But also for all minorities. To stress the fact that discrimination is not only about skin colour but its impact on women, disabled people and so on. Racism, anti-semitism, homophobia … all those issues have the same root cause. But homophobia is a bit particular. It sounds like an illness. People around me even ask: 'Hey, why do you do that?' For me fighting discrimination is natural."
Perceptive
Dhorasoo, of Mauritian descent, grew up in the tough suburbs of Le Havre before winning his 14 caps for Les Bleus and two French titles. His perceptive thinking sets him apart from many in his line of work and he has built up a pitiless vision of French society. "The 'black-blanc-beur' [black-white-cream] feeling praised after the [FIFA] World Cup victory in 1998 never existed," he told L'Equipe. "It was a political invention. Everyone supported France because they were winning. And it was great. Racism always accompanied me when I was young. When I rented my first flat the people at the letting agency asked 'How many children is it for?' because I was black and my friends were Arabs."
'Open doors'
Now a prominent figure in French football, Dhorasoo says he is "the colour of money" and doesn't care if he is a gay icon or the focus of taunts from opposition supporters. It is worth remarking, however, that no homophobic banner has ever been unfurled criticising him at the Parc des Princes. "A 'Dhorasoo queer!' [banner] would have disappointed me. It did not happen and shows that football fans are not as stupid as the press say sometimes," Dhorasoo told French magazine So Foot. Dhorasoo cannot fight the bigots alone. For the game to really begin to tackle homophobia, another important catalyst is needed. "Probably a top player deciding to come out," Dhorasoo says. "And I mean one of the best players in the world because he will need to be in a strong position to support the backlash. Things always move forward when you have role models like that to open the doors."
Backlash
The backlash can be extreme. Justin Fashanu was the first black player to cost £1m when he signed for Nottingham Forest FC in 1981, and in 1990 he also became the first professional player in Britain to publicly admit to being gay. By then his career was in decline, confidence drained by the prejudice he had been forced to endure both within the English game and from the stands. He committed suicide in 1998. Sixteen years after Fashanu's admission, homosexuality remains a taboo in football, and there is little to suggest that attitudes are changing. Dhorasoo's high-profile support of PFG, however, offers hope. "To be a player, you must be virile," he told Le Parisien. "Some people think that when you're homosexual you can't be manly. This is wrong but the idea prevails and that is the reason why Paris Foot Gay exists."
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