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While New Zealand was taking strides in human rights by passing legislation to acknowledge homosexual marriages, Australia was celebrating the retirement of a horse.
Australia is a nation shaped by its sporting culture.
Our colloquialisms, our jargon and our metaphors used in everyday day life have common ties to sport and national identity is considerably shaped by it.
The equal rights debate is one that will not be going away due to the pending national election in September. Both major parties have been scrutinised for their stance on marriage equality but neither possess the initiative to support the movement.
Although not an official political party, the AFL is deceptively powerful when it comes to shaping public opinion.
Over the years, the AFL has been societal innovators within the sensitive subject or equality.
The AFL has widely acknowledged the importance of women to the game and have implemented educational programs in an attempt to eradicate the difference in social order between AFL players and women.
Of greater impact though, AFL events have been etched in the history of racial tolerance within this country. Nicky Winmar and Michael Long have been defining figures in the establishment of racial tolerance in the football community and beyond.
They also provide an insight into what can be expected by the public if the AFL were to get behind the equal rights movement. It’s a touchy subject which becomes even more controversial within the testosterone heavy AFL.
The message from the AFL has always been to promote tolerance, without declaring a steadfast stance on the gay marriage issue. With sponsorship deals to contend with, their stance is understandable and the same as the majority of citizens.
Everyone falls into one of three groups over the issue. They are either for equal rights and the recognition of gay marriage, vehemently against it, or the largest group – they don’t care enough about the issue but acknowledge people are entitled to do whatever they want.
The majority of AFL players fall into the third group and there is no problem with that.
Most AFL players make lifestyle choices to play football and live ‘blokey’ lives and because of this, they are not affected by equality rights and hence don’t care enough to actively promote their stance.
Homophobia and gay marriage are two separate issues but if the sport industry is still tackling homophobia issues while the rest of the nation tackles gay marriage reform, the sport industry is relatively primitive in its humanitarian progress.
Although assumedly heterosexual, Brock McLean and Daniel Jackson are players with personal ties to the issue. The duo put their football differences aside and joined friends and family to be the first AFL players to take part in the gay pride march in February.
When interviewed, both were adamant there were homophobia issues among the playing ranks of the AFL.
“They’ve done such great work with racial vilification and respect and responsibility for women. So if they could fit in the gay movement and anti-discrimination as a whole, I think that’d be great for the Australian community,” Jackson said.
It has been speculated that any AFL player who publicly declares his homosexuality will be met by hostility and potentially exiled by teammates.
All this is still speculation but the AFL provided an insight into their stance when Stephen Milne was punished for sledging Harry O’Brien with the words “f***ing poofter” during a match.
Milne was forced to apologise to O’Brien, fined $3,000 and required to attend an AFL education program.
The sledge was caught by umpire Dean Margetts and O’Brien, an active philanthropist, admitted he was unfazed by the sledge and would not have raised the issue after the match.
So what can the AFL do to influence the debate without declaring a political hand?
No one is asking for the AFL to celebrate homosexuality but rather, outlawing the vilification of it should be the number one priority.
As one of the best, the AFL’s stance on racism should be applauded.
Policy applies not only to players but also administrator and most importantly, fans. Supporters form the largest segment of the football community and the AFL have had little hesitation punishing fans who voice or display racial intolerance.
The same approach could be applied to homophobia.
Being a touchy subject that is only considered new to the sport industry due to the masculine qualities supposedly required to succeed in the industry, the AFL can show some initiative.
There is a lack of case studies and therefore a lack of precedence. If the AFL choose to evict fans or even ban them for making homophobic comments towards players or fellow fans, it would be a mammoth step in promoting tolerance to the largest segment of the football community.
As racism has shown us, there is no quick fix to intolerance. Overcoming it is a long process and one which requires commitment to the cause. With societal trends confirming the positive impact homosexual tolerance has had on the world, it’s a no-brainer that the cause is worth committing to.
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