English Super League club Hull will allow fans to fly rainbow flags when they host Israel Folau’s Catalans Dragons.
Hull have no objection to fans bringing rainbow flags to their next home game, which will be Israel Folau’s first Super League match in England.
It follows claims from Castleford supporters that they were asked to remove flags supporting the LGBT movement after displaying them at Stade Gilbert Brutus, where Folau made his debut for Catalans Dragons on Saturday evening.
Folau, who was sacked by Rugby Australia last May for making homophobic comments on social media, is due to make his second appearance when the Dragons visit the KCOM Stadium on March 1.
Catalans do not have a policy of banning flags and promised to look into the matter while a Hull spokesman said: “We have nothing against pride flags in general.”
The signing of Folau has been widely condemned by both Super League and the Rugby Football League, who says it was powerless to prevent his registration.
Wigan have called the visit of the Catalans in March “Pride Day” and Wakefield had invited LGBT groups to their game against the Dragons last Sunday before it was postponed.
Alison Grey, a Castleford fan, posted on social media during Saturday’s game that she was asked to take down a rainbow flag.
“Just been told I am not allowed this flag because the club does not allow it. How disgusting,” she tweeted.
She later said in an interview with Sky Sports: “We were asked if we could take the flag down, first because it was against health and safety. When we said that there were other flags around the ground they gave up.
“They then came back to us later on and said it was against the views of the club to have the flags.”
Catalans coach Steve McNamara would not be drawn on the matter in his post-match press conference.
“I am here to talk about football, not political or religious views or whatever else it might be. I am here to talk about rugby league. That is what I know, that is what I do, not any of the other stuff,” the former England boss said.
A joint statement from Super League and the RFL said: “Everyone should have the right to respectfully express their views.
“We are investigating. We will receive a full report by the end of this weekend and have more details by Monday.”
In brief
Guest
I’m an adulterer - do I have a right to be offended that IF said I will go to hell? Should I demand he respect my sexual orientation and preferences which i had no choice in? I come from a long line of adulterers - it’s in our blood. Is Falau polyphobic? Do I even care? No actually I can read and know a bit of history so can appreciate that the bible’s teachings can’t be adapted to meet the social whims of modern society.
In brief
Guest
Folau’s beliefs are not a margin extreme version of Christianity. Until last year gay marriage was illegal in Australia. Homosexuality was only recently legalised in Tasmania and Ireland (relatively speaking). So his views were mainstream enough to be adopted as laws in secular nations. Recently our social mores have changed. Do you really expect a 2000 year old doctrine to update its commandments every time there is a plebiscite?
In brief
Guest
Since when is quoting the bible ‘homophobic’? Please stop writing this rubbish.
Jacko
Guest
Only the highly offensive ones TWAS
DP Schaefer
Roar Rookie
Fascinating... initiations, macho contests and the original Bad Boys. Could make an interesting movie...
Gray-Hand
Roar Rookie
From the Epic of Gilgamesh. Predates Abrahamaic religion by about a thousand years or so.
clipper
Roar Rookie
Sorry, DP - didn't realise you can't avoid Oxford street or it's surrounds on Mardi Gras day and that your remote is broken and you are forced to watch the event on the big screen when it is repeated. I do know about Noah etc, but still you have not provided a link that shows any mainstream Christian group that has taken great offence at the rainbow flag - perhaps they may be the same groups that took offence when South Africans used the rainbow flag as well.
DP Schaefer
Roar Rookie
That's a very left field version, haven't encountered that one before. :thumbup:
Gray-Hand
Roar Rookie
The reason for the flood was that the Mesopotamian god Enlil thought that humans were being too noisy. So he decided to drown them. The god Ea warned Utnapishtim of Enlil’s intentions and gave him plans to build a big boat. So I guess the gays should wave the flags more quietly?
DP Schaefer
Roar Rookie
If you understood the reason for the flood and meaning of the rainbow you might get it. If you weren't a Christophobic you might understand something about church. But the biggest error is in your own ideology. You are, one could safely assume, an evolutionist. And also one, possibly, who believes that people are born gay and it isn't a choice. Hence - as evolution is an ideology that is 'survival of the fittest' and 'natural selection' and same sex couples cannot naturally breed then your ideology, evolution and your scientists believe that gays are a sub-class of the human species and not deserving of contributing to the gene pool. Your ideology, and you call me homophobic??
DP Schaefer
Roar Rookie
mardi gras is less avoidable than any comment Folau would make. Going to sporting matches or other events or waving their rainbow flag at every event is aggressively 'in ones face'. It is unavoidable. Answered. Why is the rainbow flag offensive? And note, it's not offensive just because it's the LGBt+ community - it would also be offensive if say street gangs, criminals, home invaders, swingers, or a number of other groups adopted it as their symbol. To get that you need to relate to the reason for the flood and meaning of the rainbow.
Jacko
Guest
maybe IF supporters could get a FLAG made with the post he put up,on the flag...Its only a flag isnt it? That would be the same as a gay rights symbol flag wouldnt it?...What annoys me is why the rainbow colour was hijacked by the gay community...Couldnt they make up something by themselves? I loved rainbows long before the Gay community hijacked for their own purposes
clipper
Roar Rookie
What I'm finding curious is the that you say the gay community 'parade their beliefs aggressively in other people's faces' - how on earth do they do that. Do they force people to watch the mardi gras? Do they tie them up clockwork orange style and force them to watch gay themed movies? Was the SSM vote akin to voting in Zimbabwe? Please explain so I can understand why you go on about double standards. I notice you haven't produced any evidence about how Christian groups are offended by the rainbow flag.
DP Schaefer
Roar Rookie
I could be wrong, but I heard that the flag objection was based on other flags and the tweeting about the rainbow flag was misleading. If that's true, shows how reports can be manipulated.
In brief
Guest
I’m not afraid of eating pork but I don’t wave it in front of Jews. I’m not offended by woman in bikinis but wouldn’t parade my wife in a mosque wearing a G string. I’m not offended by gays but would recommend they don’t hold hands in the UAE. It’s all about respecting the belief of others.
In brief
Guest
What is offensive is the blood minded stupidity of the peanut waving the flag. I assume they they were educated at the university of Twitter.
Train Without A Station
Roar Guru
Nothing more reasonable than finding the mere existence of people to be offensive...
Parasite
Roar Rookie
Well, yes, yes it is.
Train Without A Station
Roar Guru
Aggressively parading your rights is not the same as aggressively parading against the rights of others...
Train Without A Station
Roar Guru
If you wanna be Christian, other people being gay is offensive to you?