Women’s Euro 2022 Championing LGBTQ+ Inclusive Sport: What Men’s Football Can Learn From Their Victory
August 1, 2022By Dominika Navratilova, Marketing Executive at myGwork
International sports tournaments are a great opportunity for people from all over the world to come together and share their passion for the beauty of sport. UEFA Women’s Euro 2022 represents that passion for the game hand in hand with LGBTQ+ inclusion.
The 2022 UEFA European Women’s Football Championship is an exemplar of LGBTQ+ inclusion and could encourage more athletes to come out, benefitting public attitudes towards issues of sexuality, according to University of Gloucestershire’s Dr. Rachael Bullingham.
The biggest women’s sports event in Europe, hosted by England, kicked off on the July 6 at Old Trafford, Manchester. Since the beginning, we’ve seen impressive sport performances, unforgettable matches and the joy of the tournament experience – both on the players’ and audience’s sides.
Sunday’s victory of English Lionesses over the strong German team was a cherry on the top of the cake of this fantastic tournament. The dramatic match, leading to extra time, was sold-out long time ago. A record for attendance of a European Championship final – men's or women's – was broken by 87,192 spectators at London’s Wembley Stadium.
A moment we'll remember forever! 🏆 pic.twitter.com/5owX8FJ8Ki
The tournament featured a number of LGBTQ+ players including one of the stars of the English team – forward Beth Mead. She said in an interview with Sky Sports: “It's important everyone knows it’s normal to just be themselves.” She explained that it’s a good thing if players like her can make people feel more comfortable and proud of who they are.
HISTORY MAKERS. EUROPEAN CHAMPIONS. 🏆 pic.twitter.com/zVFlqZqXU5
In contrast to many other sports, women’s football players and fans created a community full of respect, support and passion for equality. As GiveMeSport emphasizes, being a member of the LGBTQ+ community is not just accepted, but celebrated. Women’s football is known as a safe space for LGBTQ+ community where everybody is encouraged to be their true selves.