Morrison’s tweet, which has since been deleted, read: “crack head ? Go suck out u little faggot your a guy that talks if u see me you try slap me I’m in manchester every week.”

Alan Duffy of the Justin Campaign, which fights homophobia in soccer, condemned Morrison’s tweet:

“It’s extremely disappointing to hear that yet another professional footballer in England has used homophobic language,” Mr Duffy told Goal.com

“Ravel Morrison may well not be aware of the damage those kind of remarks can do, but when football stars indulge in that kind of language, it only reinforces the view that football is not a welcoming place of LGBT fans or players.”

Morrison, 19, has been in trouble before. Goal.com says he has also faced allegations of  witness intimidation and an altercation with his girlfriend. I guess a homophobic tweet is par for the course.

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“Lisa Howe knows first-hand how it is to come out in the work place and suffer discrimination because of sexual orientation,” said Nashville GLBT Chamber of Commerce President Michael Fluck. “After a national search we are pleased to announce that she is the first ever full time executive director for the Nashville GLBT Chamber of Commerce. She has a passion for workplace equality that can’t be matched and is the perfect fit as our new executive director.”

Since being fired, Howe has not been shy with her efforts to shed light on homophobia in sports and in the work place. This does seem like a potential great fit for both parties. Good luck, Lisa!

Hat tip to Helen Carroll.

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Premier League Chief Executive Richard Scudamore said: ‘The Premier League and our member clubs believe that everyone should be able to participate in, watch and enjoy sport – whoever they are and whatever their background.

‘When the Sports Charter to tackle homophobia and transphobia in sport was launched in 2011 the Premier League signed it and we are pleased to re-affirm our commitment to it today with each of our clubs signing it individually.’

The charter reads:

• We believe that everyone should be able to participate in and enjoy sport – whoever they are and whatever their background
• We believe that sport is about fairness and equality, respect and dignity. Sport teaches individuals how to strive and succeed, how to cope with success and disappointment, and brings people together with a common goal
• We are committed to making these values a reality for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people. We will work together, and individually, to rid sport of homophobia and transphobia
• We will make sport a welcome place for everyone – for those participating in sport, those attending sporting events and for those working or volunteering in sports at any level
• We will work with all these groups to ensure they have a voice, and to challenge unacceptable behaviour

You can read the full charter.

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Outsports: How did you meet David Testo?
Phillips: I met David out socially one night in Miami Beach.  He and his friends started a conversation with us and we just seemed to hit it off right away.  I actually didn’t know about his soccer career or the fact that he had just come out publicly until the next day when he and I were hanging out.

What was your inspiration for the photo shoot?
Since we were in beautiful and warm Miami Beach, what better way to capture that than to be on the beach itself?  2eros is a great Australian swimwear and underwear brand that I’ve worked with and I decided to shoot David wearing swimwear from them.  David’s athleticism was enough inspiration for the shoot.

How did his place as one of the very rare out pro athletes play into your interest in him as a model? And how did it play into how you shot him?
David arrived in Miami right after he came out back in Montreal.  Miami was meant to be his break from the media attention that would likely ensue.  I feel honored and lucky to have been able to capture him at this pivotal time in his career, as well as in the gay-athletes movement.  I think the simple and classic image of David standing proudly on the beach holding a soccer ball sums up his character – strong, confident and proud.

How was he to work with as a model?
The shoot was so laid back and fun, full of great energy!  It definitely helped that we had met just a few days prior and had developed a level of comfort and great rapport. This wasn’t the standard ‘model’ shoot, so I wanted him to really just let go and be himself, which he did.

What stood out to you about Testo during the shoot?
I was impressed with how comfortable and easy he kept the tone during the shoot.  I’ve worked with all sorts of personalities when shooting, and this one will remain one of my all-time favorites.  No egos or attitudes to deal with, just the two of us on the beach having a good time.  This is the kind of shoot that reminds me why I love my job!

You can find more of Phillips’ work at his Web site.

Click on photos for larger images:

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There is no doubt in my mind that in the next 10 years we have an openly gay footballer,” Barton said on the program “Britain’s Gay Footballers.”  “My only fear is that certain managers and individuals within the game will discriminate against people.

“These archaic figures think if they had a gay footballer, they would have all kinds of shenanigans going on in the dressing room. That’s not the case. As I say it’s more fool them and their lack of social awareness and intelligence.”

Barton talked about what a great legacy his current generation of players could create if they embraced an openly gay teammate. And he spoke movingly about how his uncle struggled before coming to terms with his sexuality.

“For a lot of years he was in turmoil and was resenting himself for the fact he had these feelings.

“I was like, ‘I love you for you — not for the fact that you are straight or bisexual or all different manner of things. I love you because you’re you.’ “

The BBC show has already aired and I have not yet had the time to watch, but would appreciate feedback from anyone who has.

Hat tip to Billy Witz.

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There’s been a long-standing fear of the bulge in American culture. Why do so many American men feel the need to denegrate Speedos? Because our culture says men should not publicly wear anything in which you can see the size or shape of the package. Beckham’s H&M underwear ad sadly complies with that bullshit.

In this commercial’s case, they’re trying to sell underwear without showing the “money shot.” They show the waistband, they pan across Beckham’s tattoos, there’s a shot of his butt. But when they pan around to his front side there’s a well-placed hand; when the camera scrolls down his body, it fades to white just before showing his bulge. God forbid they acknowledge that Beckham has something on the front of his body between his thighs! It would make the average American male run from his TV screaming!

Instead, H&M will spend millions of dollars to sell their underwear…without showing the most revealing part of their product. Good luck with that.

Hat tip to Towleroad.

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Not surprisingly, she found the fans pointed fingers at the establishment, the establishment pointed fingers at the players, and the players pointed fingers at everybody else. From the show’s description:

Max Clifford, who reveals he has helped several Premiership stars keep their homosexuality secret in order to preserve their careers, goes further by insisting that the mentality of most people in and around the game remains in the Dark Ages. When Amal finally negotiates some access to straight premiership stars – from the Millwall dressing room – she learns that attitudes amongst many footballers may not be as bad as feared.

“Not as bad as feared.” Where have we heard that before? Hmmmm. Maybe here on Outsports over and over and over again for the last 10 years?

The documentary airs on BBC three Monday, Jan. 30, at 9pm.

Hat tip to Keith B.

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Noting “I like everywhere; it’s still America,” where he plays isn’t much of an issue, he just wants to play professionally in one of the great cities in a country where he has come to enjoy his time. To him living and playing in America “would be an amazing feeling,” a feeling he’s had since his time in North Carolina. …

“I hope that I will get one day over there where I can play in MLS. That would be awesome. It’s going to be one day, I promise you. One day I will be over there.”

Hysen also talked to the blog about his trouble finding a boyfriend. To see exactly what he’s looking for, check out Gay4soccer’s article.

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His election is a testament to where the world of sports is in regards to homophobia. Testo told Outsports previously that one of his main objectives if elected would be to help end homophobia in soccer.

According to the U.S. Soccer Communications Center, the Council’s role is to:

• BROADEN COMMUNICATION on Athlete issues between U.S. Soccer (its Councils and the Secretariat) and its Athletes and Players
• EDUCATE and INFORM other Athletes on issues facing U.S. Soccer, Athletes and Players
• ADVOCATE the interests of Athletes and Players at all levels, as well as for the sport of soccer and the Federation as a whole
• PROTECT the interests of Athletes and Players at all levels and provide an active voice for their interest, including the right of Athletes to compete on U.S. National Teams, FIFA and USOC Events and the right of players to participate in programs at U.S. Soccer
• ADDRESS issues that concern the development and performance of players who are eligible to compete for U.S. National Teams
• REPRESENT the interests of the entire pool of U.S. Soccer Athletes in U.S. Soccer governance

The full list of athletes elected to the council is:

Jeff Agoos
Stuart Holden
Angela Hucles
Will John
Cobi Jones
Kristine Lilly
Kate Markgraf
Jon McCullough
Heather Mitts
Siri Mullinix
John O’Brien
Cindy Parlow Cone
Christie Rampone
Claudio Reyna
Tiffany Roberts Sahaydak
Danielle Slaton
Jonathan Spector
David Testo

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No, the producers decided to include Turkish oil wrestling, a prancing soccer referee and a crude sexual “move” from scripted professional wrestling. It’s another overtly stereotypical homage to the same old “Ha, I’m gay, what’s a football?” creed we’ve heard from so much of the gay media for years.

Amused? Offended? Inspired? Disgusted? What do you think of this video that certainly has no interest in undermining stereotypes…

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