Darryl Telles: Ever felt alone in a crowd of 40,000? Being a gay fan from 1970-2017
- Josh Schneider-Weiler
- Sep 24, 2017
- 3 min read
Welcome to the Football Autobiography Show, I'm thrilled to be with you all today. I'm so excited to share this week's special episode. This past week, the English FA fired women's coach Mark Sampson, mostly due to the investigation involving player Eni Aluko. I won't rehash the entire situation but it is noteworthy in how it shined a light on the racism that's still part of today's game. In that same vein, I wanted to shed light on another issue that doesn't get talked about enough quite as much but is nonetheless as important and something the FA should be focused on addressing in addition to racism. That would be homophobia in football. This is an issue that hits close to home to me and I'm very passionate about. My entire immediate family is gay, my brother and 2 mothers, which has had a huge effect on my life. What is the situation like for homosexual players, coaches, staff and fans in 2017? How has it changed since the 70's? I'd like to answer those questions and more.
Which is why I'm thrilled have as my guest today Darryl Telles. Telles is the author of the new autobiography, We're Queer and We Should Be Here: The perils and pleasures of being a gay football fan. Telles has been a Tottenham fan since 1970 and was one of the earliest members of the Gay Football Supporters Network and helped found Tottenham's Gay Supporter Group, the Tottenham Hotspur Lilywhites.
In this interview Telles helps you walk a mile in his shoes and shows you what is was like to be a gay football fan in the 70s, and he explains how gay fanhood evolved over time. He also discusses how a Nottingham Forest game in 1978 made him sick to his stomach, how one preseason friendly made him ashamed to be a Tottenham fan, the importance and formation of gay supporter groups, what the FA can do to make football in England more gay friendly and where he sees the issue in the future.
Meeting Darryl was an incredible experience, and he certainly opened my eyes to what the situation is like for gays in the game. If you like the interview, check out his book, which you can find here and also, Darryl will be at Housman's Bookshop on October 6th at 7:00 to sign books and discuss it further.
Listen to the episode here and don't forget to subscribe by clicking one of the icons at the top of the website
Timeline
First football memories in 1970 including the World Cup 3:35
How he came out of the closet 6:53
How the 1978 game against Nottingham forest demoralized him 11:10
Paul Gascoigne's 1990 World Cup heroics impact on his life 15:10
The horrible shame he being a Tottenham fan in a preseason friendly in 2011 19:42
The effects of the Proud Lilywhites 25:18
Players reactions to gay supporters groups 29:58
The shortcomings of the FA 31:33
When will a player or coach come out? 35:15
Reference
If you like this episode then you should like this episode where Bobby Warshaw talks about how he feels gay players would be welcomed in the locker room
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