Mayor supports gay GAA referee

The Mayor of South Dublin, Cllr Fintan Warfield (SF), has come out in support of the gay referee who was refused permission to wear a rainbow wristband at a recent GAA match in Croke Park.

Mayor Warfield said he was

“surprised and disappointed

? to learn of the GAA’s refusal to allow referee David Gough to wear the wristband at the Dublin Vs Tyrone match, on the grounds that political statements are not allowed and that the issue is tied to the upcoming referendum on marriage equality.

“We need to be clear: the rainbow symbol is a statement of inclusion and opposition to homophobia,

? Mayor Warfield stated.

“Every organisation should be proactively endorsing such a message and indeed we have seen this in other sporting organisations.

“It is therefore misleading and wrong to conflate very necessary and ongoing efforts to eradicate homophobia from the GAA with the current referendum campaign. It would be a source of deep concern to me and many others in the LGBT community, not least those of us active in the GAA, if the referendum was used as an excuse to prevent noble efforts to highlight the importance of LGBT equality and participation in sport. The two are entirely separate matters.

“We know that homophobia remains a major problem,

? he added.

“The number of openly LGBT players, in comparison to our numbers in the population generally, speaks for itself and any attempt to send out an inclusive message from the organisation should be strongly endorsed, not censored.

?

Referee Gough, the country’s first openly gay GAA match official, said he was

“disappointed, dismayed and let down

? by the decision to refuse him permission to wear the Gay Pride wristband at Croke Park.

He had planned to wear the wristband while refereeing at the Dublin and Tyrone national league match to show support for a Yes vote in the same-sex marriage referendum and to highlight homophobia in sport. He initially secured permission to wear it, but in what the Sunday Independent described as a

“flurry of late-night phone calls

?, the decision was reversed at the 11th hour.

In a statement to the newspaper, the GAA said it did not allow political statements and that the forthcoming referendum made the issue of same-sex marriage political. A spokesperson for the GAA added that it was long-standing policy that no political gestures are made at matches or official functions.