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Brazilian judge: "Soccer is for men, not for gays"

12:40 H | Topics: Brazil - Controversia - GLBT - Justice - Sports

A judge in Brazil thinks that gays shouldn't be playing soccer. Apparently, they aren't "manly" enough.

The whole thing started when a player for Sao Paulo, one Richarlyson Barbosa Felisbino, charged that the manager for rival team Palmeiras hinted that he was gay on television. Richarlyson went to the courts to plead a defamation case. All good up until there.

The judge for the case turned out to be a major homophobe and threw out the case. Writer and blogger William K. Wolfrum translated the rambling ruling in a recent blog entry:

“It’s not that a homosexual can’t play ball. If he wants, then play it. However, form his own team and start another federation. Schedule games with those that prefer to fight against themselves.”

“What I can not understand is why the gay association of Bahia and a few columnists insist on promoting gay athletes in the field.”

“Jeez, if this fad catches on, soon we will have a quota system, forcing the access of so many of them per team.”

“And don’t say that this opening will be in the same way that it happened when blacks started to be part of the teams. It is a completely different thing. If a black is also a homosexual, he should also avoid being part of heterosexual soccer teams.”

"But the black obtained success (in many activities) very important to the history of Brasil: the biggest and most complete attacker ever seen, is called Edson Arantes do Nascimento (Pelé), and he is black.”

“What is not reasonable is the acceptance of homosexuals in Brazilian soccer because they would harm the uniformity of thinking of the team, the togetherness, the balance, and the ideal.”

“Not even to mention the uncomfortable feeling of the fan, who wants to go to the stadium, sometimes with his son, and see his beloved team succeeding in the competition, instead of losing oneself in analysis of the behavior of this or that athlete with an obvious personality or existential problem, making it uncomfortable also for the teammates, the coach , the technical commission and the managers of the club.”

“By the way, this popular saying is very precise: Each one in their own area, each monkey in their own branch, each rooster in their own coop, each king in their own deck of cards.
That is what I think, and because I think like this, in the condition of a judge, I say it!”

As William points out, the judge named Manoel Maximiniano Junqueira Filho, is not only a homophobe but a racist. Formal complaints against him and his ruling have been filed, and Richarlyson says he now has the "obligation to fight against prejudice and discrimination."

Via / William K. Wolfrum

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