With members of the gay and lesbian ‘Pena' gathered to watch their team play away from home this weekend, much of the conversation was focused around no other than David Beckham, and not because he has become a gay icon. When England met Spain last month in a friendly match, the police had been so hard focused on Spanish fans in the wake of reports of an increased level of racial abuse by the Spanish, that they had failed to notice that Beckham had suffered a barrage of homophobic abuse at the hands of Spanish fans, despite the fact he is married and straight with kids?!

They were reported to have chanted ‘Beckham maricon' (Beckham faggot) for over a minute, according to Josep Ribes, Pena spokesman. The group lodged a complaint and was successful in getting an investigation under way. This support group is cutting edge in terms of its context and is hopefully the beginning of something positive in football.

Although the UK is yet to openly embrace any gay orientated groups within football in terms of the professional game, there are a number of gay orientated community groups within amateur football. For example, Stonewall Football Club was established in March 1991 by a gay amateur footballer living in London who placed an ad in a gay publication for fellow football fans to get in touch. Astounded by the number of replies, Stonewall FC was formed. They were eventually part of the Sportsman Senior Sunday Football League, and have come on leaps and bounds over the past 17-18 years.

Furthermore, as current British, European, World and Gay Olympics Champions, the Club is surely a beacon of light amidst a large amount of prejudice.

To date there are a number of Gay Support groups ranging from community groups formed to help sufferers of HIV deal with implications of the disease, to groups designed for parents of children who have ‘come out' as gay. They will often require a guiding hand in supporting their children through some confusing times. Equally, there are a number of organisations that provide support for young gay men who may themselves be confused, perhaps unable to cope with either confusion surrounding their sexuality or perhaps a lack of acceptance from close friends and family.Furthermore, in terms of faith and beliefs, London's LGBT community is designed for the inclusion of everyone. In relation the Lesbian and Gay Christian movement are based inside of the UK and has proved a positive influence on the gay community.

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