Gay couple kisses in pro soccer stadium. The team responds in an amazing way.
A gay couple who support one of Spain’s biggest pro soccer teams has spoken about homophobia to its young players, after a photo of the fans kissing inside the stadium went viral.
Mark
When Alejandro Vigara first posted a photo of a kiss with his boyfriend, Álvaro, taken inside the stadium of the team they both support, he got a “barrage” of homophobic comments on social media.
Vigara shared that pic from a visit to San Mamés, the home of Spanish soccer giants Athletic Bilbao, in Pride Month last year. “Proud to love and BE,” he wrote, with Pride flag emojis.
In late February, they went to see Athletic’s 1-1 draw away to Rayo Vallecano in La Liga. The sun hitting a water sprinkler on the pitch created a rainbow effect, so the couple kissed again and shared the images. “The rainbow came out… because football is also ours,” said Vigara in the caption.
The 34-year-old fan soon noticed that this time, the comments and reactions were even worse. As an entertainment reporter and influencer, he’s used to social media nastiness, but this was more extreme. So he made a video calling it out.
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A few months later, he and Álvaro would find themselves speaking directly to Athletic’s future stars about the importance of tackling homophobia and being true to yourself.
Their courage had impressed Galder Reguera, the head of strategy at the Athletic Foundation, the club’s charitable arm. He invited them to a home match and also asked if they would be willing to visit the Lezama training facility, to share their experiences with more than 40 young academy players.
“When Galder told me that, I was shaking on the phone,” Vigara told Deia. “To be invited to give a talk to the academy means that the club is really involved in the cause and it’s not just something for the cameras.”
The couple’s connection to football runs deep. Álvaro is a physiotherapist who has worked with other professional teams, and he is also the brother of semi-pro player Javi Cabezas.
Although the two boyfriends are both from Cordoba, Vigara’s late father was a huge Athletic fan, and they are used to making the 500-mile journey between the two Spanish cities.
The invite from Athletic is part of a broader effort by the club around inclusion. The eight-time La Liga champions have been arguably the most proactive team in addressing discrimination, seeking out new ways to support education for players and fans.
In April 2023, the club hosted Thomas Hitzlsperger, the former Germany international star who came out as gay after his retirement, and also appointed him as a 125th anniversary ambassador.
Hitzlsperger subsequently returned the following year as a special guest at the Athletic Foundation’s annual film festival.
By inviting Vigara and Cabezas to speak directly to the academy players, the club is continuing to challenge prejudice in enterprising ways.
“At first, all the kids were quiet,” said Vigara. “Álvaro and I interpreted that as fear… but after about 20 minutes, there were some who began to participate. The questions were personal, like asking us when we had come out of the closet, if our friends had rejected us, how we did it, and how other people around us reacted.
“The coaches and a psychologist were present, and they told us that they valued the talk very much… [they said] if there was someone gay there, they could live their life freely much earlier without having to go through any trauma, or choose between football and their personal life, because these two things are perfectly compatible.”
Vigara says he and Álvaro plan to keep kissing at matches, taking photos and posting them on social media. He says nobody has yet challenged them about it inside the stadiums.
“That indicates that things are improving, but as long as there are anonymous people [online] who continue to feel the need to spew their internal hatred, the problem continues to exist.”
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