Zander Murray Is The First Senior Scottish Player To Come Out As Gay
Scotland’s first openly gay footballer Zander Murray was met with vile abuse on Twitter moments before he released a documentary that aims to tackle homophobia in the game. The 31-year-old who plays for League 2 side Bonnyrigg Rose FC fears that budding footballers could be chased out of the game because of their sexuality.
Zander Murray becomes the first Scottish player to come out as gay
Murray has been investigating homophobia in Scottish Football for a new documentary that was aired on Monday. In a new BBC Scotland Disclosure documentary, Murray reveals that there are about 35 homosexual players in the country. The footballer is the only one who has come out as gay.
Zander has called out fans to stamp out homophobia online. Speaking to the record Murray said that he didn’t expect homophobic slurs from anybody noting that there’s still much work to be done to root them out both in the stands and online.
Scottish Player Zander Murray
He said, “Online, on Twitter, it hasn’t been pleasant, and when playing it’s certainly happened. Coming out created a lot of public attention which can be quite tough. Getting insult after insult…we all have good days and bad days.”
Murray is the first openly gay player in Scottish professional football. His decision to come out openly as gay comes months after Lloyd Wilson and Craig Napier came out as gay.
According to Scottish FA rule 81, engaging in homophobic abuse results in a 10-match ban for any player or club official. Scottish FC spokesperson said,
“We stand with Zander Murray and support him fully as he stands up against homophobia and all forms of abuse in the game.”
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