Gay Gooners

Gay Gooners
Established2013 (2013)
FounderStewart Selby
Co-chairs
Carl Fearn and Jacob Jefferson
Parent organization
Arsenal F.C.
Websitearsenal.com/fanzone/gay-gooners

The Gay Gooners, occasionally stylised as GayGooners, are the official LGBTQ supporters' group for Arsenal F.C., a British association football club. Formed in February 2013, they are widely recognised as the first LGBTQ supporters' club in English football and have since grown to become one of the largest such groups worldwide, with more than 2,000 members as of 2024.[1] Their Bluesky account states that the group now has over 2,500 members, making them the world’s largest LGBTQ+ football fan group.[2]

The group was founded with the aim of fighting homophobia in football,[3] and functions as a social and community space for LGBTQ Arsenal fans to attend matches together and participate in club events.[4] The group works with organisations such as Rainbow Laces and Kick It Out, and have marched at Pride in London every year since 2013.[3][5]

Organisation and leadership

The Gay Gooners are run by a volunteer committee. As of 2025, the group’s co-chairs include long-standing member Carl Fearn and former campaigns manager Jacob Jefferson, both of whom have represented the group in Arsenal’s official LGBTQ+ programming.[6] Fearn has spoken publicly about the importance of visibility and belonging for LGBTQ supporters, including during Arsenal’s participation in Pride in London 2024.[7] Jefferson has highlighted how the group provides a safe space for LGBTQ fans to enjoy football without fear of discrimination.[8] In 2024, Gay Gooners co-chairs Carl Fearn and Jacob Jefferson were photographed with Arsenal captain Martin Ødegaard during the club’s LGBTQ+ inclusion activities.[9]

An oral history project published by London Metropolitan University in 2025 documented the experiences of LGBTQ Arsenal supporters, including Gay Gooners members, and described the group as the “world’s biggest LGBTQ+ football fan club”.[10]

History

According to Arsenal F.C., the Gay Gooners were founded in February 2013 by Stewart Selby.[11] Arsenal became the first major English football club to recognise a group of its kind that year.[12] Following this recognition, there was an increase in LGBTQ football fan groups that were officially recognised by their clubs.[13][12]

At the beginning of the 2013–14 season, Arsenal became the first football club in Europe to drape a rainbow banner over one of its stadium's hoardings.[3] By February 2015, they had 250 members and Arsenal was allowing the group space in their programme and other official channels to publicise their message. That month, the Gay Gooners played their own version of the north London derby by taking part in a five-a-side match against fellow prominent LGBTQ supporters' association for Tottenham Hotspur, the Proud Lilywhites. The match was officiated by Steffen Freund.[14]

As of 2017, actor and comedian Matt Lucas was a patron of the Gay Gooners.[15] By June 2018, the Gay Gooners had over 650 members,[5] and in March 2019, they had 775 members, of which 40% were women and 10% lived overseas, in some cases in countries were being gay was illegal.[3] Héctor Bellerín, a right-back for Arsenal, spoke with the group over a video call in 2020, noting that he had received homophobic abuse himself.[16] They had around 1,000 members by November 2021.[17]

On 23 February 2022, the group were awarded second place in the Football v Homophobia Supporters’ Group Award. The next day on the eve of the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, Gay Gooners members protested outside the Qatari embassy in London alongside LGBTQ rights campaigner Peter Tatchell, opposing the country's anti-LGBTQ policies.[18] Jen Beattie joined the group for Pride in London 2022.[19] As of 2023, the Gay Gooners had attended every Pride in London parade since 2013 according to co-chairman Carl Fearn. That year in June, they attended the march on an open-topped Routemaster bus. The Gay Gooners by this point had 1,600 members across 51 countries.[20]

In November 2025 when Arsenal ended an eight-year partnership with the Rwanda Development Board that had included the words "Visit Rwanda" on the team's kit sleeves, the Gay Gooners welcomed the decision, stating that they were "uncomfortable with the deal from the start and made signification representations to Arsenal through official channels since 2021."[21]

The Gay Gooners send a representative team to the annual Arsenal for Everyone tournament at the community hub.[22]

In 2025, the group’s visibility within Arsenal’s supporter culture was highlighted during Pride in London, where the Gay Gooners marched alongside a specially designed Arsenal Pride float. BRICKS Magazine described the group as playing “a vital role” in fostering belonging among LGBTQIA+ supporters, with co-chair Jacob Jefferson noting that the Gay Gooners banner being displayed at every home game signals that LGBTQ fans “belong here just as much as any other fan”.[23]

References

  1. ^ "Rainbow Laces: Arsenal stands with LGBTQ+ supporters". Arsenal.com. 7 December 2024. Retrieved 17 June 2026.
  2. ^ "Gay Gooners Bluesky profile". Bluesky. 5 May 2025. Retrieved 17 June 2026.
  3. ^ a b c d Moss, Molly (14 March 2019). "Arsenal Gay Gooners: fighting homophobia in football". Islington Now. Archived from the original on 19 March 2019. Retrieved 17 February 2023.
  4. ^ Topping, Alexandra (21 April 2014). "Gay football fan groups take the lead on equal rights on the terraces and pitch". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on 10 January 2023. Retrieved 18 February 2023.
  5. ^ a b Leavey, Joe (26 June 2018). "Arsenal's Gay Gooners lead the way at London Pride". Sports Gazette. Retrieved 18 February 2023.
  6. ^ "How we celebrated LGBTQ+ History Month 2025". Arsenal.com. 3 February 2025. Retrieved 17 June 2026.
  7. ^ "Marching at the Pride in London 2024 Parade". Arsenal.com. 29 June 2024. Retrieved 17 June 2026.
  8. ^ "How we celebrated LGBTQ+ History Month 2025". Arsenal.com. 3 February 2025. Retrieved 17 June 2026.
  9. ^ Howard, Laura (24 February 2024). ""To not feel different for my sexuality is amazing": GayGooners on making Arsenal a safe space". Sports Gazette. Retrieved 17 June 2026.
  10. ^ "Arsenal gaygooners oral history project launches". London Metropolitan University. 14 February 2025. Retrieved 17 June 2026.
  11. ^ ""Gaygooners has changed my life in so many ways"". Gaygooners has changed my life in so many ways. Archived from the original on 16 February 2023. Retrieved 17 February 2023.
  12. ^ a b Mundy, Ben (7 August 2015). "Football's LGBT fans want more help from clubs". BBC News. Archived from the original on 9 August 2022. Retrieved 17 February 2023.
  13. ^ Magrath, Rory (2 October 2022). "The Experiences of Bisexual Soccer Fans in the UK: Inclusion, Engagement, and Digital Lives". Journal of Bisexuality. 22 (4): 580–598. doi:10.1080/15299716.2022.2065557. ISSN 1529-9716.
  14. ^ Nakrani, Sachin (5 February 2015). "Proud Lilywhites and Gay Gooners fly (rainbow) flag for LGBT football fans". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 28 May 2026.
  15. ^ "Coming out still taboo for players, say Arsenal's Gay Gooners". The Times of India. 4 October 2014. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 27 May 2026.
  16. ^ Holmes, Jon (6 December 2020). "Rainbow Laces: Hector Bellerin discusses culture and allyship with Arsenal's LGBT+ fans group". Sky Sports. Archived from the original on 26 November 2025. Retrieved 28 May 2026.
  17. ^ Holmes, Jon (27 November 2021). "Rainbow Laces: Gay Gooners co-chair grateful for club's year-round support ahead of Arsenal vs Newcastle match". Sky Sports. Retrieved 28 May 2026.
  18. ^ Howard, Laura (24 February 2024). ""To not feel different for my sexuality is amazing": GayGooners on making Arsenal a safe space". Sports Gazette. Retrieved 27 May 2026.
  19. ^ Chudy, Emily (8 March 2023). "Arsenal star explains why it's still so important for footballers to come out". PinkNews. Retrieved 28 May 2026.
  20. ^ Desouza, Danielle (4 June 2023). "It's Pride every day at our football club, says co-chair of Arsenal LGBT+ group | indy100". indy100. Retrieved 27 May 2026.
  21. ^ Blitz, Sam (19 November 2025). "Arsenal end eight-year sleeve shirt partnership with Visit Rwanda". Sky Sports. Retrieved 28 May 2026.
  22. ^ "Gay Gooners". Gay Gooners. 5 August 2026. Retrieved 9 June 2026.
  23. ^ Reid, Madeline (18 July 2025). "Arsenal's legacy of pride and belonging unites supporters on and off the pitch". BRICKS Magazine. Retrieved 17 June 2026.
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