‘I don’t give a toss that you’re LGBT, you’re an Arsenal fan and you hate Spurs’ – The supporters’ group spearheading inclusivity in football

‘I don’t give a toss that you’re LGBT, you’re an Arsenal fan and you hate Spurs!’

That is the resounding message from the co-chair of Gay Gooners, Arsenal’s official supporters’ group for LGBT+ fans, Carl Fearn, who wants all fans to be treated equally, no matter their sexuality or gender.

In an exclusive interview withMetro.co.uk for Pride Month, Fearn, who plays a key role in the first and largest LGBT+ fan group in England, tells a heartwarming anecdote about how his younger brother accepted him for who he was, without hesitation or judgement.

‘I was married for 12 years before I came out,’ says Fearn. ‘When I came out to my younger brother, who I’d shared a bedroom with and had to tolerate all his mates calling me a poof and a fairy way back, his final comment was, “You’re still my brother aren’t you!”.

‘I said, “Unfortunately for you, I’ll always be your brother and you’ll always be mine”, and he went, “Well I still love you then”. That was the only time in his 54 years on the planet he ever told me that he loved me. After that, I thought I don’t care what anyone else says, because my younger brother will be looking out for me and standing up for me. That filters into what the Gay Gooners are all about at heart.’

It’s been a year of evolution for Arsenal on the pitch, with the youngest manager in the league, Mikel Arteta, leading the youngest team in the Premier League to within an inch of the top four and a return to Champions League football.

Unity has been the buzzword surrounding the Gunners’ recent rise, following a dismal past few years full of resentment between fans regarding footballing matters.

While a youthful squad full of academy graduates, coupled with work in the community with local businesses, has helped