Arne Friedrich denies he's gay
Aren't we thrilled we can rehash the subject of homosexuality in football? Er, yeah. Well, fwiw, while surfing by a major US gay website, Towle Road, I was rather stunned to see mention of an article on Arne Friedrich denying he's gay! I am definitely NOT accustomed to seeing German footy players being mentioned on any American site, gay or otherwise! The article comes from Out Sports, and here's what it has to say in "German Soccer Player Arne Friedrich Says He's Not Gay": (apologies for any wonky formatting as I cut & pasted)
"Add German soccer player Arne Friedrich to the list of athletes who
are asserting their heterosexual credentials amid rumors they are gay.
He says it’s odd that when he types his name into a search engine and it suggests adding the word “gay,” tens of thousands results appear.
“It’s very funny when you name the Internet as search
words then typing and there is direct ‘gay’ behind it. I’m with my
girlfriend for 10 years together and very happy. “
A day after Friedrich made these remarks on a German TV show, his
girlfriend, Linn Rodenbeck, wrote an open letter, according to Raphael Honigstein of SI.com:
“Apologies to all those who might be disappointed now,”
she wrote. “No, Arne is not gay. And I’m he sure he would be the last
person not to admit to it (if he was gay).”
That settles it for me, though I find it funny that Friedrich is
bothered that Google’s algorithm helpfully suggests adding the word
“gay” to his name in searches. I typed in “arne friedrich schwul” into
Google and got 56,900 results. Maybe he liked being named one of the sexiest footballers at Euro 2008. Or puzzled when the German site Queer.de polled its readers on the soccer player most likely to be gay and he finished first.
For the record, he said he does not know of any German pro players
who are gay, though he would be OK with it. But he thinks it would be
tough for an out player. It would not “be easy … If you [come out], you
would have run into some headwinds.”
Philipp Lahm, the guy who finished second in the poll of most likely to be gay, earlier this year said that wasn’t true and advised gay players to stay in the closet.
Tanja Walther-Ahrens has a bone to pick with Lahm and Friedrich. She
has written a book on sexual orientation and discrimination in German
soccer and says their responses don’t help.
“I can understand if celebrities are disturbed by some
rumors, such as the one mentioned in connection with alcoholism or
fraud. But homosexuality is not a crime. When Lahm and Frederick
emphasize this, it looks like they are strongly opposed to
homosexuality. …
“I hope the next player now does not come under pressure to recognize
their heterosexuality. It would only make the debate more infected. It
would be nice if a football star could ask the opposite question
instead: ‘If it was so - what’s the problem?’ Would it be so difficult?
League and national team players do not realize they are role models.”
Raphael Honigstein weighs in on Sports Illustrated.com, with "Homosexuality Remains a Taboo Subject in German Soccer Circles":
Michael Sternkopf became the latest in an ever growing list of soccer
personalities to go public with a very private matter this Tuesday. Not
long ago, the 41-year-old general manager of Kickers Offenbach would
probably have done anything in his powers to keep his secret out of the
limelight. But German soccer's attitude has changed to the point that
the former Bayern Munich midfielder felt able to talk to the biggest
tabloid Bild openly about his condition: he has checked into a
clinic for treatment of burnout syndrome. "I'm not able to do my job at
the moment," he told the newspaper.
Only last month,
Schalke coach Ralf Rangnick resigned, citing chronic fatigue. Before
that, Hannover keeper Markus Miller admitted to receiving psychological
treatment. These cases -- and the public's widely positive reactions to
them -- show that mental health problems seem to have lost their stigma.
Almost exactly two years after the tragic suicide of Germany goalkeeper
Robert Enke, who suffered from depression, it is no longer a subject
that needs covering up but is increasingly understood as an illness that
can be overcome.
This mature approach contrasts sharply
with the complicated, incongruent way another taboo issue continues to
be dealt with. Unlike mental health, homosexuality has no bearing
whatsoever on a player's (or manager's) ability to perform for his team.
But German soccer has yet to witness a high-profile coming out, despite
the country's thoroughly relaxed attitude to the subject on a whole.
There are openly gay men and women in politics -- including the foreign
minister Guido Westerwelle -- on mainstream television and in all walks
of life.
It's not as if homosexuality is not being talked
about in relation to German football, either. On the contrary, there's
probably never been a more extensive debate. But it's telling that every
public utterance on the subject, even if most benign, is swiftly
followed up by an emphatic declaration that player himself was of course
heterosexual.
Take Arne Friedrich. This week, the former
Wolfsburg defender was asked about persistent rumors about his sexuality
in a German TV talk show. "It's a bit odd when you [Google yourself]
and the word 'gay' comes up immediately," said the 32-year-old. "You
live with these things. But I've been going out with my girlfriend Linn
for 10 years now, I'm very happy. There's no debate, as far as I'm
concerned." Friedrich, who played at the World Cup in South Africa for
Germany, added that he had "never met a player who I even suspected of
being gay. But if that was the case, it would have been OK as well. I
don't have anything against gays. It's live and let live." Asked about
players coming out, Friedrich was doubtful. "I think it would be quite
difficult, especially in football," he said. "There would probably be
some headwind." Just to drive home the point, Friedrich's girlfriend
Linn Rödenbeck wrote an open letter the next day. "Apologies to all
those who might be disappointed now," she wrote. "No, Arne is not gay.
And I'm he sure he would be the last person not to admit to it (if he
was gay)."
Friedrich's views echoed those of Germany
captain Philipp Lahm. The 27-year-old is aware of similar rumors and
addressed these in his recent autobiography. "I don't care about these
speculations, I don't think homosexuality is something reprehensible at
all," he wrote. Lahm, a married man, also recalled being stalked by a
gay fan and advised homosexual professionals to stay in the closet. "I'd
be afraid that they would share the fate of the English player Justin
Fashanu, who felt under so much pressure after coming out that he killed
himself." It goes without saying that the Bayern fullback, too, added
that he felt the need to "clarify" that he wasn't homosexual.
Mario Gomez, a Bayern team mate, took a different view. "I would welcome (gay footballers) coming out," the striker told Bunte
magazine in November 2010. "I think they could play freely (after
that). I don't think being gay is taboo anymore." It's worth noting that
the article made extensive references to his girlfriend Silvia,
presumably in an effort to ward off any misunderstandings.
The
most ill-conceived statement on that matter was made by Germany team
manager Oliver Bierhoff, however. The 43-year-old angrily reacted to a
reference in a fictional TV thriller ("half of the national team,
including the managerial staff are gay," one actor proclaimed) with some
strong language. "I see this as an attack on my family -- the family of
the national team," Bierhoff said. The inference was very clear:
homosexuality threatens the natural order of things and must be kept out
of the changing room. No wonder that Bild felt free to ask "Is
there a gay conspiracy in the national team?" in a story that referred
to scurrilous rumors after the World Cup.
Put together,
these conflicting messages have undoubtedly undermined some of the work
done at grass roots level. The German FA, for example, has been actively
fighting homophobia for a number of years, and most Bundesliga clubs by
now have gay fan clubs who support their teams in the stadiums. With
increasing awareness, some progress has certainly been made, even if the
word "gay" is still widely used as pejorative term in many grounds,
akin to the casual racism that was prevalent in the 1980s and early
1990s.
What is now needed for the situation to improve to
the point that an active player would feel confident to come out is not
more disingenuous, counterproductive lip-service from professional
players but more education, coupled with stricter punishment for
homophobic behavior, on or off the pitch. In other words: Lahm et al
should not speculate about the "headwind" an outed player would face but
instead stress that any adverse reaction would be as unacceptable as
any other form of discrimination. Gomez's optimism might come across as
slightly patronizing. But at least it doesn't inadvertently legitimize
anti-gay sentiment by treating it as something that is to be expected in
soccer.
A scandalous decision from 2007, when the FA's
disciplinary committee banned Dortmund keeper Roman Weidenfeller for
only three games after he admitted to calling Gerald Asamoah a "gay pig"
-- the racist insult of "black pig" would have been punished with a
six-game ban -- shows that there's still a long way to go before the
matter is taken as seriously at it should be. The newly-enlightened
attitude toward mental health cases like Rangnick's or Sternkopf's
suggests that once the stigma itself is targeted, the fear of it felt by
those affected soon disappears, too. One must hope that German soccer
doesn't have to witness another Enke-like tragedy before its views on
sexuality catch up with those of the rest of society.
Read more: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2011/writers/raphael_honigstein/10/28/taboo.germany/index.html#ixzz1dAHs2aHJ
http://outsports.com/jocktalkblog/2011/11/08/german-soccer-player-arne-friedrich-says-hes-not-gay/
Eh, well, discuss/ignore, tell me to delete it, what-have-you. My main reaction: poor Arne! :p
"Add German soccer player Arne Friedrich to the list of athletes who
are asserting their heterosexual credentials amid rumors they are gay.
He says it’s odd that when he types his name into a search engine and it suggests adding the word “gay,” tens of thousands results appear.
“It’s very funny when you name the Internet as search
words then typing and there is direct ‘gay’ behind it. I’m with my
girlfriend for 10 years together and very happy. “
A day after Friedrich made these remarks on a German TV show, his
girlfriend, Linn Rodenbeck, wrote an open letter, according to Raphael Honigstein of SI.com:
“Apologies to all those who might be disappointed now,”
she wrote. “No, Arne is not gay. And I’m he sure he would be the last
person not to admit to it (if he was gay).”
That settles it for me, though I find it funny that Friedrich is
bothered that Google’s algorithm helpfully suggests adding the word
“gay” to his name in searches. I typed in “arne friedrich schwul” into
Google and got 56,900 results. Maybe he liked being named one of the sexiest footballers at Euro 2008. Or puzzled when the German site Queer.de polled its readers on the soccer player most likely to be gay and he finished first.
For the record, he said he does not know of any German pro players
who are gay, though he would be OK with it. But he thinks it would be
tough for an out player. It would not “be easy … If you [come out], you
would have run into some headwinds.”
Philipp Lahm, the guy who finished second in the poll of most likely to be gay, earlier this year said that wasn’t true and advised gay players to stay in the closet.
Tanja Walther-Ahrens has a bone to pick with Lahm and Friedrich. She
has written a book on sexual orientation and discrimination in German
soccer and says their responses don’t help.
“I can understand if celebrities are disturbed by some
rumors, such as the one mentioned in connection with alcoholism or
fraud. But homosexuality is not a crime. When Lahm and Frederick
emphasize this, it looks like they are strongly opposed to
homosexuality. …
“I hope the next player now does not come under pressure to recognize
their heterosexuality. It would only make the debate more infected. It
would be nice if a football star could ask the opposite question
instead: ‘If it was so - what’s the problem?’ Would it be so difficult?
League and national team players do not realize they are role models.”
Raphael Honigstein weighs in on Sports Illustrated.com, with "Homosexuality Remains a Taboo Subject in German Soccer Circles":
Michael Sternkopf became the latest in an ever growing list of soccer
personalities to go public with a very private matter this Tuesday. Not
long ago, the 41-year-old general manager of Kickers Offenbach would
probably have done anything in his powers to keep his secret out of the
limelight. But German soccer's attitude has changed to the point that
the former Bayern Munich midfielder felt able to talk to the biggest
tabloid Bild openly about his condition: he has checked into a
clinic for treatment of burnout syndrome. "I'm not able to do my job at
the moment," he told the newspaper.
Only last month,
Schalke coach Ralf Rangnick resigned, citing chronic fatigue. Before
that, Hannover keeper Markus Miller admitted to receiving psychological
treatment. These cases -- and the public's widely positive reactions to
them -- show that mental health problems seem to have lost their stigma.
Almost exactly two years after the tragic suicide of Germany goalkeeper
Robert Enke, who suffered from depression, it is no longer a subject
that needs covering up but is increasingly understood as an illness that
can be overcome.
This mature approach contrasts sharply
with the complicated, incongruent way another taboo issue continues to
be dealt with. Unlike mental health, homosexuality has no bearing
whatsoever on a player's (or manager's) ability to perform for his team.
But German soccer has yet to witness a high-profile coming out, despite
the country's thoroughly relaxed attitude to the subject on a whole.
There are openly gay men and women in politics -- including the foreign
minister Guido Westerwelle -- on mainstream television and in all walks
of life.
It's not as if homosexuality is not being talked
about in relation to German football, either. On the contrary, there's
probably never been a more extensive debate. But it's telling that every
public utterance on the subject, even if most benign, is swiftly
followed up by an emphatic declaration that player himself was of course
heterosexual.
Take Arne Friedrich. This week, the former
Wolfsburg defender was asked about persistent rumors about his sexuality
in a German TV talk show. "It's a bit odd when you [Google yourself]
and the word 'gay' comes up immediately," said the 32-year-old. "You
live with these things. But I've been going out with my girlfriend Linn
for 10 years now, I'm very happy. There's no debate, as far as I'm
concerned." Friedrich, who played at the World Cup in South Africa for
Germany, added that he had "never met a player who I even suspected of
being gay. But if that was the case, it would have been OK as well. I
don't have anything against gays. It's live and let live." Asked about
players coming out, Friedrich was doubtful. "I think it would be quite
difficult, especially in football," he said. "There would probably be
some headwind." Just to drive home the point, Friedrich's girlfriend
Linn Rödenbeck wrote an open letter the next day. "Apologies to all
those who might be disappointed now," she wrote. "No, Arne is not gay.
And I'm he sure he would be the last person not to admit to it (if he
was gay)."
Friedrich's views echoed those of Germany
captain Philipp Lahm. The 27-year-old is aware of similar rumors and
addressed these in his recent autobiography. "I don't care about these
speculations, I don't think homosexuality is something reprehensible at
all," he wrote. Lahm, a married man, also recalled being stalked by a
gay fan and advised homosexual professionals to stay in the closet. "I'd
be afraid that they would share the fate of the English player Justin
Fashanu, who felt under so much pressure after coming out that he killed
himself." It goes without saying that the Bayern fullback, too, added
that he felt the need to "clarify" that he wasn't homosexual.
Mario Gomez, a Bayern team mate, took a different view. "I would welcome (gay footballers) coming out," the striker told Bunte
magazine in November 2010. "I think they could play freely (after
that). I don't think being gay is taboo anymore." It's worth noting that
the article made extensive references to his girlfriend Silvia,
presumably in an effort to ward off any misunderstandings.
The
most ill-conceived statement on that matter was made by Germany team
manager Oliver Bierhoff, however. The 43-year-old angrily reacted to a
reference in a fictional TV thriller ("half of the national team,
including the managerial staff are gay," one actor proclaimed) with some
strong language. "I see this as an attack on my family -- the family of
the national team," Bierhoff said. The inference was very clear:
homosexuality threatens the natural order of things and must be kept out
of the changing room. No wonder that Bild felt free to ask "Is
there a gay conspiracy in the national team?" in a story that referred
to scurrilous rumors after the World Cup.
Put together,
these conflicting messages have undoubtedly undermined some of the work
done at grass roots level. The German FA, for example, has been actively
fighting homophobia for a number of years, and most Bundesliga clubs by
now have gay fan clubs who support their teams in the stadiums. With
increasing awareness, some progress has certainly been made, even if the
word "gay" is still widely used as pejorative term in many grounds,
akin to the casual racism that was prevalent in the 1980s and early
1990s.
What is now needed for the situation to improve to
the point that an active player would feel confident to come out is not
more disingenuous, counterproductive lip-service from professional
players but more education, coupled with stricter punishment for
homophobic behavior, on or off the pitch. In other words: Lahm et al
should not speculate about the "headwind" an outed player would face but
instead stress that any adverse reaction would be as unacceptable as
any other form of discrimination. Gomez's optimism might come across as
slightly patronizing. But at least it doesn't inadvertently legitimize
anti-gay sentiment by treating it as something that is to be expected in
soccer.
A scandalous decision from 2007, when the FA's
disciplinary committee banned Dortmund keeper Roman Weidenfeller for
only three games after he admitted to calling Gerald Asamoah a "gay pig"
-- the racist insult of "black pig" would have been punished with a
six-game ban -- shows that there's still a long way to go before the
matter is taken as seriously at it should be. The newly-enlightened
attitude toward mental health cases like Rangnick's or Sternkopf's
suggests that once the stigma itself is targeted, the fear of it felt by
those affected soon disappears, too. One must hope that German soccer
doesn't have to witness another Enke-like tragedy before its views on
sexuality catch up with those of the rest of society.
Read more: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2011/writers/raphael_honigstein/10/28/taboo.germany/index.html#ixzz1dAHs2aHJ
http://outsports.com/jocktalkblog/2011/11/08/german-soccer-player-arne-friedrich-says-hes-not-gay/
Eh, well, discuss/ignore, tell me to delete it, what-have-you. My main reaction: poor Arne! :p