Love in football: Panel discussion breaks taboos in Paderborn!

Love in football: Panel discussion breaks taboos in Paderborn!

On February 13th at 9:00 p.m., a panel discussion takes place in the large house of the Paderborn Theater, which deals with a highly up -to -date topic: "Love does not know a league - homosexuality in professional football". This event follows the sold -out performance of the play "Two gentlemen of Real Madrid", which deals with two football professionals who live their homosexuality openly in a utopian world. Admission to the panel discussion is free of charge; Interested guests can pick up tickets in advance at the box office.

The panel discussion will offer a platform under the moderation of Tobias Fenneker from Radio Hochstift to discuss the challenges and opportunities for more openness and acceptance in football. Participants of the event include Franziska Fey, CEO of the DFL Foundation, and Christian Rudolph, who works on a competence and contact point for sexual and gender diversity in football. Tim Jürgens, deputy editor-in-chief of 11Freunde, as well as Jana Hansjürgen and Neele Rickers, who have significant positions in the LSBTIQ work and in the marketing of the SCP07, will also take part.

promote diversity in football

The SC Paderborn 07 actively campaigns for diversity and against discrimination, as anchored in the statutes and the mission statement of the club. The discussion aims to address the existing barriers for an outing in professional sports and to examine the influences of football clubs, the DFB, the DFL, the media and culture on the creation of an open culture. This is considered essential to promote participation in club football for people of all genders and for people in transition.

As part of these efforts, the DFB has already adapted the game regulations. Since the 2022/23 season, trans*, interlectory and non-binary people have been able to play in the men's or women's section, which is a fundamental opening in sport. This regulation applies to persons whose gender is entered in the civil status register as "divers" or "without information", as well as to those who want to have their gender aligned.

personal stories in focus

The topics from the discussion also find their expression in the personal stories of athletes such as Dennis Magnus, who plays in the district league team of FC Nordost Berlin. He already outed it as a trans in 2016 and has been taking testosterone preparations regularly since 2017. With a mastectomy and the removal of uterus and ovaries in May 2022, he took significant steps in his gender adjustment process, which has been accompanying him since his youth. Its history illustrates how important it is to increase acceptance and visibility in football.

This upcoming event at the Theater Paderborn is an important step towards more openness and understanding in football. The responsibility, both at the club level and in society, is becoming increasingly clear, especially in view of the positive measures that have already been initiated. SC Paderborn 07 demonstrates that it is at the forefront to create an inclusive and respectful environment.

For more information about the play "Two men of Real Madrid" and the panel discussion, it is recommended to visit the theater website. The initiative of the SCP07 is part of a broader discussion that is becoming increasingly important in the football community and which should illuminate the future of sport for everyone involved.