Ross County captain backs Rainbow Laces campaign; Club backs Stonewall bid to support LGBT+ community; Dingwall club to promote campaign at clash with Celtic
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ROSS County captain Marcus Fraser has spoken of his support for a campaign aiming to ensure members of the LGBT+ community feel welcome in sport.
Ross County FC will be supporting Stonewall's Rainbow Laces campaign this weekend at their high-profile match against Celtic at the Global Energy Stadium.
The campaign is run annually by the United Kingdom's largest LGBT+ rights organisation, reaching more than 12 million people in the UK last year, and sees athletes up and down the country donning brightly coloured laces to show their support for the LGBT+ community.
In football, Justin Fashanu remains the only player to openly come out as gay while still playing, doing so in October 1990.
Stonewall's own research shows that four in 10 LGBT+ people do not think sport is welcoming, so the aim is to change that rhetoric and show that sport can be accepting of everyone.
This year, the Rainbow Laces campaign runs until December 8, with this week being labelled Come Out Active week.
Scottish football will promote the scheme this weekend, after their English counterparts utilised rainbow laces, captain's armbands and pennants.
Staggies club captain Marcus Fraser spoke of the effect that the campaign could have in making a difference to LGBT+ participation in sport.
"I think it's really important, especially at a community club like Ross County where everyone is getting behind it," Mr Fraser said
"I know a lot of the boys are behind the campaign, which is good.
"Maybe someone will see a picture of me, or someone at a bigger club doing it, which brings more awareness to it.
"Celtic will probably be doing the same as well, obviously there will be a lot of people watching that and seeing it, so it will be a good advert for it."
