Last month, in a landmark ruling by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) it was made crystal clear that a common chant used against Chelsea by fans of other clubs, including Arsenal, is deemed to be homophobic, and that people using it will be subject to prosecution. 

This is the culmination of a campaign which has been going on for several years by LGBT+ fan groups around the country and supported by the GayGooners, and it's something that LGBT+ Arsenal fans have been very pleased to see.

In the aftermath of this ruling, Arsenal have partnered with the GayGooners for the home game against Brentford to campaign against homophobic abuse at matches and on line and to celebrate LGBT+ History month.

Gay Gooners told the Gooner Fanzine: "We know that homophobic abuse is on the rise, both in and out of the stadium, and especially on social media, and it's great that the club have taken a stance against this.

"We have had notices on the big screens and around the perimeter, and local pubs have been sent leaflets with the message that homophobia shouldn't be tolerated and that homophobic abuse, like racist abuse, is criminal.

"You will also have seen on social media and at half time half time interviews with several members of the GayGooners, opening up about how the football landscape has changed over the years for LGBT+ football fans and what membership of the GayGooners means to us."

The Gay Gooners are a broad spectrum of people; cis, trans and non-binary, from countries all over the world and with different ethnicities, all brought together by their love of the Arsenal and our desire to be treated with respect and as every other member of the Arsenal family.

They added: "We have a large number of straight allies who are proud to be members and who stand alongside us in our efforts to eradicate abuse from football."

Membership of the GayGooners is free. You can sign up by filling in this form https://us8.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=31f80247d13ccae84b4ecc152&id=f6fb8c2900 or emailing us at [email protected]

It has never been more important to stand up to protect your fellow Arsenal fans from abuse, whether home or away, in the pub or on the train,, and whether it's our fans or someone else's.

The Gay Gooners need allies, and we need allies who will demonstrate their support whenever needed.