FA faces legal action over Stonewall-backed ‘LGBT laces’ campaign

Stonewall’s politically partisan ‘Rainbow Laces’ campaign has no place in the game, the Football Association (FA) has been warned.

Newcastle United fan Linzi Smith is preparing to sue the FA for promoting the controversial lobby group’s divisive stance on gender ideology.

Launched in 2013, and held from 16 November to 4 December this season, the FA-backed campaign expects players to wear Stonewall-supplied laces and armbands as an expression of their “commitment” to the LGBT cause.

Hypocrisy

A letter to the FA from Smith’s solicitors, Sinclairslaw, said it had “acted unlawfully by encouraging, authorising, or directing players in the Premier League to wear equipment including boot laces and armbands in rainbow colours during the ‘Rainbow Laces’ campaign.

“Such equipment is prohibited under the rules as constituting or conveying a political message, statement or image, including because it demonstrates support for a contested political viewpoint, namely that gender ideology should be accepted and influence policy or law-making.”

The FA recently censured England and Crystal Palace player Marc Guehi for writing ‘I love Jesus’ on his LGBT-promoting armband.

Sinclairslaw criticised the FA for taking “exactly the opposite approach to a similarly prohibited political message, statement or image, namely rainbow laces and armbands”.

‘Highly contested ideology’

In response to the criticism, a spokesperson for the FA said it had sought “to promote this inclusive and voluntary campaign to provide allyship to the LGBTQ+ community across all levels of our game. We do not consider the campaign to breach any of our rules.”

But Smith told The Daily Telegraph: “No player, staff member or fan should be forced to support something that is in direct conflict with their own personal religion or belief. Politics have no place in football”.

She added: “It is about pushing a highly contested ideology onto people, whether they like it or not. Enough is enough.”

Justice

Smith has been banned by the club she supports, Newcastle United, for stating that men cannot change sex.

Backed by the Free Speech Union, she is challenging its decision to revoke her membership and impose a two-season match ban over her public statements defending biological reality.

She is also pursuing a judicial review against Northumbria Police for openly supporting “trans causes”. Last year the force investigated her social media posts for “malicious communications”, one of which stated “trans women are men”.