Harry Kane armband: “FIFA is committing a homophobic act whilst the whole world watches - Harry Kane must keep his promise to the LGBTQ community”

Gay, lesbian. Black, white. Straight, bi. Trans, pan. Christian, muslim. Man, woman. Boy, girl. The whole amazing and beautiful spectrum of human beings with beating hearts and thoughtful minds sharing this one precious planet together, all with our own passions and ambitions that we want to share with the world.

One species scattered into a dazzling array of unique attributes to be celebrated.

Harry Kane and other captains of international footballing nations, being watched by an audience of billions around the world, were intent on wrapping their arms around that dazzling array of humanity to reassure each and every person that we are all loved. A gesture designed to blow a warm wind around the world.

Until, it seems, the prospect of a consequence came about. A yellow card for wearing the armband. Suddenly the determination to offer what would have been welcome reassurance to so many people was no longer going to come.

Now, I am sorry but that simply is not good enough. Harry Kane must stand by his principles and do the right thing. He has to wear that armband. He has to be brave. All protests require courage. He has three lions on his chest and he had better put up their hackles and make them roar for oppressed groups, marginalised communities, criminalised individuals. If he does not then he will have turned the three lions on his chest into pussy cats for the sake of a consequence that he has only received four times in total this season for Tottenham Hotspur.

Let’s be clear; this was his idea. His desire. This isn’t an individual who has been asked, let alone pressured, into making a statement. He offered and he has to follow through, otherwise the message it will send will be a stark and depressing one. It will tell every person under the rainbow who has ever felt worried or concerned about revealing their true selves that they were right to be scared.

England’s captain and talisman has a chance to help in the fight against the fear. Against the stigmatisation. Against the hate. The bigots and the bullies, led on this occasion by the bully-in-chief: FIFA.

Like the Qatari authorities who have trampled to death migrant workers to build this event and continue to deprive women of their human rights, FIFA is seeking to control the players out of a demented power thirst. In the moments following the announcement I picked up the phone to Richie Barlow, a friend of The Yorkshire Post and a vocal LGBTQ campaigner.

Richie told me: “This is about control. They want to control us and who we are and not just the LGBTQ community but women, too. People have tried to control and oppress the LGBTQ community since forever, and this is another example of how bigotry seems to win over equality and I can tell you, James, we - women, the LGBTQ community and tortured minority groups every where - we are fed up of it.”

I had reached out to Richie for his help and as the call went on I could hear the frustration coming through in his voice, and then he hit me with what this is all about.

“James, we feel used. The LGBT community this morning feels used. We are not commodities,” he told me. “What FIFA has done is committed a homophobic act and sent a very clear message around the world: they are happy to use and profit from the LGBTQ+ community when it suits them, then disrespect us when we need their support.”

“They’d rather save the blushes of a backward-thinking country than try to help educate that nation. Well, the world is watching and let’s hope this decision haunts them until they get on board or they’ll be left behind with all the other dinosaurs.”

The commoditisation of the gay community, writ large in Qatar with billions of people watching, endorsed by so-called friends of the LGBT community and the governing body of the beautiful game. Money and power of people.

Added Richie: “James, we feel used and let down. The likes of David Beckham and Robbie Williams appear on the covers of magazines that we buy, espousing their affections for the gay community and then as soon as a few quid is waved under their nose they turn their backs on us and that is really quite upsetting.”

As our quick phone call came to an end we both agreed that nobody is asking Harry Kane to wear the armband for every game and risk his lifelong dream to which he has dedicated his whole life. Nobody is asking him to make that sacrifice, to let his team mates and country down. Nobody wants that. What victims of hate and bigotry everywhere are hoping for is for Harry Kane to keep his promise. Just for once, be on their side.