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Friday 8 March 2013

LESBIANISM IN SUPER FALCONS

Super Falcons
FIFA recently sent a letter to the Nigerian Football Federation to clarify a  report that the managers of the Super Falcons banned lesbians from playing for the team.

Considering that FIFA's policy is not to discriminate against anyone on the bases of sex, political affiliation, sexual orientation, religion etc., this is a serious matter.

Some journalists have reported the news as, "NIGERIA BANS LESBIANISM IN FOOTBALL" and "FIFA QUERIES NIGERIA ON BAN ON LESBIANISM'.
Knowing the sensitivity of this subject, everyone deserves an explanation.

There is a difference between banning lesbianism in the national team and banning lesbians from playing for Nigeria's female football team.
Banning lesbianism in the national team entails prohibiting the act itself when players are in camp.
Banning lesbians, on the other hand, entails prohibiting lesbians from playing for the national team because of their sexual orientation.

Now, which of the two did the Nigerian authorities do? It's not clear. But these are my thoughts

If banning lesbianism is the measure the Super Falcons' handlers took, then I think that they had every right to regulate the activities of players in the team. In the Super Eagles, as in other organised teams, rules are put in place to be observed by every member of the team. Players are usually banned from going to parties, bars, or bringing their girl friends and wives into training camps. Other activities like smoking, drinking of alcohol, and fighting are also banned.

But dismissing players from the national team just because they are lesbians (or have homosexual orientations) is another matter altogether. if this truly is the case, then it is discrimination. If the best player is a lesbian, should the authorities replace her with a less competent  player?

As long as lesbians obey camp rules like their heterosexual counterparts (if they desist from engaging in sexual acts inside the camp), then they should be allowed to play.

Let me paint this scenario to buttress my point. Suppose you are flying to London from Nigeria and you're required to choose between an excellent seasoned pilot who is a lesbian on the one hand, and a mediocre pilot who is not a lesbian. Who would you choose to fly you to London? I don't know about you, but I'll choose the seasoned lesbian pilot any day, that is, if she is not 'doing it' while the plane is in flight.
What do you think? Have your say.

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