Gay-owned rugby club with trans patron India Willoughby faces homophobic backlash after sacking coach

The Keighley Cougars, a gay-owned rugby league club known for their LGBTQ+ inclusivity, are facing a wave of homophobic and transphobic abuse following the dismissal of their head coach Matt Foster on Monday 8 July.

Foster was sacked based on his performance after the team’s draw against rivals the Rochdale Hornets during the Cougars’ annual Pride game, the team’s owners said in a statement. The game also saw the debut of the team’s Trans Pride-themed kit, and the grounds decked out with rainbow flags.

The club, which appointed India Willoughby as the first transgender patron of a professional sports team in April, has been targeted on social media with discriminatory comments aimed at both Willoughby and the club’s gay owners, husbands Ryan O’Neill and Kaue Garcia. It has also previously drawn criticism from J.K. Rowling and Martina Navratilova.

“To say rugby success isn’t the priority for Ryan and Kaue is ludicrous” – Keighley Cougars patron India Willoughby

Speaking exclusively to Attitude, Willoughby commented: “It’s disappointing to see some of the statements online. I take zero notice of the transphobic comments from terfs and followers of JK Rowling and Martina Navratilova.”

She added, “At the end of the day, Keighley Cougars are currently top of the table. To say rugby success isn’t the priority for Ryan and Kaue is ludicrous. It absolutely is.”

Following Foster’s dismissal, some social media users called for O’Neill and Garcia to “walk away,” claiming a need to “bring back moral family values to the club instead of such perversion.” Others have accused the club of caring more about “stupid little rainbow flags” than having knowledgeable staff.

“At Keighley Cougars, my personal life always becomes a target for bigotry” – Keighley Cougars co-owner Kaue Garcia

In an exclusive statement to Attitude, Kaue Garcia pointed out the alleged double standard in how their decision has been perceived: “Quite recently, other rugby league clubs like Leeds Rhinos and Hull FC sacked their coaches, and their respective owners’ sexual orientation was never questioned. In contrast, at Keighley Cougars, my personal life always becomes a target for bigotry.”

Far from being deterred from the backlash, Garcia affirmed the club’s commitment to inclusivity: “These homophobic and transphobic comments we have received in the last two days just underscore the necessity of Pride Games and flying the rainbow flags at our stadium. If people think this will make us stop what we are doing, they couldn’t be more wrong. It just makes me want to put even more rainbow flags everywhere.”

Founded almost 150 years ago, the Yorkshire-based club is noteable as the only professional sports team outside of the US to have out LGBTQ+ owners. Since taking over the club in 2019, O’Neill and Garcia have taken many steps to use it to platform LGBTQ+ rights and inclusion, with a particular focus on the trans community.

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