Georgie Parker: Bigotry is AFL’s biggest problem right now as St Kilda’s Lance Collard joins too-long list

There is a homophobia problem within the AFL and, sadly, there is a large portion of their fan base who believes otherwise.

A third player has just been suspended for using homophobic language this season, on top of coach Alistair Clarkson’s spray earlier this year.

For this to happen repeatedly, given the severity of the punishment, means this is a deeper rooted issue than the AFL probably wants to believe.

The comments regarding the suspensions are varied. Some believe the punishments aren’t hard enough, and plenty who are very vocal in their views believe the slurs are just words and the world is going soft.

Now, more than ever, ugly agendas can be pushed on social media. I posted about the most recent slur on X and the comments were absolutely vile. I particularly liked the one saying “p*** off, we don’t want queers colonising our game”, which is a wild thing to even think, let alone type and publish to the world.

Within the week though, there was a clear example why the AFL has to be hard on this and other social issues, whether it be sexuality, gender, race or religion. They must continue to do so because while it starts with just words, that will be not the end of it.

Darcy Moore, for years has been the centre of rumour after rumour about his sexuality, and this week a very casual comment by his girlfriend, Dee, on her radio show added fuel to the fire.

A harmless statement saying if they moved in together they would sleep in separate bedrooms turned in to ugly comments about both him and his partner, his sexuality, and the legitimacy of their relationship. Now these two are at the centre of the issue and the snowball effect from these kind of comments is enormous.

These two don’t read comments and are well supported, however the disgusting comments on these articles are read by anyone who has access to them. So for Darcy and Dee it can is water off a duck’s back, for someone unsupported reading hateful homophobic comments, it can be much more serious.

The attacks on Moore show that a portion of AFL fans believe being gay is a “bad” thing and continue to use derogatory terms freely.

So, when someone playing in the league uses the same words, it legitimises their outdated thoughts.

While words are just that, words, it isn’t just words. People who identity as LGBTQI+ are four times as likely to attempt suicide, indigenous Australians are three times as likely to suicide, and we all know women are at the hands of abuse from men at alarming rates.

So they’re not just words, because the words are just part of a severe problem we have in society when it comes to marginalised groups.

I’d be pretty confident in saying there would be a large overlap on a venn diagram of the people who think calling someone a gay slur isn’t a big deal, and those who don’t want women to play “their” sport.

I’d also believe it would be a pretty similar group of people who still believe that the booing of Adam Goodes wasn’t racial.

I’ve had enough. No one owns this game, and for too long it hasn’t been a safe place for many. A fish rots from the head, so the players have a position of power to change behaviours of those who look up to them.

I’ve stopped being disappointed, and started being angry. While casual homophobic, racism and sexism still exists, we will always struggle for safety and acceptance within the sport, and it starts at the top.

It’s really not hard, and if the women of the league can be so accepting, so can the men. Be better.