Florida is trying to erase the identities of countless Americans. U.S. Soccer cannot go ahead with playing a World Cup qualifier in the state.
The USMNT is scheduled to host Panama in a crucial World Cup qualifier on March 27 at Exploria Stadium in Orlando, Florida. A win could send the U.S. to the Qatar World Cup later this year. Such a vital match should not be played in the Sunshine State.
Last week, Florida’s Republican-dominated legislature passed a bill that has been dubbed the “Don’t Say Gay” bill. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is expected to sign the bill into law by March 22. The law forbids instruction to children of a certain (but not specified) age on sexual orientation and gender identity in schools, allowing parents to sue districts over violations. Opponents to the law have criticized it for marginalizing LGBTQ+ people, which is a mild understatement.
The bill reads: “Classroom instruction by school personnel or third parties on sexual orientation or gender identity may not occur in kindergarten through grade 3 or in a manner that is not age appropriate or developmentally appropriate for students in accordance with state standards.”
I don’t see how U.S. Soccer can in good conscience go forward with an official match — a massive World Cup qualifier, no less — in a state that doesn’t want to acknowledge the existence of many of its most prominent athletes.
Proponents of the bill say parents, not teachers, should broach these subjects of human rights with their children. It’s part of spate of culture war legislation passed by conservative lawmakers in hopes of boosting their chances in the 2022 midterm elections. This bizarre idea has led to laws against discussions on race, gender identity, sexual orientation, social justice or anything else that white men might feel uncomfortable talking about. Even rap music has been targeted, not just by Republicans but some Democrats too.
Walt Disney, a major Republican donor, said it was suspending all political donations in Florida and called on DeSantis to veto the bill, which CEO Bob Chapek said is a challenge to human rights. DeSantis responded by saying Disney is too friendly with communist China, clearly indicating via a non sequitur that he will sign the bill into law.
Republicans argue the “Don’t Say Gay” law won’t stop teachers from discussing sexual orientation and gender identity spontaneously but merely keep schools from integrating such dialogues into their curriculum. Democrats who read the bill argue the wording is so vague that parents could find success suing over just about any conversation on the subject.
Earlier versions of the bill included an amendment that would require teachers to out a student to their parents if the student came out to the teacher, though that monstrous addition was taken out of the already harmful law.
President Joe Biden has called the bill “hateful,” while his Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona suggested Florida schools could lose federal funding over Title IX violations.
“The Department of Education has made clear that all schools receiving federal funding must follow federal civil rights law, including Title IX’s protections against discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity,” Cardona said in a statement. “We stand with our LGBTQ+ students in Florida and across the country, and urge Florida leaders to make sure all their students are protected and supported.”
Back to soccer.
On March 27, the U.S. men’s national team could clinch its spot in the 2022 World Cup, a momentous achievement after missing the 2018 edition. The team might do so in a state that has made it clear they don’t want their children learning about LGBTQ+ people or that this country has a long, ongoing history of racism.
The U.S. Soccer Federation probably shouldn’t have scheduled this match to take place in Florida in the first place. I understand it lessens the travel from Mexico City and to San José, Costa Rica, but the “Don’t Say Gay” bill has been in the works for months, and it didn’t take more than 10 minutes of Googling to figure out it was going to move through congress.
With DeSantis set to sign the bill into law any day now, the USSF must do everything in its power to move the match out of Florida. If Concacaf and/or FIFA don’t allow it to be moved, then the USSF should donate all the proceeds from the match to LGBTQ+ charities in the state. Otherwise, the Federation is sending the message that it’s OK to erase the identities of those already in a marginalized community.
Nor has there yet been one on the anti-LGTBQ+ bill passed by the Florida legislature. Though on that matter, I have heard something is coming, potentially to include a demonstration by the USMNT at the WCQ game in Orlando. https://t.co/QZVpvb9Umn
— Jonathan Tannenwald (@thegoalkeeper) March 8, 2022
U.S. Soccer just passed legislation officially outlawing the homophobic chant heard at many matches across Mexico and the U.S. It must do even more to support the large number of LGBTQ+ soccer players around the country, a list that includes many of the USWNT’s best players and at least one former USMNT player.
It should be noted: Florida isn’t the only state actively trying to dehumanize LGBTQ+ people. There was some outcry before the USMNT played in Nashville after Tennessee passed anti-trans bills. Texas has also engaged in a war against transgender people for months, going so far as to declare allowing kids to receive gender-confirming treatments as child abuse against all expert medical advice. The USWNT protested Abbott’s callous executive order while playing in Texas in February and a judge blocked the order on Friday. As much as I love my home state, U.S. Soccer should consider avoiding playing in Texas as well, especially considering the number of ways the state is trying to suppress voters.
There is precedent to move events like this. Last year, the Major League Baseball All-Star Game was moved out of Atlanta and into Denver in response to Georgia’s discriminatory voter suppression laws. U.S. Soccer could make a great statement to Florida with a similar move by bringing the Panama match to Colorado, which has a gay governor.
After the mass protests following the murder of George Floyd in 2020, one political party has actively sought to take away the rights and control the bodies of countless Americans in a blatant attempt to promote needless culture wars and inflict real harm on anyone considered “other” to its predominantly white, cisgender, heterosexual Christian voting bloc. Sports organizations — especially non-profits like U.S. Soccer — must stand up for human rights and ignore those who incorrectly spew the sad refrain that politics don’t belong in sports. Sports and politics have always been intertwined, as the recent events in Russia and Ukraine have once again made abundantly clear. Sports can and should be used to promote inclusion and diversity; sports should not be used to reward overbearing governments who wish to dehumanize anyone who is different from them.
Then again, given World Cup host Qatar’s deplorable record on LGBTQ+ and human rights, maybe it’s fitting for U.S. Soccer to host its final qualifier in a state that doesn’t believe queer people should exist.
