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The founders of an LGBTQ+ fan group for a Premier League club were taunted with anti-gay slurs at a match, forcing them to leave the game.

Andrew Tilly and Drew Harrison founded Marching Out Together, the official LGBTQ+ supporters group for football club Leeds United, in 2017.

During Leeds United’s match against Brighton & Hove Albion at the south coast’s side’s ground in Falmer on 1 November, which ended with a 3-0 victory for Brighton, Tilly and Harrison were subjected to homophobic abuse by a fellow fan.

“There was a guy behind us with his young son, shocking that he was with his son, who made a number of homophobic remarks during the game,” Tilly recalled on the latest episode of the Football v Homophobia Podcast. These remarks included calling Brighton fans “queer b*******” in a chant and aiming slurs at Brighton forward Danny Welbeck.

“I confronted him and said that his remarks were unacceptable. He was obviously angry, and then he continued with his chants,” Tilly said.

“Brighton scored a goal, and he was asking me why I wasn’t celebrating, saying I was ‘“’one of them’, and homophobic remarks like that.”

Due to the homophobic remarks, Tilly said: “My friend felt sufficiently intimidated to say he wanted to leave the ground. So we chose to leave.” However, as they went to leave, several fans around them said they should not have to go, with Tilly describing these allies as “really decent individuals”.

One supportive individual even contacted Marching Out Together and expressed his outrage at the incident, offering to make a witness statement to support the homophobic individual being banned from future matches.

Tilly lodged a report with a police officer at the game and phoned Brighton’s club incident line, as well as sharing details of the abuse with Leeds United and the club’s safety officer. However, in the months since there has been little update from the West Yorkshire Police, Sussex Police or the clubs.

“What’s disappointing is that it acts as a deterrent to people to report in future,” a frustrated Tilly said. “If things aren’t going to get followed up, then what’s the point?

“Prosecutions are appropriate through the police in certain situations, but they can be drawn out, and difficult to secure. It’s much easier for clubs to make decisions.”

Data sourced by campaign group Kick It Out released in August 2025 showed the number of discriminatory incidents reported during the 2024/25 season had increased on the previous, with 1,398 reports lodged across the professional game, grassroots and social media.

Within the figures, there had been a sharp rise in sexism, transphobia and faith-based abuse, whilst racism remained the most reported form of discriminatory incidents.

Despite the increase, a 2023 survey of football fans revealed they feel discrimination is on the way out with three-quarters of fans saying they believe fellow supporters are more concerned about discrimination than they were 30 years ago.

The Impact Report, published by Kick It Out, surveyed nearly 3,000 football fans on their experiences of, and opinions on, discrimination, diversity and inclusion and found the majority of fans believe there is less discrimination in football than when Kick It Out was launched in 1993 and 73 per cent of fans believe football has become more inclusive sport.

However, 85 per cent said more still needs to be done to combat discrimination.

In recent years, the Football Association (FA) has sought to crack down on homophobic chants during football matches, including the vile “Chelsea rent boy” chant.

The governing body stated in 2023 that clubs across its various football leagues, including the Premier League and the Women’s Super League, would be fined or subject to “formal disciplinary action” if fans used the chants during matches.

Wolverhampton Wanderers became the first football club to be sanctioned over its supporters using homophobic chants in July 2023 and since then several other clubs have been handed hefty fines.

The post LGBTQ+ supporter group founders taunted with slurs at Premier League match appeared first on PinkNews | Latest lesbian, gay, bi and trans news | LGBTQ+ news.