Among the many stereotypes that gay men have been branded with is that we don’t like – and absolutely can’t play – sport.
Fortunately, this is starting to disappear thanks to the likes of diver Tom Daley, rugby stars Gareth Thomas and Keegan Hirst (bet the haters won’t dare to be rude to them), basketball legend Jason Collins and, of course, skier Gus Kenworthy.
But one sport still appears to be lagging a bit behind in giving us out gay stars: football (soccer, to our American pals).
Luke Tuffs is changing all that.
In April 2020, Luke became first team manager of Ashford Town, who play in the Isthmian League south central division -- the eighth tier of the English game.
And he’s determined to work his way up to a fully professional side.
“My aim is within the next five years to be managing in the National League and within the next 10 years to be in the Football League. Whether that’s a dream, rather than a reality, only time will tell,” he says.
"On the [coaching] side, I’m the highest out person — and that’s not right.”
As part of LGBT History Month, Luke told BBC1’s Football Focus: “When I was young, there was no one I could look up to who was gay, there was no one like me in the game and [I] was thinking ‘how can I aspire to be something if that isn’t there to reach to?’.”
Luke also runs a coaching business and plays for Sunday league LGBT-friendly side London Titans but his early playing career was not easy. "I’ve been spat on, I’ve had people threaten to stab me,” he says.
But for now, he is concentrating on management and is taking his A Licence coaching course in Scotland – the qualification he needs to develop his career.
That’s where the Attitude Magazine Foundation came in.
Luke had booked the course but when the pandemic hit, found he couldn’t afford to pay for that on top of the cost of buying a house with his partner. So, the foundation gave him the help he needed.
Attitude publisher Darren Styles OBE was keen to help out particularly because the money donated came through the magazine’s partnership with bookmakers Paddy Power who had promised to boost the foundation by £10,000 for every goal Russia scored in the 2018 World Cup when football’s top tournament was held in Putin’s not-too-gay-friendly nation.
“Luke’s licence was going to cost between £2,500 and £3,000,” explains Darren. “He is brilliantly successful and destined for great things.”
Luke concluded his Football Focus interview by saying: “I hope that one day a player or coach at elite level in the men’s game is able to come out because the difference they can make would be huge. They’ll be doing younger generations as well as the older generations so much good.”
And he is grateful to the Titans for all their help. “I’ve been playing for [them] since I was 18. Being [there] at that age allowed me to love myself.”
Now he’s hoping to extend that help to others. “I get a few people who come out to me. It’s not just players; it might be coaches and managers but it’s a problem that people still don’t feel comfortable in being themselves.”
And who knows, the Attitude Magazine Foundation might just have help find the new Alex Ferguson…
“My aim within the next 10 years is to be in the Football League. Whether that’s a dream, rather than reality, only time will tell”
