More on Gareth Thomas

A big thanks to reader Gill Swain who has made what I think are some very useful additional comments on Gareth Thomas. I think they will get more notice posted up here (although I’m sure everyone knows how to use and read the comment boxes!). Once again we can see that drawing on another discipline has its uses.

“Social psychology has potentially a lot to say about this announcement too. The fact that he has ‘come out’ may encourage others too, it may also encourage people to accept homosexuality if they hadn’t previously. Latane & Wolf’s Social Impact Theory suggests that his status makes him more likely - even as a minority figure - to influence others. The other thing which may have been responsible for the positive(?) reaction to his ‘news’ may be the fact that he wasn’t ‘found out’ or ‘outed’ (funny how these words need inverted commas) but he chose to do it himself. This makes it way more difficult for people to criticise him, at least in public. With all the media commentators terrified to upset viewers / readers, this should also help to spread & reinforce Gareth’s influence. Of course, the anonymity (de-individuation) of the football crowd may mean that he still faces chants. CCTV cameras may put people off, however. Fans may take the lead from Gareth’s teammates, who also have status etc…”

Gill Swain