We've been notified of a post in which Tokyo Olympic gold medalist Marcell Jacobs uses transphobic language toward trans people. Several years ago, Jacobs had denigrated a friend of his, who he claimed had danced with a trans girl, whom he also referred to in a masculine way with the words "a trans.".
A language that should certainly be condemned, as it stigmatizes trans people, as if dancing with a trans girl was something to be avoided and to be ashamed of.
We hope Jacobs distances himself from this statement, remembering that it is precisely this exclusionary language that creates homophobia and transphobia, and makes people feel isolated for simply being who they are.
Jacobs has a duty to stand up for human rights, and we expect him to help Italy move in that direction. We envision a Jacobs who is different from the bad examples we've seen in Italian sport. From Fognini's homophobic comments in tennis to Gattuso's comments that cost Tottenham his job, all the way back to the European Championships, where Antonio Cassano denigrated homosexuals.
Today, however, there's a sport that's moving much faster than homophobes. From the Olympic coming outs of Bruni, Egonu, and Boari, to diver Tom Daley donating the proceeds from his social campaigns to LGBT shelters. Vettel, at the Hungarian Grand Prix, wore a rainbow jersey to protest Orban's discriminatory policies.
We'd like Jacobs to follow the same path as Emanuele Mauti, a water polo player who apologized for some homophobic slips in the past and asked for forgiveness during the 2017 Latina Pride parade.
We're expecting Jacobs at the Rieti Lazio Pride on September 11th. What city better than Rieti, a symbol of athletics and ready to host the Pride, could be the perfect setting to get the entire country moving toward rights.