First, a promotional film, then a keynote speech - and finally an open discussion on the issue of diversity in football: FC Bayern and its ‘QUEERPASS’ fan club regularly play a one-two to raise awareness of LGBTIQ+ issues, and in that context a workshop was recently held at Säbener Straße with the two chairmen Tom Ponetsmüller and Marcus Janke alongside the German record champions' U23 team.
Under the direction of Eric Mbarga, the child protection and prevention officer at the FC Bayern Campus, the event began with a promotional film about the queer FCB fan club. This was followed by a presentation focussing on the development of ‘QUEERPASS’ including positive and negative highlights, the long-standing collaboration with FC Bayern, the issue of homosexuality during the Nazi era and a general explanation of terms and symbols within the LGBTIQ+ community. The interactive part of the workshop was followed by a very open discussion about homosexuality in football.
"We're always happy when we’re able to play a one-two with FC Bayern," Ponetsmüller and Janke concluded: "Whether it's joint tours of the Allianz Arena with refugees with a queer background, meetings with players like Pernille Harder and Magda Eriksson, workshops like this or visible support for Christopher Street Day - with its appeal, FC Bayern helps us to raise people's awareness of our issue."
After the workshop, the general consensus among the youth players was that it had been "very instructive": They'd been able to look at the whole issue from the perspective of queer people, which will help them to better empathise going forward. Mbarga explained that the players had learnt that while there has been progress in society and in German football, there are still problems with the acceptance of LGBTQI+: "It was made clear to them once again that FC Bayern is more than just a club and has an external impact that they can all use to help promote acceptance in society“.
As part of ‘Red against Racism’, FC Bayern's initiative for diversity and against exclusion of all kinds, the club and its queer fan club have already organised a number of activities, including joint panel discussions and informative events. For years, the club and 'QUEERPASS' have stood side by side at the Christopher Street Day celebrations, in which Bianca Rech, director of FC Bayern Women, and European champion Georgia Stanway have also taken part in recent years alongside employees and club mascots Berni and Mia. This year, the parade through Munich city centre will take place on 28 June. FC Bayern will once again be represented alongside ‘QUEERPASS’.
In March, FC Bayern organised a workshop on racism together with FC St. Pauli:
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