FA drops Stonewall’s ‘LGBT laces’ campaign

The Football Association (FA) has ended its association with Stonewall’s politically partisan ‘Rainbow Laces’ campaign.

Launched in 2013, the FA-backed campaign expected players to wear Stonewall-supplied laces and armbands as an expression of their “commitment” to the LGBT cause.

Both the Premier League and Premiership Rugby also announced their departures from the scheme this season.

Unlawful

Last year, Newcastle United fan Linzi Smith threatened the FA with legal action for unlawfully “encouraging, authorising, or directing players in the Premier League to wear equipment including boot laces and armbands in rainbow colours during the ‘Rainbow Laces’ campaign”.

A letter to the FA from Smith’s solicitors, Sinclairslaw, stated: “Such equipment is prohibited under the rules as constituting or conveying a political message, statement or image, including because it demonstrates support for a contested political viewpoint, namely that gender ideology should be accepted and influence policy or law-making.”

During the 24/25 season, the FA censured England player and Crystal Palace captain Marc Guehi for writing ‘I love Jesus’ on his LGBT-promoting armband.

Sinclairslaw criticised the FA for taking “exactly the opposite approach to a similarly prohibited political message, statement or image, namely rainbow laces and armbands”.

Legal challenge

Smith has been banned by Newcastle United for stating that men cannot change sex. Backed by the Free Speech Union, she is challenging its decision to revoke her membership and impose a two-season match ban over her public statements defending biological reality.

In March, Northumbria Police apologised to the gender critic after it investigated her public defence of biological reality as a hate crime.

Smith successfully pursued a judicial review against the force for openly supporting “trans causes”. Ruling in her favour, the High Court decided that Chief Constable Vanessa Jardine and other officers’ participation in ‘Newcastle Pride in the City 2024’ indicated the force’s support of gender ideology in opposition to its impartiality duties.

Last week, The Christian Institute launched legal action against Civil Service participation in Pride events. It also called for an end to ‘rainbow’ lanyards and the use of ‘preferred pronouns’ in public-facing email signatures.