How United are supporting Rainbow Laces

During upcoming Premier League matches against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Sunday, and Arsenal’s visit to Old Trafford next Thursday, both sets of team captains will wear rainbow armbands to highlight the Premier League’s longstanding commitment to supporting LGBTQ+ inclusion and making it clear that football is for everyone. Alongside messages of support throughout the stadium and matchday programme, the Arsenal fixture will also provide the first opportunity for fans to see the new Rainbow Devils banner on the second tier of the Sir Alex Ferguson Stand.

Promoting United’s LGBTQ+ supporters’ club, Rainbow Devils, the banner will provide a highly visible symbol of support for our LGBT+ fans around the world, and reinforce the importance of allyship among all football supporters.

The group, formed in February 2019, works to empower and celebrate lesbian, gay, bi and transgender Manchester United supporters and to provide a safe and inclusive space within the game of football.

Charlie Brooks, Director of Communications at Manchester United, said: “As a club we have a proud history of diversity and inclusion and actively promoting that. We’re a club open to all nationalities, all creeds and, of course, all sexual identities. What’s important isn’t people’s sexual identity, what’s important is that they’re United fans. That’s what All Red All Equal stands for and that’s why we’re here today to talk about that with Rainbow Devils themselves.

“It’s important that we’re an ally to all our gay fans, our LGBTQ+ fans, and that other fans promote that sense of belonging that we all get from being United fans.”

Eric Najib, Chair of Rainbow Devils, added: “For us the big thing was getting the visibility in the ground, we’re really pleased to do that. I think it’s important that we have an LGBTQ+ supporters’ group at United.

“We’ve got people who have started coming to games again because they’ve been empowered by the organisation, whereas previously they felt football wasn’t for them. We just want to keep going forward. Football should be for everyone and we’re really proud to be part of Manchester United’s All Red All Equal campaign.”

MORE ABOUT ALL RED ALL EQUAL

All Red All Equal is the club’s overarching promise to champion equality, diversity and inclusion.

Manchester United is proud of its broad and diverse fanbase and we want everyone to feel welcome and be able to be themselves when they support United.

To do that, we all need to challenge and report all forms of discrimination – including homophobia.

If fans want to report any form of discrimination, they should go to manutd.com/seered.