How has the world reacted to our Rainbow Devils film?
Seven days ago, we released the first episode from season two of our fan-focused film series, One Love.
The subject was our official LGBTQ+ supporters' club, Rainbow Devils, which celebrated its fifth birthday earlier this month.
A week on from the film's release, we caught up with two members of the group – Cass Hyde and Jess Stringer – to find out what reaction they have received, both good and bad.
A week on from the film's release, we caught up with two members of the group – Cass Hyde and Jess Stringer – to find out what reaction they have received, both good and bad.
Read on below to see which bits of the documentary have struck a chord, how the group deals with negative social media comments, and what the future might hold for the supporters' club...
One Love | Rainbow Devils Video
One Love | Rainbow Devils
'One Love: Rainbow Devils' tells the story of our independent, officially recognised LGBTQ+ supporters' club...
The video has been out for a week now. What has the response been like, from both inside and outside of Rainbow Devils...
Cass Hyde: “It's been positive. In terms of members coming in, we've have probably another 100 or so members come in and sign up to our mailing list, which is basically how you become a member, find out about what events we're doing... Any time United give us a plug, we get a boost. What would be a normal week for sign-ups? Probably single figures, to be honest. The new members that are coming through are from all over the globe really – we've had people from Nigeria, Singapore, Canada, the US, Mexico, you name it. They're signing up and it's really interesting to see, but it also shows how international the fanbase is. It's positive.”
Jess Stringer: “I've sent it over to family and friends to find out what they think. My dad is a season-ticket holder, he's been going since the early 60s, so I really wanted to get his take on things. He said it wasn't something he would normally watch, but that it seemed very positive for the LGBTQ+ community. My friends, a lot of them had a similar reaction: that it was very positive for the community. But they also said they didn't really know of the group; they hadn't really heard of the group. That they'd seen the banner in the stadium but they didn't know the meaning behind the banner and what actually goes on behind that, what the connection is with Man United, et cetera. So for them it was really good to see the faces and people behind the banner and find out what's happening between Manchester United and Rainbow Devils.”
Jess Stringer: “I've sent it over to family and friends to find out what they think. My dad is a season-ticket holder, he's been going since the early 60s, so I really wanted to get his take on things. He said it wasn't something he would normally watch, but that it seemed very positive for the LGBTQ+ community. My friends, a lot of them had a similar reaction: that it was very positive for the community. But they also said they didn't really know of the group; they hadn't really heard of the group. That they'd seen the banner in the stadium but they didn't know the meaning behind the banner and what actually goes on behind that, what the connection is with Man United, et cetera. So for them it was really good to see the faces and people behind the banner and find out what's happening between Manchester United and Rainbow Devils.”
What was your favourite bit?
Cass: “I mean, if I don't say myself I'm probably lying a bit! But I was really proud of the contributions Carl and Ben did, because that's the kind of thing we wanted to showcase: stories of people where they might have had a tough time, being part of a football community and being part of the LGBTQ+ community. We're trying to show that those two don't have to be a contradiction – you can be part of the LGBT family and be a massive Red as well. There is a space for you, football is for everyone.”
Jess: “It made me think about myself... I had a fear that if I went to the football as my true authentic self, then I'm going to get abused or discriminatory language thrown at me... but the reaction has been different. It's a different environment than that; it's a lot more friendly than that. That's what the video has made me see. It's turned my perspective around a bit. That's the impact it's had on me.”
Jess: “It made me think about myself... I had a fear that if I went to the football as my true authentic self, then I'm going to get abused or discriminatory language thrown at me... but the reaction has been different. It's a different environment than that; it's a lot more friendly than that. That's what the video has made me see. It's turned my perspective around a bit. That's the impact it's had on me.”
'It's greater than the sum of ourselves' Video
'It's greater than the sum of ourselves'
Rainbow Devils clip | Cass explains why the women's game is a "good stepping stone" for the LGBTQ+ community...
Of course, not all supporters are as supportive as others – how do you deal with the negative reaction you get from some quarters?
Jess: “Man United is a world-renowned brand and football team. We do have supporters around the world and obviously some of them are going to disagree. They've been brought up with some prejudices and some views we don't share, so it's going to happen. It's probably never going to go away, no matter what we do, but we can only hope that we can reduce that and at least educate people to understand that some of their comments are not right. Personally I do try and stay away from the comments section on social media, but at Rainbow Devils we find quite often that the accounts are actually fake accounts that are trolling for the sake of it. It's actually rare that it's real people sharing their personal views. It's usually people saying it for a reaction or for likes. So the picture may not be as bad as it looks on the face of it.”
Jess: “Man United is a world-renowned brand and football team. We do have supporters around the world and obviously some of them are going to disagree. They've been brought up with some prejudices and some views we don't share, so it's going to happen. It's probably never going to go away, no matter what we do, but we can only hope that we can reduce that and at least educate people to understand that some of their comments are not right. Personally I do try and stay away from the comments section on social media, but at Rainbow Devils we find quite often that the accounts are actually fake accounts that are trolling for the sake of it. It's actually rare that it's real people sharing their personal views. It's usually people saying it for a reaction or for likes. So the picture may not be as bad as it looks on the face of it.”
There's a lot in the film about the importance of the banner that was erected at Old Trafford in 2021 – do you think the film can be similarly influential and important in terms of broadening awareness?
Cass: “The banner's a good signpost to show that we are there, but the film and the clips open up the experiences that people have as Rainbow Devils members. It shows that football does have space for us, and it shows what we're fighting for and what the club are fighting for. It's a positive step and I just hope people find it as inspiring as we hoped it would be.”
Jess: “All these things can help get Rainbow Devils out there to the wider world. One of my friends said they would have liked to have seen more information about what they can do as an ally to the community, within football. I found that quite interesting. They loved the film, but what they took away from it was: what can I do as an ally? And if anyone does come forward and join Rainbow Devils, we are a very friendly bunch and they can certainly be themselves around us. As the video showed, it is drawing people back into football that did take a step back, and that can only be a good thing.”
Cass: “The banner's a good signpost to show that we are there, but the film and the clips open up the experiences that people have as Rainbow Devils members. It shows that football does have space for us, and it shows what we're fighting for and what the club are fighting for. It's a positive step and I just hope people find it as inspiring as we hoped it would be.”
Jess: “All these things can help get Rainbow Devils out there to the wider world. One of my friends said they would have liked to have seen more information about what they can do as an ally to the community, within football. I found that quite interesting. They loved the film, but what they took away from it was: what can I do as an ally? And if anyone does come forward and join Rainbow Devils, we are a very friendly bunch and they can certainly be themselves around us. As the video showed, it is drawing people back into football that did take a step back, and that can only be a good thing.”
Rainbow Devils: A beautiful thing
ArticleThe new series of our fan-focused films starts on Friday, with a powerful and hugely emotional first episode.
What does the future hold? It sounds like there is the potential for much more growth...
Cass: “It's been pretty substantial growth over the last year. We've got a membership of over 1,500 now. Pride, OneLoveLive, the 1,000 members announcement by the club, plus this film have all contributed to that. We're now one of the largest LGBT+ supporters clubs in the UK, and worldwide... And it's really nice that we have such a broad range of ages, experiences being involved in what we do and in United. It's a great thing to see.”
Cass: “It's been pretty substantial growth over the last year. We've got a membership of over 1,500 now. Pride, OneLoveLive, the 1,000 members announcement by the club, plus this film have all contributed to that. We're now one of the largest LGBT+ supporters clubs in the UK, and worldwide... And it's really nice that we have such a broad range of ages, experiences being involved in what we do and in United. It's a great thing to see.”
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