Because being gay isn't a 'courting technique'. Homosexuality isn't something to have 'banter' about, it's not as if he has had some sort of embarrassing experience or done anything to warrant making a joke out of. You're just marginalising a guy for no reason and it's embarrassing both for you and your club.

TBF calling him a "gay b******" is homophobic and offensive in general and should see people ejected/warned, now singing about an act isn't in my opinion showing hatred. (perhaps too lewd for a family event though?) I'd take offense if I was a player and fans were getting ejected for singing that I "give it to lots of women etc." Also remarks shouted like 'I bet you'll get a red card today Tommo so you can get in the bath first ready' is in my opinion fair. It's the context.
If a player played against us with a gambling problem we'd marginalise him!

This is how much Gareth Thomas thinks this is banter.

“We went to Castleford last weekend and it was the first time I’ve had a negative reaction from a crowd. I was warming up and somebody shouted, ‘Thomas, you’re gay!’ and I felt like turning around and saying, ‘I f***ing know! I told the Daily Mail. Everybody in the UK knows that!’ Then a crowd started singing [obscene things about me and I’m not going to lie and say it didn’t hurt, but how sad is that? How sad are people for doing that?
“And they couldn’t confront me. They stood in their thousands at the back of the crowd but would probably say nothing if I walked past them in the street. And that makes me feel stronger.”
There have been articles in the Yorkshire Post, YEP, Mail, Times, Sunday Times & League Express. Have a look at other RL forums, 99% of people think what went off as Cas was disgusting and the RFL as looking into this matter.

By the way, the rubbing of his head is nothing to do with his baldness. It’s an Ayatollah salute adapted by Cardiff City fans when the club was bought by Sam Hamman, Gareth Thomas is huge Cardiff City supporter and used this as a celebration before he went bald.

The club doesn’t need any negative publicity at this moment in time.

=#8000FF

Thousands of them it was 10 18-20 year olds who are abusive and obscene at every ground and the sooner the club ban them the better.

Well if the club knows exactly who these people are and does nothing about them, then the club deserves to be punished.

If the club doesn't know, but all the fans know who the people are, then Gareth Thomas is absolutely correct in his assessment.

There's absolutely no reason why any player should be subject to abuse of this nature. Lambast them for their performance, if you really have to, because that's all you've paid to see. Anything else is frankly none of your business.

“And they couldn’t confront me. They stood in their thousands at the back of the crowd but would probably say nothing if I walked past them in the street. And that makes me feel stronger.”

...And that is why he should take it with a pinch of salt! Like "99%" of other RL players let his Rugby answer his knockers! I've seen some of the abuse team mates give each other on Myspace and facebook and it's brutal, Jeez grow a pair! Turn around and smile at the fans!
I remember several Wildcats fans singing chubby songs about Castleford's Michael Smith and he gave us all the world's smallest violin gesture.
Union players must are so straight!

It's a good topic of debate to be honest, you're going to get fans commenting about all manner of things, I think we've all been guilty at some stage, of even some chants that aren't true, Crabree "Gypo" Griffin "Teapot" Bird "Beefeater" it's where the line is drawn.
It's hard to chastise and control 5,000-10,000 fans and the fact, irony even, that a huge and tough quality Rugby player has claimed he fancies men will always get at least one youth calling him something or other. I think the more Thomas moans the more sledging he will recieve! Craig Smith just got on with the game and played it hard, not many ribbed him.

It's none of our business that's true but fans always look for an angle to put opposition off or indimidate, whether it's shouting "ooooooohhhh" when a kicker is about to kick a goal' if a player has taken drugs in the past, "Druggie!!!" or left their club in unfavourable terms, "Judas!!!"

It's always been evident in Rugby league, they mustn't be used to it in RU.

=#8000FFThe thing is fans know who they are but the club can't/won't do anything without "evidence", facebook statuses admitting it aren't enough it seems.

The bloke is pulling on the shirt and having a go in the toughest sport in the world, at 36 years of age. For that he deserves respect. His sexuality, colour , race etc is of no concern to me.

Really?

Here's the crux of the matter, maybe it should be a poll - Do you (as in anyone on here) think it's ok to shout homophobic abuse at a rugby league player? If he played for Wakefield (and who's to say one of our, or any other teams players, isn't gay), how would you react to others having a go at one of our own? Is it ok for players/officials/spectators to have to hide their sexuality because of backward thinking people?

None of this 'PC gone mad' rubbish - this is nothing to do with it - simple questions, simple answers?

I agree, it is.

When I was a kid, I remember the monkey chants coming from a large section of the crowd when Des Drummond played against us. Black players were a rarity in the game in those days, as indeed were black people in Wakefield. I wouldn't expect to see any of that kind of behaviour at a league game now. There may well be a good number of fans who are prejudiced against black players, but they know to keep their traps shut and not to shout abuse at games (well, the majority, at least). The same is true in this case. You may think it's banter, but who are you to judge?

The club can't control the reactions of such a large number of people, but the stewards can act to remove people they see/hear making homophobic remarks. It seems draconian to some now, but in the same period of time it's taken fans to realise black players are not monkeys, fans may realise they were bang out of order on this issue too.