Good point!

Sadly one remark would get you a night in the cell and the other not.

Does that make one right and the other not?

No it means both are insulting but with different consequences. I personally wouldn't want fans getting at me for recently coming out but I would expect it, understand it and take it from the terraces. Some forms of insults are more socially exceptable than others but I'd like to think our fans can stay away from the upper limits that nears abuse.

If that's the case, I think Ted may as well stand in the car park with a bag full of the Brough money and the 2 points from the Cas game and hand it over to the RFL guy when he arrives. Save us all the bother. Then the knuckleheads can sing and shout to their hearts' content too.

I've heard a rumour that a gang of Gay blokes are turning up tomorrow to shout sexually related remarks at all the straight guys out on the pitch. Is this acceptable?

happy men , in Wakefield! what utter nonsense

Did anyone stand near those girls behind the sticks at the Giants game? The girl from Outwood with the giant zoom on her Pentax?

Wrong; hate crime legislation covers incidents that are both racially motivated and homophobic in nature.

Nope it will be deemed bullying unless there's is actual assault or damage of property involved which makes it an homophobic hate crime.

Soap remarks will be judged as mocks as far as the Law is concerned.

Although the discussion has actually been dragged to a reasonably sensible discussion in the last few pages (well done guys!) I think we still missing the point.
The remarks to Thomas are not just a problem for Thomas, and I'm sure he is man enough to take some grief.
The point to Wakefield is that it creates an atmosphere of exclusion. The crowd appears to be full of bullies who identify and pick on those they see as different and react in an aggressive way.

What those people shouting may see as banter, the people in the crowd with young families, or are in fact gay, or have been bullied in the past, or are simply not happy with an atmosphere where it is not just about enjoying the game will start to stay away. And that, I assume, quite large group of people, not coming back to the ground would hurt the club badly.

We talk about the Wakefield family when we are supporting each other with issues like serious illness and unfortunately death, yet if we act like a the small number of Cas fans quoted in the original story, we are acting like a family of ASBO kids and people will stay away from that family.

You make some good points and i have to say "if" we have a problem then i would rather "remove" the problem than lose out to such people in the long run, the club and the game are far more important than a few "run offs" who feel they can abuse players and fans a like.

The problem is how do you define abuse/banter, some people have different values.

I think we're both partly right. There is a distinction between a hate incident and a hate crime, which is nicely explained rlhere.rl

Either way, I hope that we prove today that what happened at Cas was the exception to the rule and that any idiots who do choose to taunt Thomas are dealt with by the people around them.

Let us hope that no one collects the ball in their in goal area, wouldn't like a BBC commentator to make a comment

'He has received it behind the posts'

even worse if someone makes a suggestion that Thomas is covering at the rear

Decent try from Thomas. Well worked and finished.

mortons fault