DIVA sat down with the football star to find out more about her passionate LGBTQIA+ advocacy work
BY AIMEE BUTLER, IMAGES PROVIDED
It’s late August, the breeze is warm, the sky is silvery grey (What can we expect? It’s Manchester). The streets are lined with rainbows – on cheeks, t-shirts, in people’s hands. The finale of this year’s Pride celebrations has finally arrived and is once again demonstrating the power of our community.
Walking in the march, alongside her partner and the LGBT Foundation, is Manchester City footballer Kerstin Casparij.
The Dutch defender has not held back from speaking out about causes that matter to her throughout her career. In April, after scoring a goal in a match against Everton, Kerstin kissed her pink, white and blue wristband in a powerful statement of support to the trans community, following the UK Supreme Court ruling on the legal definition of the term “woman”.
Most recently, Kerstin has proudly announced her new role as patron at the LGBT Foundation.
“I think it all started off as a show of solidarity towards the trans community,” Kerstin explained when I asked why she wanted to get involved with the Foundation. “I think when I showed my solidarity and saw the impact that it had, how far my voice reached, and how many people saw it, I realised that me saying something actually matters and impacts people.”
While safe spaces and hubs for LGBTQIA+ people have disappeared over the last two decades, women’s football offers an inclusive, welcoming community fit for everyone.
With numerous openly queer players, it’s natural that the women’s game attracts queer supporters. Acknowledging this, Kerstin said she wanted to “actively advocate for [the fans]” and contribute to creating a safe space for everyone within women’s football.
“There are still players or people that come to stadiums having to deal with homophobia, misogyny, racism and ableism,” she said. “If they come to a stadium or to the club that I play for, I’m going to do everything I can to give them a safe space.”
As women’s football continues to grow, players’ platforms grow with it, increasing their influence. Kerstin has not shied away from this and is instead eager to amplify fans’ voices and give back to the game. “I think it’s important to show that the game is inclusive.”
Reflecting on the development of women’s football, she stated that when she was born in 2000, women’s football was not as big as it is now. Turning pro at just 15, Kerstin opened up about the lack of visible lesbian representation in her life before she began her professional career.
“I’ve always liked girls,” she said. “And if someone had told me that lesbians exist, it would have made my life a lot easier as a child.”
Kerstin said that upon stepping into professional women’s football, she was playing alongside women who were “double my age and that had a wife” and seeing them “out and proud” gave her the space and confidence to explore that herself.
Now, Kerstin is part of the representation she felt she missed out on growing up. Today, young LGBTQIA+ people don’t have to look far to find queer role models championing visibility and inclusivity in sports.
“To have that and to be that for young queer people and to keep paving the way and make it easier for them is the ultimate goal.”
It’s not only on the pitch that Kerstin is promoting queer visibility. Both Kerstin and her partner, Ruth, have garnered significant followings across social media, individually and together.
“Two are stronger than one,” Kerstin said. “A lot of the time when I’m playing in the stadium, [Ruth] gets to have very meaningful interactions with people.”
The pair also have a shared YouTube channel, which Kerstin hopes will demonstrate the normality of queer relationships. “We’ve recently started YouTube to give more of an accurate insight into what our life actually looks like. We wanted to keep it as realistic as possible and don’t want to sell a fairy tale.”
Unfortunately, Kerstin admitted that homophobia and hate are something she and her partner still have to endure. However, she emphasised that the majority of their community is very positive. “If I’m being honest, I’m a little desensitised to hate and negative comments.”
A trailblazer for LGBTQIA+ rights in women’s sport, a social media personality, and a talented footballer, Kerstin Casparij is determined to use her growing platform for good. Her long-term goals include continuing to advocate for those who can’t and expanding the LGBT Foundation’s work across the UK.
You can find out more about the LGBT Foundation here.
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