Football culture has earned itself a reputation as being quite impenetrably macho and, unfortunately, often openly misogynistic. While in recent years, there have been concerted efforts from clubs, players and fans alike to address these within football culture, it takes time for such deeply ingrained attitudes to change. A perhaps somewhat unexpected person has emerged at the forefront of this move, former Everton and England goalkeeper Neville Southall, his incredibly frank and honest use of Twitter has broken the mold for 'outspoken' figures in popular sport.
On Monday evening Southall, affectionately known as Big Nev, allowed sex workers' struggles to be aired through the organisation SWARMe on his popular Twitter page. Swarm, who's Twitter handle is @SexWorkHive, aim to have sex work decriminalised, highlighting the current imbalanced nature of laws surrounding sex work and how keeping it decriminalised endangers the lives of sex workers, many of whom are illegally trafficked into countries in Western Europe for the explicit purpose of prostitution:
#STIGMAKILLS#decriminalisesexwork
- @SexWorkHive pic.twitter.com/2KNZr8qjH1
— Neville Southall (@NevilleSouthall) April 9, 2018
The struggle for sex worker rights is deeply interconnected with the struggle against borders and the violence that they inflict on undocumented people. Sex worker rights are migrant rights!
— Neville Southall (@NevilleSouthall) April 9, 2018
Migrant sex workers face the added threat of deportation in addition to raids & arrest. SWers can be deported even if they have EU citizenship, ie are fully within their rights to be in the UK. Deportation is intrinsically violent & SWers have their ££ stolen when deported ? https://t.co/H4cgo71GBF
— Neville Southall (@NevilleSouthall) April 9, 2018
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Hotly debated, sex work is often seen as an illegitimate form of labour. Women, and men, choose sex work due to financial struggles or their migrant status which does not automatically grant undocumented citizens a work visa.
Across the different levels of the industry everyone has mixed feelings and changing attitudes towards their jobs, its inconsistent. One minute you can be working independently, and the next week if you're struggling you can be depending on brothel. https://t.co/Qhh84i9q3H
— Neville Southall (@NevilleSouthall) April 9, 2018
The former Everton goalie, who has amassed 130,000 followers on Twitter, is expected to give publicity to more charities, disadvantaged minorities, and non-profit organisations over the coming weeks.
Southall supported Jeremy Corbyn during his run for British PM and is an advocate for LGBTQIA rights. Although Southall should be applauded for disrupting the status quo and stigma around sex work it will take a village to give a platform to traditionally silenced issues but it's a step in the right direction.
