It takes a confident man to play for the Bergamo Lions, an American football from Italy. These guys are so rough and tough and macho with enough swagger that they’re willing to show a lot of things that go on in their locker room. They indulge in fun activities such as team showers and massages but don’t have time for ugliness of homophobia. They don’t care whether people are gay or straight, only how well you can play ball. Actually, the guys are just doing their part for the Things Change campaign, a Euro off-shoot of It Gets Better.
A message accompanying the video was posted on Republica site and gets the following curious translation by Google Translate:
“Italian football team from Bergamo Lions an ironic how strong message against any discrimination in the video shot with the whole team and the participation of Charles Gabardini, the popular ‘Elm’ of the television series Camera Café that on October 31 he coming out Republic because of shaken by the news of the suicide of a twenty-one Roman mistreated as gay.”
We’re not 100 percent certain we understand what that means but the guys seem to have been inspired to make the video as a show of solidarity for gay people who’ve endured bullying and that’s something we can get behind. Or “touchdown” as they say in football speak.
How about we take this to the next level?
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Watch the guys prove they’re down with gays in the slightly NSFW video below.
H/T: Accidental Bear
Billy Budd
Loved it.
Le cose cambiano
Thank you from Italy 🙂
Their video is also on Youtube, subtitled http://youtu.be/C7wVo7NoVEg
jmi2
Carlo Gabardini is a popular Italian comedian. he appears on the popular series Camera Café that’s shown all over Europe. his character is named ‘Olmo.’ at the end of the video, he is the guy in the middle who takes his helmet off first. in October he was affected by the beating of an Italian youth for being gay. he publicly came out in support as a result. the video is in support of not just him but also the entire Italian lgbtq community. this probably is actually a big deal in Italy. for the most part they deny that anyone is gay!
sawardja
A better translation of the accompanying text would be something like:
A touchdown against homophobia and bullying, from the Bergamo Lions
Video from the Italian football team the Bergamo Lions, a comical yet strong message against all types of discrimination, shot with the entire team and the participation of Carlo Gabardini, who plays the popular “Olmo” from the television series “Camera Café” and who came out on October 31st in la Repubblica (an Italian newspaper) after he was upset by the news of the suicide of a twenty-one year old Roman man who was bullied for being gay.
glittercomments
Italians do it better. Hm. They have no protections from workplace discrimination for being gay, they have no civil unions, no gay marriage, no strong movement for gay marriage (only about half as many people in Italy support it as in the US). Italy has some work to do to catch up with the rest of the West.