He’s Spain’s only openly gay football referee, a job he temporarily left after being besieged with homophobic death threats in May.
Unfortunately, the situation has hardly improved since his return.
On Saturday, 21-year-old Jesús Tomillero was refereeing a game between Atlético Zabal and CD Lasalle in Andalusía’s second division when a Lasalle fan told him to “get off for being gay” after he awarded a penalty to the competing team.
Related: NBA Referee Called A “Fu**ing Faggot” By Player Comes Out To Combat Homophobia In Sports
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Though the game was stopped and the heckler removed, the man still managed to yell “You fucking faggot!” at Tomillero before being escorted out.
Shortly after the match, the death threats on social media began pouring in.
“You son of a bitch,” read one. “You messed with the wrong club. We’ll kill you with Aids, you faggot.”
Another message featured a photo of handguns and bullets, and the caption, “Not long left to live, faggot.”
Related: Gay Soccer Ref Loses His Job After Being Called A Faggot
Talking to The Guardian, Tomillero said, “I go the first one about three o’clock yesterday afternoon. It said: ‘Reporting this was a mistake, Jesús. The boss has put a price on your head.’ There was a picture of a gun and a car and it said: ‘Get ready for what’s coming, faggot.’”
He’s stunned by the abuse.
I had a fit of nerves and didn’t know what to do. But we got into a taxi and went to the police. They’re investigating the case, not just here but all over Spain. There are police officers outside my house 24 hours a day, but I’m still afraid and I don’t know what could happen.”
“I’m going to keep on doing what I like doing, whatever it costs. But I am really, really scared.”
In May, Tomillero called it quits because the onslaught of abuse simply became too much to take.
Related: Gay Turkish Soccer Referee Wages High-Profile Legal Fight After Losing His Job
The worst offense was when a heckler shouted, “That’s that poof who was on the telly … You can stick the goal up your arse, you fucking poof.”
What hurt Tomillero more than the insult was the fact that the crowd laughed.
Three years ago, a survey concluded that Spain was the most accepting European country when it came to homosexuality, but prejudice is still a huge problem there
In fact, in Madrid there’s a homophobic attack every two days.
Xzamilloh
Wait… so was that guy saying he’d kill the gay ref with help from multiple aids, or that he’s kill him with the AIDS that he himself must have? I’ll never take homophobic trolls seriously, because this is what they do. They very well might feel that way, but their goal is to rattle the other person and get a reaction. Their basically terrorists, minus the explosions open-to-interpretation religion justifying their behavior
Bauhaus
@Xzamilloh:
Trolls who don’t threaten with violence are sadists.
Masc Pride
@Bauhaus: You don’t really threaten with violence. Well, there was that one time you told me to look you up like you wanted me to travel to your location just to fight you. Your tough/butch routine literally had me ROTFL.
Xzamilloh
@Bauhaus: I am so damn appalled looking at my comment. This is why I hate using my autocorrect function on Chrome.
Bauhaus
@Masc Pride:
What the… I never told you any thing of the sort. Stop making shit up, liar. Moreover, I don’t pretend to be something I’m not – that’s your forte.
Bauhaus
@Masc Pride:
I’m not surprised one of your interactions on here ended in such a way – you are exasperating. So many squabbles, you can’t even remember who it was. Yikes.
Masc Pride
@Bauhaus: It was definitely you. You were telling me to come somewhere in NY to fight you. IDK what was more hilarious, you thinking I would travel to fight you or the epic fail that was you trying to play tough guy. I bet your own shadow startles you sometimes. I’m sure it’s extra large.
Bauhaus
@Masc Pride:
If it was me, find the post. Easy enough to do, you lying troll. You won’t find it because it wasn’t me – not my style. I do recall a spat in the past between a few guys involving an invitation to fight, including giving out a number. At least one of them has been banned. I wasn’t involved in any way. Again, easy enough to find. Try to keep the guys who want to kick your butt straight – I find your comments revolting, as you know, but that is where it ends.
Bauhaus
@Masc Pride:
Here’s the thread:
https://www.queerty.com/is-masc-4-masc-homophobic-20151030
I posted one comment on that thread – a Mae West quote.
Masc Pride
@Bauhaus: It was only one conversation. I don’t even remember the story topic. It was definitely you, but I admit it’s total “he said/he said”. You save links though? That was from almost a year ago! That wasn’t even the conversation I was recalling. You get REALLY upset with me, don’t you?
Masc Pride
And as far as guys who want to kick my butt, that # could be infinite, but the # of guys that actually have remains 0. #KeepDreamingBitch
Kim K Kute Kuchie
NOT ALL GAYS ARE FAGGOTS
Bauhaus
@Masc Pride:
I provided the link and you continue to lie, unscrupulous troll. Sucks getting caught in a big fat lie, especially when your image is built on lies. Not only did you lie about me, you lied about yourself – YOU weren’t even involved in that conversation about a fight.
No, I don’t save links. A simple search is all I did to show what a delusional, cowardly liar you are.
Upset with you? It’s a pleasure and quite easy pointing out that you are a phony, mendacious coward, and a mean girl troll.
Masc Pride
@Bauhaus: Wow, you are really upset and taking this super seriously. That’s so funny and sad at the same time. You provided a link, but it’s not a link to what I was referencing. I’m certain the conversation I was referring to was before 2015 and you were arguing back and forth with me, like here.
And you totally save links. You don’t just search for a thread from almost a year ago without having saved some reference to it. It’s like a needle in a haystack…unless you’re saving links like a total loser.
Bauhaus
@Masc Pride:
Deflect, double down and make excuses. What a coward does when caught in a big fat lie. Loser? Your username says it all. Piss off, troll.
seaguy
European football fans are notoriously violent types. Hooligans as they are referred to in the UK so this does not surprise me.
Masc Pride
@Bauhaus: No lies or excuses. You posted a link that had nothing to do with anything. You like to refer to the truth as deflection. Unfortunately, we’ve had lots of back and forth conversations. By your own words, you only left one comment in the link you posted. It’s still unclear what you were hoping to prove with it. I would ask you to elaborate, but I really don’t care enough.
Masc Pride
@Bauhaus: And yes, you’re a total loser. You save links, and you’re still salty about a username your delicate, hypersensitive psyche finds offensive…six years later. Capital L.
pedrofcuk
This looks like a fun little group. Homophobia exists in football/soccer and the workplaces of many people. Usually if you “come out” and you have any respect from your colleagues, the snark remarks will stop but are they really stopped or just unsaid? Attitudes are changing and will continue to do so however there will always be those who skit, tease and bully without realizing the hurt they cause. Then there are those that know full well what they are doing but don’t know why they do it. Usually closeted gays. Ah the fun of the fair!
Stilinski26
Hes so cute! I agree homophobia is very predominant in football I am glad I have no interest in it, even rugby is more progressive than football as more rugby players are coming out!
jdboston617
@Bauhaus: @Bauhaus: Can’t y’all take this outside already? I mean… really… do you guys have this much time to argue with a stranger about nothing? Have a little some dignity.