Gaelic football refreee and Meath man David Gough spoke out this week against the decision made by the GAA in turning Mayo down in their request to wear pride colours on their league jersey to support the LGBTQ+ community. The 39 year old said the following while speaking to Saturday with Colm Ó Mongáin:
“I think it’s an abhorrent decision by the GAA. It was disheartening to wake up to a text message to say that there had been a refusal to allow Mayo to wear rainbow coloured numbers on the back of their jerseys in support of the LGBT community and, in particular, their own partner in charity in Mayo.
I saw their statement and they said that the playing gear was sacrosanct, and I think was an unwise choice of words. I’ve studied Latin and I understand that sacrosanct means most sacred or holy. Now, I suppose what they’re trying to say is that the regard to jerseys is too important or too valuable to be interfered with, but to state that your jerseys might be hallowed by sacred right is a bit strange.”
“A precedent has been set before where we’ve had Dublin in the championship playing against Westmeath with Pieta House on their jerseys. We had Cork wearing jerseys in the National League for Mercy Hospital Foundation, we had Carlow wearing something for suicide awareness and even up in Derry, Joe Brolly’s Opt For Life campaign appeared on the jerseys in the championship back in 2013.
So precedent had been set beforehand and it’s just strange to see that they’re singling out the LGBT community.”