'Celtic FC has been a club open to all since 1888' is an announcement that is heard before every home game over the Parkhead tannoy.

It is a statement that has particular pertinence at the moment; February is LGBT+ History Month, a period of observance of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender history as well as the civil rights movements associated with each.

Yet the clubs themselves are not always the harbingers of change when it comes to football's openness, attitudes and modernity. Sometimes the sport requires a push.

A significant part of the Celtic story on this front is the creation of the Proud Huddle CSC in late 2017.

As the first LGBTQ+ Celtic supporters group, their existence reinforces the message heard over the Parkhead tannoy: that football is for everyone.

Fighting for change

Chloe Divers and Pauline Kelly have been involved in the group since the start.

They were key, alongside former chair of the club Lindsay Hamilton, in getting the group up and running - with a little help from Leadership, Equality and Active Participation in Sports Scotland (LEAP Sports).

"LEAP Sports are a national organisation that are an umbrella charity for LGBT+ sports clubs," Kelly told The Celtic Way. "They cover swimming groups, football groups and rugby groups.

"They were responsible for putting a call out for a meeting. Individually people had spoken to them who were Celtic fans and said ‘we would like to get together as a community of LGBTQ+ football supporters and Celtic supporters’.

"They called a meeting in their offices in Glasgow. That was in late 2017. Some of us knew each other and some of us didn’t.

"It was a mixed group of folks. We had some funny discussions about what we would be called."

Divers explained that the group's name was actually settled on fairly quickly while later that night they settled another key early objective: to find somewhere that was LGBTQ+ friendly to watch matches.

The Admiral Bar in Glasgow city centre fit that bill. It would become their base from then on.

"It was not a stick on that The Admiral would be our base," Kelly continued. "We had to think about where we were going to go. Although it is not, strictly speaking, a Celtic pub we all knew it was a safe place. We thought we would find a safe home there."

Positive reinforcement 

After the formation of the Proud Huddle, the group began to increase in numbers and before long they were attending games and watching fixtures together regularly.

Having all attended matches individually beforehand though, they each experienced their own Parkhead matchdays as a member of the LGBTQ+ community.

"Personally I have not heard a lot of homophobia around Celtic Park in my time as a season ticket holder, which I have been for several years now," Divers said. "I have not heard a homophobic chant and I could not tell you a Celtic song that has homophobic lyrics in it.

"I have heard one or two comments from fans around me but I have felt safe enough to challenge that. I know everyone has different experiences - are we where we should be though? I think we are still a bit behind."

Similarly, co-chair Maggie Murphy reckons that despite a relatively recent incident there is notably more self-regulation from match-going supporters than when she first started attending games more than four decades ago.

"I have certainly seen more self-policing from fans," Murphy adds. "It is very rare to hear a homophobic comment thrown at Celtic player but, let’s be honest, it has happened.

"What I have noticed progressively over the years is that there is more self-regulation from when I first started attending games over 40 years ago.

"I heard a homophobic comment a couple of years ago and it was quickly shot down by the fans around me. It was made clear that sort of language was not acceptable. However, there is still more work to be done."

Celtic Way:

Creating a safe environment for LGBTQ+ football fans was propelled to the forefront of public discourse in 2020 when the release of The Scottish Football Supporters Survey showed less than half of respondents felt Scottish football was a welcoming place for people 'of any sexual orientation'.

In response the Scottish FA, in conjunction with Football v Homophobia Scotland, released e-learning the next year to try to raise awareness of discrimination within the game.

In the almost three years since the survey, Zander Murray has come out as the first openly homosexual Scottish male player. At the time he was at Lowland League side Gala Fairydean but is now playing for League Two club Bonnyrigg Rose.

"There is obviously a massive difference between the male game and the women’s game," Divers said. "In the women’s game, a lot more individuals have come out.

"It is only the players being out and being comfortable on the field that is going to help drive the change. The main driver would always be a player feeling safe to come out." 

A club for all

Celtic as a club appears to be focusing more on supporting LGBTQ+ fans in recent years.

From backing the Rainbow Laces programme to releasing a merchandise range this season as part of the Love Unites campaign, with proceeds being split evenly between the Foundation's Christmas Appeal and LGBT Youth Scotland, the club has attempted to move with the times.

Recently, captain Callum McGregor wore the rainbow armband during a top-flight match against Livingston. It was subsequently signed and donated to the Proud Huddle, members of which were invited onto the pitch at Parkhead for the half-time draw.

"There was a slight feeling, watching Lindsay and Chloe on the park, as to whether there would be any grief but there was absolutely nothing," Murphy said. 

"There was just a ripple of applause and a sign of recognition. It was an emotional moment for me getting to see the guys having that visibility."

Divers, a schoolteacher, believes that sort of visible support on such a public stage can have a positive long-term effect.

"Another teacher spoke to me and said 'some of the kids saw you at Celtic Park and they were quite impressed'," she added. "It is just about being shown and feeling represented. I found it really empowering having pupils ask me about it."

As Divers and Murphy said, though, there is more work to be done. All three Proud Huddle representatives stated their hope not only that Celtic increases its charitable output but more visibly so.

In what ways? Suggestions ranged from flying the rainbow flag at Parkhead to expanding their Pride month activities when it rolls around in June and even simply assuring there is a club presence at Pride marches in Glasgow.

A hard road ahead

LGBT+ History Month is, at its core, a time to reflect. It is also a time to recognise - perhaps most of all that while things have improved there is still a long way to go and still very real concerns that need to be addressed.

On this, Kelly once again points to the influence a top-flight male player feeling able to come out could make.

"If it was going to be easy to come out and be a football player in the top flight then there would be one already," she added. "But, for me, that is the acid test: if there are men out as footballers at the top level in Scotland and they can be comfortable expressing their sexual orientation and identity."

They do not - and would not - claim to have all the answers but the Proud Huddle CSC has played, does play and will play a crucial role in making the Celtic-supporting community and Scottish football a more welcoming place for everyone.

There is certainly a lot of pride to be found in that.

You can follow the Proud Huddle CSC on Twitter and Instagram