{"id":1445191,"date":"2025-07-31T15:13:21","date_gmt":"2025-07-31T14:13:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.gaytimes.com\/?p=1445191"},"modified":"2025-07-31T15:13:21","modified_gmt":"2025-07-31T14:13:21","slug":"the-lionesses-euros-win-was-a-landmark-moment-for-queer-visibility","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.gaytimes.com\/community\/the-lionesses-euros-win-was-a-landmark-moment-for-queer-visibility\/","title":{"rendered":"‘The Lionesses\u2019 Euros win was a landmark moment for queer visibility’"},"content":{"rendered":"

Just Like Us ambassador Rush Mittal reflects on the queer significance of the Lionesses’ historic 2025 Euros victory.<\/p>\n

WORDS BY RUSH MITTAL<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/p>

The Lionesses are now back-to-back champions of Europe, this time after a thrilling tournament and a final that felt like it contained the heartbeat of every queer fan watching.<\/p>\n

Against the world champions, Spain, this match went the full distance and then some. You could see it in every tackle, every clearance, every goal celebration. Hannah Hampton fighting through a bloody nose, Lucy Bronze taping her own leg mid-game and playing with a fractured tibia, and Chloe Kelly earning her roster spot through sheer mental strength: this was more than just a game.<\/p>\n

We witnessed history being made through a celebration of unapologetic joy and unfiltered tenacity. It has been incredible to watch so many countries take huge leaps towards growing the women\u2019s game, particularly Italy and Switzerland. More than ever, especially for the Lionesses, this summer has been about belonging.<\/p>\n

I was 13 the first time I watched a women\u2019s football tournament, huddled over a screen watching highlight reels on YouTube. Back then, the women\u2019s game still lived in the margins. It felt like a secret world that I had stumbled upon, designed just for me, where the players looked like who I dreamed of being. Where you could be strong and fast and loud, where you could lead and sweat and celebrate without apology. Football gave me a place to be raw and real, in a life where being \u201cunladylike\u201d was punished more often than praised. On the pitch, playing with friends of any gender, I found freedom. Football didn\u2019t ask me to shrink.<\/p>\n

In the years that followed, I came out as queer and non-binary, and somewhere along the way, I lost touch with the game. As an Indian queer person that was growing further and further away from gender binaries, It felt like I no longer fit. I was so tangled up with expectations about who I was allowed to be, and how.<\/p>\n

But the Lionesses never stopped playing. And this summer, they won again.<\/p>\n

The Lionesses played with grit and grace, coming from behind against Sweden, Italy, and again against Spain. More than the football, it was their spirit that moved me. Jess Carter\u2019s perseverance in the face of hoards of hate and racism thrown her way leading up to the final particularly moved me, as I reconciled with my own cultural identity within the landscape of the sport. She came out and put in a stellar defensive shift that helped the Lionesses win. Expressed perfectly by Keira Walsh when she emphasised the pride the team feels in their resilience, they \u201cjust don\u2019t know when to give up\u201d.<\/p>\n

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It's a good morning to wake up as EUROPEAN CHAMPIONS! \ud83d\ude4c pic.twitter.com\/FPxcyJKkK8<\/a><\/p>\n

— Lionesses (@Lionesses) July 28, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n