ABOVE: Soldier Field in Chicago, photo via its Facebook page.
Four men are suing Chicago’s Soldier Field, the Chicago Bears’ home stadium, for being subjected to anti-LGBTQ slurs during a 2019 game.
The incident took place in 2019 during the CONCACAF Gold Cup championship match between the U.S. and Mexico. They say stadium personnel did “nothing” to stop the slurs, Outsports reported.
According to the suit filed July 6, chanting of “puto” – which loosely translates to “male prostitute” in Spanish and has been used as a homophobic slur – happened at least 25 times during the game. It is estimated that “tens of thousands” of fans joined in on the chant.
The four men, who were identified on the suit as Jordan Penland, Karl Gerner, Edward R. Burke and Paul C. Burk, were wearing rainbow jerseys during the soccer match in support of Pride Month. They allege in the suit, which was filed at the Cook County Circuit Court, that stadium workers were asked to take action and stop the chants but nothing was done.
“More than 80 percent of the fans in attendance at Soldier Field supported Mexico and engaged in anti-gay misconduct that was not addressed or stopped by the Chicago Park District, Soldier Field, or its management company,” the complaint reads.
According to the lawsuit, the Illinois Department of Human Rights investigated the incident and found Soldier Field guilty of violating Chicago’s Human Rights Act by failing to reprimand or eject those who were chanting the slur.
The four men suing the stadium are seeking a cease-and-desist order that prevents Soldier Field from allowing discriminatory behavior in the future, as well as civil penalties and punitive damages.
“Both the Human Rights Act and the Management Contract require Soldier Field and its management company to provide LGBT fans with full, equal, and safe enjoyment of any event held at Soldier Field, including the Gold Cup Final,” the complaint says.
