Gay soccer player Zander Murray shares homophobic hate mail but still manages to get the last laugh – Queerty
Professional soccer player Zander Murray had a major mic drop moment last month when he explained to a confused sports fan why he decided to come out, and now the Scottish striker has struck again.
The 31-year-old Gala Fairydean Rovers player shared some unsavory reading materials sent directly to his club, but it’s going to take a lot more than homophobic propaganda to shake him.
In a photo posted to Twitter, Murray displayed the hate mail across his lap. One pamphlet cover reads “Atheism Annihilated,” while another offers insights on “Homosexuality in Light of the Bible.”
Related: Soccer star Jake Daniels’ coming out inspired legions of fans—and earned royal praise
Denouncing the parcel, he wrote: “Don’t mind trolls on social media, but to go out your way and send hate mail to my club. Such horrible words and so out of touch with reality.”
And while we have no arguments there, it’s Murray’s next comment that’s especially telling. “Just told my lil Zar, I think she replied ‘Da, I’ll bite their derrières!’” he joked.
He even threw in a picture of himself with his dog, Zar, decked out in a rainbow bandana:
Don’t mind trolls on social media, but to go out your way and send hate mail to my club ?. Such horrible words and so out of touch with reality. Just told my lil Zar, I think she replied “Da, I’ll bite their derrières!”. ???? #loveislove #geespeace pic.twitter.com/W1wmlNCcZo
— Zander Murray (@ZanderMurray) October 22, 2022
Murray’s comically unbothered clap back clearly struck a chord; the post has over 1,500 likes and inspired some equally funny responses from supporters:
👏😆
— Zander Murray (@ZanderMurray) October 22, 2022
And they write using a ruler. pic.twitter.com/icnmyRekBL
— Jimmy he/him 🏴🇪🇺🏳️🌈🏳️⚧️ (@JimJamGin) October 22, 2022
Save them until a very cold night, add a match and get a wee heat from them. So sorry you need to deal with this.
— Bluenose Annie (@BluenoseAnnie) October 22, 2022
Good girl
— 🍂💀 Dorian, Envoy of Hearth and Harvest💀🍂 (@OnlineDorian) October 22, 2022
Related: Top soccer ref Igor Benevenuto comes out ahead of World Cup in anti-LGBTQ Qatar
The general response to Murray’s coming out has been overwhelmingly positive, to the point that he said he’s “humbled” by the outpouring of support.
Here’s another piece of mail he received recently from a young fan:
Related: Gay soccer player Josh Cavallo calls out homophobic abuse during game
While Murray has largely ignored the predictable haters (unless they go through the objectionable trouble of reaching him by post), he’s also tried to help educate sports fans on why it’s important for athletes to come out.
When a Twitter user posted that he didn’t “get why Zander Murray has to come out as gay,” and asked, “Why not continue to play football which he has done for years before,” since, “The vast majority of people don’t care what he is just score goals to help their team win,” Murray spelled it out in plain English.
We look forward to seeing this star athlete be a role model to queer and straight fans alike, and an inspiration to the many athletes still struggling in the closet.
And to the folks who still can’t fathom LGBTQ people finding their voices, Zar is watching — beware of dog.