Aslie Pitter

Who is Aslie Pitter?

Aslie Pitter M.B.E. is a British footballer who founded Stonewall F.C., Britain's first and most successful gay football club, in 1991. For his work in combating homophobia, he was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire.

Pitter grew up in Balham, South London. His parents, Vincent and Evelyn, were Jamaican immigrants. Pitter realised at the age of 10 that he was gay, and dealt with homophobic abuse from his schoolmates. He has played football since his youth for a number of amateur clubs. He was chosen to play midfield for the Sutton United youth team and had a trial at Wimbledon. While playing for Clapham Old Boys, he suffered racism from other players and was demoted from the first team to the fourth team after one of his teammates found out that he was gay. Observing that they wanted him gone, Pitter quit. In 1991, after seeing a listing in Time Out, he joined a group of gay men playing football in Regent's Park. This became Stonewall F.C., the first gay football club in Britain.

In November 2010, he was informed that he would be appointed a MBE for his work against homophobia in London. His father died shortly after, before the New Year Honours list was made public in December. Pitter collected his MBE from Buckingham Palace on 8 February 2011 accompanied by his sister, his fiancé, and his mother-in-law. He was conferred with an Honorary Doctorate by the University of East London in 2011.