There are multiple stories about the genesis of “rent boy.” One theory traces the phrase back to the 1980s, when police found a Chelsea hooligan in bed with a male prostitute. “It’s a true dark cloud over any gay man who goes to a football game and has to hear it.” “When you hear the words ‘Chelsea rent boy,’ it basically means a male who is paid for sex,” she said. Tracy Brown, the co-chair of Chelsea’s LGBTQ fan group, Chelsea Pride, is sick of it. Gallagher is on loan to Crystal Palace from Chelsea, so there you go. So why was Gallagher called a “rent boy?” The chant has historically been directed towards Chelsea fans and players, and really, anybody affiliated with the club. The slur’s stubborn persistence shows how difficult it can be to eradicate homophobic traditions from male sports, especially with relative inaction from governing bodies. When midfielder Conor Gallagher stepped onto the field this month for a match between Leeds United and Crystal Palace, he was pelted with a disgusting chant that just won’t go away: “rent boy.”įor years, the cry has been an indelible part of the U.K.’s soccer culture, despite a litany of campaigns to curtail its use.
