A homophobic assault has shocked German football: 27-year-old referee Pascal Kaiser, who became viral on January 30 when he proposed to his boyfriend ahead of a Bundesliga match between FC Köln and VfL Wolfsburg, ended 1-0 for the local team. In the night between Saturday and Sunday February 8, Kaiser was attacked by three men when he was smoking in his garden.
Kaiser posted a photo in the hospital, where he was admitted after suffering an injury to his right eye. Police say that the motives for the attack remain unclear. But since the moment went viral, Kaiser (who has locked his Instagram account) had received threats, and his home address had leaked.
Spanish politician Carla Antonelli shared the story, explaining that Kaiser had already notified the local police because of the threats and they told him he was not in immediate danger. "That's a terrible message; if you make yourself visible, we'll beat you back into the closet".
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Kaiser is one of the few openly LGBT referees in professional football, coming out as bisexual in 2021. The moment of the marriage proposal, posted by FC Köln, as it happened on their stadium, has received over 180,000 likes. Speaking to Schwulissimo, a queer outlet in Germany (via Attitude), Kaiser said that his mission was "to create visibility, to be a voice, and to encourage people who aren't yet brave enough to speak up."
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