Aslie Pitter M.B.E. is a British footballer who founded Stonewall F.C.

Stonewall F.C.

Stonewall F.C. is Britain's top-ranking gay football team. and Britain's first gay football team. It was founded in 1991 by Aslie Pitter. They play their homes game at Barn Elms Playing Fields, Barnes, London....

, Britain's first and most successful gay football club, in 1991. For his work in combating homophobia

Homophobia

Homophobia is a term used to refer to a range of negative attitudes and feelings towards lesbian, gay and in some cases bisexual, transgender people and behavior, although these are usually covered under other terms such as biphobia and transphobia. Definitions refer to irrational fear, with the...

, he was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire.

Pitter grew up in Balham

Balham

Balham is a district of London, EnglandBalham can also refer to:*Balham, Ardennes, a commune in France*Balham station, railway and tube station in Balham, London*Balaam, a Biblical figure...

, South London

South London

South London is the southern part of London, England, United Kingdom.According to the 2011 official Boundary Commission for England definition, South London includes the London boroughs of Bexley, Bromley, Croydon, Greenwich, Kingston, Lambeth, Lewisham, Merton, Southwark, Sutton and...

. 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

Midfielder

A midfielder is an association football position. Some midfielders play a more defensive role, while others blur the boundaries between midfielders and forwards. The number of midfielders a team uses during a match may vary, depending on the team's formation and each individual player's role...

 for the Sutton United

Sutton United F.C.

Sutton United Football Club is an English football club currently playing in the Conference South. They are based in Sutton, London, and play their home games at the Borough Sports Ground in Gander Green Lane....

 youth team and had a trial at Wimbledon

Wimbledon F.C.

Wimbledon Football Club was an English professional association football club from Wimbledon, south-west London. Founded in 1889 as Wimbledon Old Central Football Club, the club spent most of its history in amateur and semi-professional non-League football before being elected to the Football...

. While playing for Old Boys Clapham, 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

Regent's Park

Regent's Park is one of the Royal Parks of London. It is in the north-western part of central London, partly in the City of Westminster and partly in the London Borough of Camden...

. 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

2011 New Year Honours

The New Year Honours 2011, principally for the United Kingdom but also the Commonwealth Realms, were announced on 31 December 2010 to celebrate the year passed and mark the beginning of 2011....

 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.

Pitter currently lives in Balham with his fiancé Alan, whom he plans to marry now that he has received his MBE, and works as an assistant manager at Boots

Boots UK

Boots UK Limited , is a leading pharmacy chain in the United Kingdom, with outlets in most high streets throughout the country...

. He plays for and manages Stonewall F.C.'s second team.