Justin Fashanu was the first openly gay professional black footballer. Sadly, even today, not a single professional player has come out since. In recent weeks the brutality, hostility and daily racist abuse black people suffer has become too big to ignore. In Bristol a statue of a slave trader was torn down. In Norwich, where Justin lived and played over a hundred times for Norwich City FC, scoring forty goals including the infamous 1980 BBC Goal of the Season against Liverpool, there is plenty of room for a statue celebrating his life, bravery, determination, and career.

At Justin Fashanu's recent induction into the National Football Museum's Hall of Fame, his niece, Amal Fashanu said ""The fact that Justin just got up and said 'this is who I am, I'm going to respect myself and get others to respect me for who I am', that is one of the most impressive things. And for him, as my uncle, I couldn't think of anything more honourable and I look up to it every day."

A statue celebrating Justin Fashanu will be a statue celebrating more than his footballing career. It will celebrate and respect black lives, diversity, empathy, and the love, understanding, and support people with mental health issues need. It will be for us all.