(Photo: Kai L Connell/Shutterstock.com)
Among the many sports teams marking the start of Pride Month yesterday was North London soccer club Arsenal.
The team is one of the most famous in the world right now. They came out on top of the UK’s Premier League recently. It was the first time in 22 years that it scooped the accolade.
It also made it to the finals of the UEFA Champions League (UCL) last Saturday. They lost the Europe-based final to Paris Saint-Germain (PSG).
On Sunday, the club held a team procession on open-top buses through North London, attracting hundreds of thousands of supporters to watch.
Following such a headline-grabbing event, on Monday, it marked Pride month with a message on social media saying, “Happy Pride month to all Gooners celebrating ❤️”
Happy Pride month to all Gooners celebrating ❤️ pic.twitter.com/q9X2sEwEG2
— Arsenal (@Arsenal) June 1, 2026
The Gunners and Gooners
As most people in England will know, Arsenal are dubbed the Gunners (its logo is a cannon — and an arsenal is a place where arms and weapons are made). Since the 1980s, its fans have been dubbed ‘Gooners’, a twist on Gunners.
The club routinely gives a shout-out to gooners. In fact, it made a similar Pride post last year.
Happy Pride month to all Gooners celebrating ❤️ pic.twitter.com/CYJlfLfi4V
— Arsenal (@Arsenal) June 1, 2025
And here’s one that was posted a couple of weeks ago for Eid.
Eid Al-Adha Mubarak to all Gooners celebrating around the world ❤️ pic.twitter.com/uPz6x4fElR
— Arsenal (@Arsenal) May 27, 2026
In recent years, gooning has become slang term for prolonged bouts of m*sturbation, or edging one’s self while watching p*rn. Those who indulge the practice are known as gooners.
Although this likely originated as a gay thing, last year, Harper’s magazine carried a feature on how straight men had approriated gooning – fuelled by boredom, loneliness and an endless supply on online p*rn.
Related*
This year’s Pride post comes on the back of Sunday’s high-profile parade and winning the Premiership. Unsurprisingly, it caught more attention.
https://t.co/8F6fuw6qNI pic.twitter.com/zTfbDmAzFh
— Criminalsimpsons (@Criminalsimpson) June 1, 2026
At what point does this vi*late the online safety act https://t.co/zHiExvgXZz
— Jack 🏴 (@The_Peach03) June 1, 2026
Some welcomed the post.
Hell ye thats my club <3
Shame to see so many people being a**hats abt this again
— Luna (@CinderLuna020) June 1, 2026
Predictably, other fans were horrified and suggested this was the reason the club lost to PSG last weekend.
Others just thought it funny or suggested it was time to find a new name for the fans.
You gotta stop calling yourself gooner
— Romain (@pintodxn) June 1, 2026
couldve just said happy pride month 😭
— Bonn HornCat (@horncat08) June 1, 2026
Other soccer clubs mark Pride Month
Although it’s easy to snigger at Arsenal and its Pride Month gooners, it’s worth remembering that the team has a huge international following. This includes fans in countries where it’s much harder to be gay. For some, this may be the only Pride Month message they see.
Arsenal was just one of several soccer teams to mark Pride Month. Others included Bayern Munich in Germany, Chelsea FC in England, and FC Cincinnati and Seattle Sounders in the US.
Happy Pride Month ❤️🤍🏳️🌈 pic.twitter.com/JMPjwFp30k
— 🇺🇸 FC Bayern US 🇨🇦 (@FCBayernUS) June 1, 2026
Wishing a joyful Pride Month this June to all those who celebrate! 🏳️🌈🏳️⚧️ pic.twitter.com/9lPvH5yzMP
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) June 1, 2026
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