Imagine a historic homophobic stigma, dating back to 1892, in a country with alarming numbers of violence against gay men. This is the scenario where the #AskFor24 movement took place: Brazil. Only a groudbreaking and game-changing idea would have the power to break a taboo so rooted in a countries culture: the prejudice behind the number 24.

The number 24 represents the deer in “Jogo do Bicho” (‘The Animal Game’), a popular and illegal Brazilian gambling game created in 1892. As deer has long been associated with homosexuality in national culture, this rooted and structural homophobia makes 24 the one number Brazilian football players don’t want to wear. So it has practically not been registered in any national competition over the years. To contest this stigma, Corner Magazine, a local and independent football publication decided to take a stand against it. How come this kind of prejudice still exist in Brazilian football? It was time to break a historic taboo.

For more 24 jerseys in the field and less prejudice, Corner Magazine, in partnership with the journalist Mauro Beting, launched the hashtag #AskFor24, along with a public manifesto. A request, in the form of a movement, addressed to the Brazilian sports media, influencers, fans, clubs and, of course, football players. Because only by promoting a great national debate we would be able to make the “country of football” reflect on a historical homophobic stigma.

First, we joined forces with one of the most respected journalists in Brazilian football: Mauro Beting. He was responsible for writing the public manifesto that launched the hashtag #AskFor24 (#PedeA24). As soon as the discussion started on social media, we sent a kit with the 24 jersey to the main sports journalists in Brazil. They were the key characters to make the movement spread nationwide and to gain attention of the main football clubs in Brazil and its supporters. Then, we started a direct partnership with Brazilian major clubs, who invited their own players to ask for the 24 jersey.

In January 2020, in the pre-season of Brazilian football, a homophobic statement regarding the jersey 24, made by a manager of a large Brazilian club - Corinthians - was severely criticised by the Brazilian media. To turn these criticisms into an attitude, right after that, we contacted the journalist Mauro Beting and created the movement #AskFor24. Throughout January and February, the movement was gaining great strength with Brazil's best known journalists, becoming the subject of discussions on social networks, TV programs, articles in newspapers, magazines, websites, radio shows, podcasts, not only from Brazil but all over the world. From February until today more and more clubs and players, from all divisions of Brazilian football, have decided to wear the 24 jersey.

The movement started by a local and small publication reached R$ 41 million on broadcasted debates against homophobia, 32 million organic impressions on Twitter and hundreds of articles in Brazil and across the world. All without any kind of media investment. The change of behaviour around the number, by football players, had considerable advances, encouraging them to take a stand against homophobia. Since the start of the campaign, dozens of clubs registered the number in national competitions for the first time after seeing their supporters asking for the jersey 24 on social media. In the words of the website LGBTQ Nation “a movement that unveiled a cultural homophobia” in a country with terrifying numbers of violence and prejudice against gay men.