LGBTQ stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, and queer or questioning. Inclusivity in sports is crucial for individuals’ mental and physical well-being, yet only about one quarter (23.2%) of LGBTQ students participate in interscholastic sports, making them half as likely as their peers to engage in athletics (23.2% vs. 47.8%).
This participation gap is magnified by the nature of swimming, which has traditionally been less accessible, largely exclusive, and a gender binary sport.
LGBTQ athletes may experience discomfort for a variety of factors ranging from oppression to sport convention. Strict bathing suit styles often lead to gender assumptions while navigating locker room facilities and dynamics can be equally challenging. Although these factors may influence an LGBTQ athlete’s participation or lack thereof, social interactions and norms are often the determining factor in choosing an extracurricular activity.
To help raise awareness and facilitate inclusive environments, I’ve compiled some common LGBTQ questions and ways to promote positive team dynamics:
Why don’t more LGBTQ athletes and coaches come out?
LGBTQ athletes and coaches often keep their identities a secret because they want to avoid being discriminated against or oppressed. Coming out may distract from an individual’s athletic accomplishments and put them in the public spotlight for their sexuality or gender identification rather than their individual or their team performance.
Inclusive non-discrimination policies and educational programs for athletic staff and athletes helps to reduce these risks and promote a safer climate for LGBTQ athletes and coaches to identify themselves.
Will having “out” athletes or coaches affect team dynamics?
No single response can adequately answer this question. Some teams improve their team dynamics after learning that one of their members is queer; it draws the team together and this attribute may boost performance. Some teams do not respond well or have divided opinions to having an openly LGBTQ member and their ability to cooperate suffers. A team’s response is facilitated by its leaders, how supportive they are, how they integrate this new information into team operations, and how they set expectations for respectful interactions.
How are LGBT athletes discriminated against in sports?
LGBT athletes may experience oppression through repeated microaggressions, name-calling, rumors, and others avoiding contact with them. Some coaches encourage LGBTQ athletes to keep their identities hidden or even change their sexual orientation. In extreme cases, LGBTQ athletes are physically threatened, their property is vandalized, and they endure long-term psychological effects. Legislatively, some teams and coaches have policies that discourage or inhibit LGBTQ participation or do not give fair coaching attention.
How does discrimination against LGBTQ people affect straight athletes and coaches?
The repeated stigmatization of LGBTQ individuals has led many people to go to extreme lengths in hopes of avoiding association with lesbians and gay men by monitoring their appearance, mannerisms, and relationships with peers.
In women’s sports, the lesbian label is an unjustified method for discouraging women from challenging inequities between men’s and women’s sports. If women fear being labelled as lesbians, this can be an effective way to intimidate women into accepting less than equal treatment. Women may feel an overwhelming urge to appear feminine and accept traditionally women-allocated roles and rights to distinguish themselves from stereotyped feminists and activists.
Likewise, male athletes may feel pressured to verbally and physically express their heterosexuality to avoid oppression and fit normative categories. When athletes express hatred of or engage in violence against marginalized individuals, they are acting on irrational fears and prejudice rather than reason.
When people participate in the oppression against any group based on stereotypes and fears, they diminish themselves and others at their expense. For this reason, it is more important that individuals in the majority group challenge social norms and promote equity.
What steps should be taken to improve LGBTQ inclusion and wellbeing?
Create a safe space where athletes of all identities feel comfortable expressing themselves and interacting with others.
Educate coaches, athletes, staff, parents, and all involved individuals on diversity and inclusion.
Prepare for common scenarios, including discussion, confrontation, “coming out” and other experiences where individuals may exhibit differing comfort levels.
Eliminate oppression through anti-discrimination policies, combating microagressions, and ensuring equity.
Externally indicate support by standing up, speaking out, updating team policies to reflect LGBTQ appropriate language, and displaying equality symbols.
Go over gender pronouns with all athletes to ensure everyone knows how to address one another respectfully.
Ensure facility policies accommodate all individuals and that policies are easily accessible to all users.
Provide competition guidelines prior to meet entry and make sure there is a general team understanding.
Enforce anti-discriminatory policies with consistency and go over compliance throughout the season.
Resources & Research
USA Swimming LGBTQ Cultural Inclusion Resource Guide
Inclusion of LGBTQ Student-Athletes and Staff in NCAA Programs
GLSEN Research: The Experiences of LGBT Students in School Athletics
Research Summary: United States of America on Homophobia in Sports
Human Rights Campaign: Growing Up LGBT in America
Student-Athlete Engagement in LGBTQ Ally Actions
All commentaries are the opinion of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Swimming World Magazine nor its staff.
I disagree with the assumptions of this article presuming that the oppression, micro-aggressions, discrimination etc are cause for exclusion. First of all, there’s thousands of years of “binary” gender identification to change. It’s going to take time to adjust. Issues of practicality are a greater issue. Housing, locker rooms, etc are becoming complicated between both gender and sexuality matrix’ combination. It’s not discrimination but just practicality it f how to manage things now. Governing bodies have some work to do too in determining how to deal with fair competition when gender lines are blurring and chemicals are aiding some to make transitions good for their new identity, but considered doping under any other circumstance. If a person has female organs but are taking testosterone, they clearly have enhanced performance in both gained muscle mass, endurance and energy. A male genitaled wrestler who just won the female wrestling championship in a Texas. Both aren’t received well. It’s not that people hate, or are discriminatory. They just feel the competition is no longer fair.
I don’t want to exclude…but I want fair. I def think we’ve crossed the line of binary sports, but moving into very unfair competitions.