Why It Is Important to Address Homophobia in Sport
Playing sports is an important part of the educational experience for many young people. The challenges and rewards of competition, teamwork, achieving athletic excellence and coping with defeat teach athletes life lessons that will serve them well.
Sport has not always been open to all. In the past, people have been prohibited from sport participation or their opportunities to participate have been limited because of race and sex discrimination. Other people have been denied sport opportunities because of a lack of economic resources. Though sport is more open to people of all races, men and women, and people with few economic resources, prejudice and systematic discrimination can still limit access to sport. Assuring that everyone can participate in sport is an on-going challenge to all sport governing organizations.
Making sure that sport is a safe and respectful place for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people is part of the on-going quest for sports equality. Though LGBT people have always been a part of sport, they have been invisible. By hiding their identities many LGBT sportspeople endured anti-gay prejudice, discrimination and fear that discovery of their sexual orientation or gender identity would put an end to their careers in sport. The sports world has been largely silent about LGBT participants and the discrimination they have endured. Silence, innuendo, and rumor have been the norm. LGBT athletes exchanged invisibility for the opportunity to compete and coach.
In this silence stereotypes about LGBT people thrive and result in fear, discomfort, discrimination, harassment and even violence. Everyone in athletics is affected by this climate of hostility. Friendships are damaged, careers are ruined, individuals and teams do not perform at their best, athletes drop out of sports they love. As LGBT civil rights have expanded and LGBT people are more visible in the larger society, school athletic programs and sport organizations reflect these changes: More LGBT athletes and coaches openly identify themselves and programs and policies designed to address anti-gay prejudice and discrimination are more common.
This education kit is based on the belief that achieving equality in sport for all participants includes addressing the needs of LGBT people. The kit is based on the belief that LGBT participants in sport have the right to expect:
- Safety from physical or verbal harassment or violence
- Fair Treatment in all aspects of programming
- Equal Access to all aspects of programming
- Support for developing positive self-esteem and the respect of others
- Education about social diversity, prejudice, and discrimination in athletics
Who This Education Kit Is For
This educational kit includes a variety of resources for anyone interested in making athletics safe for everyone, including LGBT athletes and coaches. We hope that coaches, administrators, teachers, athletes, parents, or others who care about fairness and safety in sport will find this educational kit helpful in raising awareness and taking actions to make athletics safe for all. This educational kit can be used in a variety of settings with different groups:
- At regional or national professional conferences or meetings with coaches and administrators or other athletic staff
- As part of a new school year orientation program for new coaches, athletes, or parents
- As part of athlete educational programming
- As part of administrator staff development programming in school districts and other educational institutions
- As part of coaching staff development programs
- As a part of diversity training for use in athletic team meetings
- At a diversity training for parent-teacher/coach meetings
- As part of coach or administrator education program or class
- As part of sport studies curricula addressing social issues in sport
- As part of community sports education programs
Ideally, every athletic department should have an educational kit for use by athletic directors during staff orientation or other professional development programs for coaches or for use by coaches in programs they lead with athletes.
Kit Contents
Video It Takes A Team! Making Sports Safe for Lesbian and Gay Athletes This fifteen minute video features high school and college lesbian and gay athletes talking about their team experiences. The athletes also identify ways that coaches and teammates can help make athletics safe and respectful for all. Heisman trophy candidate Don McPherson and Tennis Champion Zina Garrison narrate the video.
Discussion Guides Discussion guides are provided with questions for leaders to use to lead discussions about the video with four groups critical to shaping the athletics environment: (1)athletic directors and educational administrators, (2)coaches, (3)athletes, and (4)parents. The kit contains information the discussion leader can use to deliver an initial video session as well as follow-up meetings to address questions not addressed in the first session.
Reproducible Handouts Selected resources appropriate as handouts to supplement or prepare audiences for the video program. NOTE: Permission has been obtained from all copyright holders for kit users to reproduce and distribute these materials in keeping with the purpose of this program.
Resources A list of resources on addressing LGBT issues in sport, including a Web site where all of the materials in this kit except the video and poster are available at no cost.
Posters Four copies of a poster that can be displayed in locker rooms, offices, classrooms, or hallways. The poster is printed on the front and back so that both sides can be read when posted on glass walls or windows. If these surfaces are not available, multiple copies are provided so that both sides can be displayed
Safe Space Campaign Stickers A "LGBT Safe Space" sticker is included in the kit with instructions for ordering more. This is a nationally recognized program described in Section Three of this kit (see Table of Contents).
Kit Evaluation Your evaluation of this educational resource would be greatly appreciated. Please fill out the "It Takes A Team! Post-Program Survey for Coaches/Administrators" and return it in the business reply envelope provided.