Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender athletes have the right to:
- Be proud of who they are
- Be physically safe
- Be as open about their LGBT identity as they choose to be
- Be treated with dignity and respect by coaches, teammates, other athletes, athletic department support staff, and spectators
- Speak out about LGBT issues
- Participate in school or community-based LGBT groups or activities
- Attend a school with specific policies and procedures prohibiting harassment and discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender expression.
- Attend a school where coaches and other educators understand and are sensitive to the challenges faced by LGBT young people
- Have their athletic and academic performance evaluated without regard to their sexual orientation or gender expression
- Be considered for all athletic and academic honors and awards without regard to their sexual orientation or gender expression
- Have their academic, social, and emotional needs met by school programs in the same ways that the needs of other students are addressed
- Participate in all athletic department or team social functions with the partner of their choice when other athletes are invited to bring partners
- Information about safe sex that specifically addresses the needs of LGBT people
- Have their families receive support and education about LGBT issues
STUDENTS: What to Do if You See a Student Being Harassed
- If it is likely to turn physical/violent, call an
adult immediately.
- If it is verbal, stop the harassment.
- Interrupt the comment.
- Make sure all the students in the area hear your comments.
- Identify the harassment.
- Label the form of harassment: "That was a
put-down based on race" (religion, ethnicity,
abilities, gender, sexual orientation, economic status, size, age, etc.).
- Do not imply that the victim is a member of that group. Don't even mention the victim.
- Broaden the response.
- Speak on behalf of the whole school: "We do not harass people here." "Our school treats everyone with respect." "We don't appreciate put-downs."
- Re-identify the offensive behavior: "This name calling can also be hurtful to others who overhear it."
- Physically lead the victim away from the situation without further talk.
- Put your arm around his/her shoulder, perhaps.
- Say, "Come on, let's go," and walk away to a safe place.
- Avoid any debate or arguing back. Do not risk getting
involved in a fight or challenging harassers so that they escalate their behavior!
STAFF: How To Handle Harassment in the Hallways
in 3 Minutes!
- Stop the harassment.
- Interrupt the comment / Halt the physical harassment.
- Do not pull students aside for confidentiality unless absolutely necessary.
- Make sure all the students in the area hear your comments.
- Identify the harassment.
- Label the form of harassment: "That was a harassing comment/put-down based upon race" (religion, ethnicity, abilities, gender, age, sexual orientation, economic status, size, etc.).
- Do not imply that the victim is a member of that identifiable group.
- Broaden the response.
- Do not personalize your response at this stage: "We at this school do not harass people." "Our community does not appreciate hateful/thoughtless behavior."
- Re-identify the offensive behavior: "This name-calling can also be hurtful to others who overhear it."
- Ask for change in future behavior.
- Personalize the response: "Chris, please pause and think before you act."
- Check in with the victim at this time: "If this
continues, please tell me, and I will take further action" We want everyone to be safe at this school.