Solutions to Homophobia and Transphobia in Sport
Over the last two decades, dozens of manuals, educational resources, and policies have been created to promote the inclusion of LGBTQ+ in sport. Unfortunately, almost all are based on assumptions rather than science and evidence. The manuals and education resources are also not used, and many coaches are unaware of policies.
Public health officials have identified an ‘urgent’ need for effective solutions to stop the harm to everyone, regardless of sexuality or gender, from homophobic attitudes and behaviours.
This page will help you quickly identify the approaches that are based on research and evidence and those that are unlikely to be effective.
We know that this information may be confronting to some who use solutions that are not based on science. We are not saying these resources do not work, but rather, they have never been proven to work and they are not based on identifiable research and evidence.
Dozens of coach ‘manuals’ and ‘guides’ have been created. It is unclear if any are effective or used.
Homophobic Language and behaviour
The majority of teenage males continue to report using homophobic language in male sport. Education programs have shown limited benefit (in any setting) in changing this behaviour. As the video above details, this behaviour is generally not driven by homophobic attitudes, but rather culture/social norms. Two approaches show promise in changing culture/norms.
Lesbian Stigma in Female Sports
Recent research in the UK has found the majority of female rugby players say others immediately assume they are lesbians because of the sport they play. Fear of experiencing lesbian stigma deters many girls from playing certain sports (regardless of sexuality) and lesbian/bi professional athletes continue to stay in their closet to avoid ‘tarnishing’ their sport. Just two scientific papers have focused on solutions.
Exclusion Of Transgender People
Yes! Users can add video from YouTube or Vimeo with ease:
Enter App Settings
Click the “Manage Questions” button
Click on the question you would like to attach a video to
When editing your answer, click on the video icon and then paste the YouTube or Vimeo video URL
That’s it! A thumbnail of your video will appear in answer text box