The registration process provides an initial glance into your organization for participants. Some tips for creating a more inclusive registration process, with 2SLGBTQI+ participants in mind, include providing a text box where participants can indicate their pronouns and asking participants for their preferred name in addition to their given name.
Use double quotes to find documents that include the exact phrase: "aerodynamic AND testing"
Use double quotes to find documents that include the exact phrase: "aerodynamic AND testing"
With nearly 40% of LGBTQ+ athletes reporting experiencing sports-related mistreatment, it is important to look into ways to increase acceptance and diversity in the sporting world. A recent study examines the relationships between adults’ sexuality, sports-related mistreatment, and sports involvement. The study’s findings suggest that more action is necessary to reduce prejudice and to provide more welcoming sports environments for all.
Research shows that demographic groups including athletes with disabilities and 2SLGBTQI+ athletes are disproportionately affected by maltreatment in sport. This is why researchers are advocating for more organizations to become educated on topics like racism, ableism and sexism in their sport, and incorporate them into Safe Sport initiatives.
The Rainbow Resource Centre has compiled a resource kit for sport organizations seeking to create inclusive and welcoming environments for 2SLGBTQ+ participants. Some of the recommendations include collaborating with 2SLGBTQ+ organizations, considering how language is used in your sporting space, and ensuring that employees are offered inclusivity training.
Sport has historically often been an unsafe space for LGBTQ+ athletes. Recent Canadian research sought to examine attitudes towards LGBTQ+ inclusion in figure skating, to assess whether these attitudes vary by gender, sexual identity, or level of participation in skating, and to examine the impact of contact with LGBTQ+ people on attitudes towards inclusion. Overall, researchers found positive attitudes towards inclusion within Canadian figure skating.
Sport participation has many benefits for one’s well-being. However, sport is not always a welcoming environment for LBGTQ+ people. Research consistently demonstrates that homophobia can be pervasive in sport contexts like gyms, arenas, and locker rooms (Anderson, 2017; Cleland, 2018; Frederick et al., 2022; Hartmann-Tews et al., 2021). In this blog, researchers from Brock University share findings from their study on the experiences of gay men in organized sport, including how they navigate stressors and ultimately how they derive well-being from sport participation.
LGBTQ+ youth often feel unsafe in sport environments. Coaches and sport leaders seeking to be inclusive need to recognize that participation alone doesn’t mean inclusion. Engaging in education and self-reflection, partnering with advocacy groups, recruiting and supporting LGBTQ+ individuals in leadership roles and evaluating the inclusivity of organizational policies are all ways that sport leaders can make their sport environment more welcoming.
Sports environments can be unwelcoming for LGBTQ+ youth. According to a national survey, 24.7% of LGBTQ+ youth reported avoiding athletic fields/facilities at school because they felt unsafe and 11.3% reported that they were discouraged from playing sports by faculty members. Promoting safe sports environments for LGBTQ+ youth has been shown to be beneficial for their wellbeing, self-esteem and can help increase their sense of belonging.
In 2021, the Government of Canada announced it would invest $80 million to support increased participation in organized community sport, particularly among underrepresented groups including Black, Indigenous, 2SLGBTQQIA+ and new Canadians. Careful planning is required to enhance these groups’ participation opportunities in community sport. Sport leaders can use strategic planning as an important tool for when sport clubs seek to attract new members.
Research shows that sexual minority youth are less likely to participate in organized sports than their heterosexual peers. Encouraging all sport participants to display the rainbow pride sign, for example, by using pride tape on their hockey sticks or baseball bats, can help LGBTQI2S youth feel included and welcomed in sport environments.