SUPPORTING SPORTS CLUBS TO CREATE SAFE ENVIRONMENTS FOR LGBTIQ+ FOLKS
Almost any LGBTIQ+ person who has played sport, whether it be at school, for a local club, or at an elite level, will have at best questioned about whether it would be an ok place for them to come out, and at worst been exposed to hateful and hurtful language and abuse, if not physical abuse.
The Out on the Fields study in 2015 was the first international study on the experiences of lesbian, gay and bisexual people in sport. Australian data found that 80% of respondents had experienced or witnessed homophobia in sport; 70% of youth believed that youth team sport is not safe for gay people, and 87% of gay men and 75% of gay women were not completely out in team sports. Participation for transgender folks can have even more complexity and challenges as a result of the very binary nature of sporting competitions.
All these factors can result in withdrawal from sports participation, especially team sports, leading to reduced physical activity and the poorer health and social outcomes associated with inactivity and isolation. While many sports clubs wish to be inclusive, they often struggle to know how to address this.
Working It Out, Tasmania’s gender, sexuality and intersex status support and education service, have been awarded funding by the Tasmanian Government’s Healthy Tasmania Fund to deliver their latest project: Everyone can play. They are currently conducting a community survey as the first phase of the project. The survey will provide them with a picture of the current environment in Tasmania, and the community’s priorities in terms of how to create a more welcoming, supportive and safe sporting environment for LGBTIQ+ people in Tasmania. The survey can be found at the following link, and they would very much appreciate people sharing it within your membership and communities: https://tinyurl.com/LGBTIQSportTas
For further details about the project, please contact Liv at Working It Out on 6231 1200 or liv@workingitout.org.au
