Discrimination in sports.
Nearly half of young gay men who play sports have been the target of bullying, assaults and slurs, according to research coming out from New Zealand.
Authored by Erik Denison, Ruth Jeanes, Nick Faulkner and Kerry S. O’Brien, “The Relationship Between ‘Coming Out’ as Lesbian, Gay, or Bisexual and Experiences of Homophobic Behaviour in Youth Team Sports” appeared in Sexuality Research and Social Policy.
Involving 1,173 participants aged from 15 to 21 years old (collected in 2014–2015) from six countries (US, UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland), the study eyed to examine whether LGB youth who come out to teammates experience homophobic behavior.
It found that close to half of the sample (41.6%) reported having been the target of homophobic behavior. This included verbal slurs, bullying and assaults.
Multivariate logistic regression models adjusting for age, gender, country and contact sport participation found that participants who came out as being LGB to sports teammates were significantly more likely to report being a target of homophobic behavior. There appeared to be a dose response with coming out to more people associated with a greater likelihood of experiencing homophobic behavior.
“The study results suggest a relationship between coming out as LGB and encountering homophobic behavior in team sports. LGB experiences of homophobic behavior appear common overall in this sample, but are greater in those who have come out to teammates,” the researchers noted.
They recommended the development of strategies aimed at reducing homophobic behavior in sport.
“Although there is some evidence that education may be effective in reducing homophobia… stronger regulatory principals and actions are needed to address prejudices around sexuality. In so doing, better regulations and policies can enhance the health and well-being of LGB youth through their increased and/or ongoing participation in team sport.”
