Sport and Sexual Orientation

One would think in today's society, a society that is gradually becoming more and more accepting of lesbians, bisexuals, gays and transgenders, would be just that-accepting. Yet, still at very alarming numbers, LBGT's are still being discriminated in the work place, communities, and athletic environments. Advocacy agencies are putting all efforts into fighting for the rights of the LGBT community. Moreover, they are fighting for the same treatment every human being deserves.

The Women's Sport and Fitness Foundation is one such group that is actively taking initiative in fighting issues such as this one. WSFF is a UK charity that campaigns to make physical activity an everyday part of life for women and and girls. Their website states, "Our Vision is a society which encourages, enables, and celebrates active women and girls". One of their goals is to eliminate the stigma associated with women playing sports in a patriarchal system.

I came across this fact sheet that the WSFF had published about the common stereotypes of women in sports, to help bring awareness to this issue. This fact sheet gets down to the core of what the stereotype's about women in sports are (homonegativity), where the came from (predominately male and heterosexual environment), why this is an issue (e.g. making lesbian and bisexual athletes feel unwelcome, belittled, etc.), and what should be done to address these discriminatory acts. I think, of most importance, is why are we humans treating each other this way? Whether you are of Christian background or not, black or white, purple or blue, short or tall, we all want to be treated with respect. Right?

The link to the fact sheet is included below. Check it out and I encourage you, challenge you, to take the survey towards the end of the fact sheet. Take it to work, school, anywhere and see if homonegativity is present somewhere in your life. Taking a step back to realize the importance of fairness for all is one small step towards a much larger step....total equality.

http://rfllive.dyndns.org/~rflmedia/docs/Sport_and_Sexual_Orientation.pdf

Dan Myers
May Intersession