By David “Dirk” Smith, M.Sc., SDL (He/Him)
If you work in sport and you think this article doesn’t apply to you, you’re wrong. Every coach, sport psychologist, and other practitioner in the field has, had, and/or will have an LGBTQ+ athlete under your guidance and care. Whether they choose to be visible or not is entirely their business and it’s not your job to say otherwise. However, it is your job to ensure that the space you are providing to practice and participate in sport is built around an inclusive, safe, accessible, and empowering climate for all your athletes. Such an environment is a key factor in driving sport performance, by removing barriers and conditions that cause stress, anxiety, lack of focus, and replacing them with a welcome, visibly inclusive, safe space, you will encourage intrinsic motivation, athlete engagement, group cohesion, and build participation.
With the rise of outspoken transphobic and homophobic people as of late, the introduction of hundreds of anti-LGBTQ+ bills in US legislatures all around the country, book bans, and attacks on anybody flying a rainbow flag or selling rainbow merch. LGBTQ+ people are facing levels of discrimination, prejudice, and bigotry unseen in decades. This includes many of your athletes, some of whom are seeing their athletic careers being threatened if not already destroyed through anti-trans blanket bans, gender verification testing, locker-room violence, and others.
As a practitioner, how do you stand with your LGBTQ+ athletes and ensure that you’re sport space remains a safe place for them to take a break from the bigotry and enjoy, even for a brief moment, the joys of sport?
Building a “safe space” means creating an empowering environment in which the attitudes, behaviors, languages, and barriers that have long made such spaces inaccessible are replaced with such that ensures that those who participate feel safe within the space so they can focus on the task at hand.
There are hundreds of articles on the internet that cover this topic, everything from removing gendered language to conducting ice breaker sessions and the like. It is mentioned here as the foundation in which this article is built upon as the next sections diver deeper into the issues that LGBTQ+ athletes face outside of these inclusive spaces that you control and thus, how do you prepare your athletes and yourself for it.
Learn and understand the laws and policies that are banning, excluding and/or limiting trans athletes from participating mean and how it affects your trans and nonbinary athletes.
An athletic identity is almost synonymous with a gender identity and sexual orientation. Sport is about so much more than win/lose, it shapes people’s identity, and it offers a lot of character and skill development that apply to life. People are shaped by their experiences as an athlete as much as anything else, so to have that taken away through no fault or control of their own is literally taking a way a part of who they are.
The fairytales about trans athletes dominating sport are unfounded, but the psychological impact of banning a whole group of people from simply being able to participate in sport is only going to make the mental health crisis LGBTQ+ people are facing even worse.
Sport psychologists especially, but also coaches and practitioners need to be prepared to work with their trans and nonbinary athletes who are affected by these discriminatory laws and policies.
Some laws are requiring highly unethical gender verification testing, almost going as far as requiring genital inspections.
Whether or not these are occurring, the idea alone being considered is enough to cause severe anxiety in any and all athletes regardless of gender identity. It is important to help your athletes learn how to set ethical boundaries to ensure they can stand up for themselves.
This practice of gender verification has been outlawed since the 1960s due to the obviously perverse nature of the practice. This practice has always been directed toward female athletes and the laws may use doctors and physical checkups to circumvent the ethics of it. It is still a violation of your athlete’s right to privacy and should never even be subject to consideration when participating in sport, on any level.
Trans and non-binary athletes who are still able to participate and compete are facing extra pressure, discrimination, bullying, verbal and physical assault, threats, and violence simply because they are participating openly in sport.
During the 2022 NCAA Women’s Swimming and Diving Championships, openly trans swimmer Lia Thomas went into the communication having to walk through crowds of protestors shouting and displaying hateful messages. All of whom came to protest her participation in the competition, regardless of her performance. On the pool deck, she faced criticism and judgement from other swimmers and only limited support from her own team. Upon winning her main event, she was excluded from many group photos and heavily featured in the press on all sides of the discussion who picked apart every aspect of her life, her identity, and her dignity.
Trans and non-binary athletes experience feelings of alienation, exclusion, pressure, lack of privacy, lack of social support by their fellow competitors and teammates, bullying, threats, and unwanted publicity. This puts a lot of pressure on the athlete, and they need to have a lot of courage to simply come out of the locker-room. It’s important that they are prepared for it and have a support system to back them up.
Trans men often face accusations of doping and other performance enhancing substances.
As practitioners in sport, it is important to learn about the use of hormone replacement therapy with trans athletes. Trans men do often take testosterone supplements to bring their serum testosterone levels on par with that of cis men. These treatments are under the supervision of a doctor’s care who supervises the dosage and ensures that the process itself proceeds safely. Trans men testosterone levels are statistically comparable with that of cis men and otherwise offer no kind of advantage in performance.
As most levels of sport do not have strict doping controls, this point is otherwise moot. However, the World Anti-Doping Association has a clear policy on this exact issue allowing trans men to apply for Therapeutic Use Exemptions if and when they reach a level of sport when it is necessary to do so. It should also be noted that some trans men and nonbinary athletes will often delay the start of Hormone Replacement Therapy until the end of their athletic career.
Despite this, trans men may face bullying and harassment from other athletes, coaches, and spectators who are quick to assume and make unfounded accusations. This can lead to loss of focus, emotional distress, anxiety, and other issues. This can especially be a common occurrence if the athlete is winning or is showing performance improvements during competition and/or practice.
The ol’ “how would you feel in the locker room with a gay teammate?” and other annoying anti-gay questions that won’t go away. Communal locker rooms alone are one of the biggest barriers of accessibility for LGBTQ+ people participating in sport.
Even today, people are still asking the ol’ locker room question and often bringing attention to the fact that yes, athletes will change clothes and take showers in communal spaces. These are commonly outsiders who don’t have any sense of the team dynamic but can suddenly lead to anxiety and fears among gay athletes (out or closeted) about using locker room spaces with their straight teammates. Usually, these questions target the fears of straight people, but in the end, it only drives the fear of gay people who feel like they are no longer an accepted or equal part of the team. Even more so, it could lead to fears and even actions of bullying and violence over perceived actions regardless of occurrence.
Communal locker rooms literally put everything on display, and this is enough to create a lot of fear and anxieties, especially for LGBTQ+ people. Using locker rooms that don’t offer private and/or gender-neutral changing/showering spaces, being able to use the room that aligns with the gender identity and the worry of having to deal with other people using the same space who may or may not take a peek and then causing a whole drama about it.
Sudden changes in behavior in/out of the lockerroom, training, and performance may be indicative of an athlete experiencing any of these issues. They may also have anxiety about talking/sharing about it for fear of rejection and discrimination. Thus, if such a negative change is observed, it is important for the sport psychology and/or coach to intervene first.
Part of building an inclusive, accessible, and supportive environment is establishing a supportive relationship with your athletes to ensure that they feel safe and supported when contending with such stressors and issues. That way, if something does occur, you as the practitioner can intervene sooner rather than later. The anti-LGBTQ+ discrimination and prejudice your athletes face may be outside of your control, but you can help them learn to deal with it and stand behind them when they face it, ensuring they don’t have to deal with it alone.
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