Cross Campus Engagement
Ensuring Fair Treatment of
LGBT StudentAthletes: Issues and
Resources
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Observations, Emerging
Issues, Resources
What I See While Working With College Administrators, Coaches
and Student-Athletes
Pat Griffin, Director of It Takes A Team
Observations: Issues of Concern
to Coaches of Women’s Sports
• Romantic/Sexual Relationships Between
Teammates
• Negative Recruiting/Lesbian Coaches’ Fear of
Being Open
• Openly Lesbian Athletes Perceived as a Source of
Distraction, Disruption on Team
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Observations: Issues of Concern
to Coaches of Men’s Sports
• Assumption that No Gay Men Play on Our Team
(This is a women’s sports issue)
• Hostile Climate: Anti-Gay Slurs, Lack of Tolerance
• Openly Gay Athletes in the Locker Room, Showers
Generational Differences:
Coaches and Student-Athletes
• Student-Athletes Are More Comfortable With
Gay/Lesbian Teammates Than Their Coaches Are
• Women Are More Comfortable With Gay
Teammates Than Men Are
• Student-Athletes Acknowledge Pervasive Use of
Anti-Gay Language, Coaches Do Not
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Emerging Issues: Participation of
Transgender Student-Athletes
• Lack of Policies, Adoption of Problematic Policies
• Lack of Understanding of Transgender
Issues/Identity
• Fears About “Unfair Competitive Advantage”
• NCLR/WSF National Think Tank
• Forthcoming Report and Policy Recommendations
It Takes A Team! Education
Campaign for LGBT Issues in Sport
www.ItTakesATeam.org
[email protected]
It Takes A Team Resources
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Classroom Activities/Educational Material
Best Policies and Practices Recommendations
Resources/References
Discussion of Issues
www.ItTakesATeam.org
What Can You Do On Your
Campus?
• Inquire about Athletic Department policy re: LGBT
issues? Does it reflect school policy? State Laws?
• Encourage Athletic Staff Education on LGBT
Issues/Institutional/Legal Responsibilities
• Link Campus LGBT Resources to Athletic
Department Leadership
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View from the AD
Laurie Priest
Chair of Physical Education and Director of Athletics
Mount Holyoke College
Critical LGBT issues from the AD’s view:
• Ability to bring full self to job or team
• Negative recruiting
• Ability to participate in a safe environment
• Team cohesion
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Typical Athletic Department Climate
• Open and Welcoming
• Hostile and Homophobic
• It’s ok, but don’t ask, don’t tell
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What is the role of the FAR in addressing
LGBT issues within athletics?
• Assess the athletic climate for LGBT coaches and
student athletes on your campus.
- Talk with the athletic director and other
athletic administrators
- Talk with the coaches
- Talk with the student-athletes and/or the
Student Athlete Advisory Council (SAAC)
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Determine needs in conjunction with
administrators, coaches and student-athletes
• Policies
• Education
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Facilitate collaboration of athletics with other
departments/resources on campus
• Health Center
• Diversity Office and/or Programming
• LGBT campus organizations/allies groups
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FAR Can Facilitate Positive Change
• Establish appropriate policies and
programming to support and educate athletic
personnel and student athletes.
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National Center For Lesbian
Rights Sports Project
Helen Carroll, Director
What Is NCLR?
The National Center for Lesbian Rights is a
legal organization committed to advancing
the civil and human rights of lesbian, gay,
bisexual, and transgender people and their
families through litigation, public policy
advocacy, and public education.
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NCLR’s Sports Project
Our Goal: To level the playing field for LGBT
players and coaches.
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Current Trends for LGBT Issues in
Intercollegiate Athletics
• Parents of student-athletes are contacting
NCLR with concerns of discrimination
• Student-athletes contact NCLR before or after
they have been removed from team and lost
scholarships
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Current Trends for LGBT Issues in
Intercollegiate Athletics
• Coaches speak out in Title IX retaliation cases when
sexual orientation is being used to silence them.
• Transgender student-athletes of all ages are asking
how they can participate on teams
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Current Trends for LGBT Issues in
Intercollegiate Athletics
Organizations work together:
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National Collegiate Athletic Association
Faculty Athletic Representatives Association
Women's Sports Foundation’s It Takes A Team
Coaching Organizations
National Association Collegiate Women Athletic Administrators (NACWAA)
Gay Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN)
Gay and Lesbian Advocates and Defenders (GLAD)
Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD)
NCLR/NCAA Think Tank 2006:
The Positive Approach
Negative Recruiting: The practice of playing on
stereotypes to deter recruits from attending
rival athletic programs by alleging or implying
that a rival coach or team members are gay
or lesbian.
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Understanding Negative Recruiting Based on
Sexual Orientation in Intercollegiate Athletics:
• Harmful consequences to all in sport
• Benefits of addressing this practice
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Best Practices for Challenging
Negative Recruiting Based on Sexual
Orientation For:
Coaches
Athletic Administrators
Student-Athletes Involved in Recruiting
Parents and Recruits
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Sample Non-Discriminatory Policy
• The sample policy may be added to or integrated into
existing policies
that address recruiting in general or negative
recruiting specifically
• The sample policy recommends the best practice of
adopting non-discrimination policies based on gender
identity and expression as well as sexual orientation.
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Faculty Athletic Representatives
Make Change Happen!
Is your institution's non-discrimination
policy reflected in:
– Athletic/Policy Statements
– Reviewed Yearly with Coaching Staff and
Student-athletes
Faculty Athletic Representatives
Make Change Happen!
Does the student-athlete handbook
include:
– The clearly stated non-discrimination policy
– A respect statement including LGBT
teammates
– A safe and confidential place/process for
the LGBT student-athlete to voice their
concerns
Legal Resources:
National Center for Lesbian Rights
Sports Project
http://www.nclrights.org/sports
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40 Years of “Coming OUT”
(Stonewall 1969 to 2009)
Versus
40 Years of “Coming IN”
(2010 to 2050)
Mark Schuster, Senior Dean of Students
Rutgers University
What Students Have Taught ME In A Decade of Teaching
A Course on Sport & Sexuality
COMING “OUT”
• NEED TO APOLOGIZE FOR
Who We are and Who We Love
• Deficit Model & Fear - Based
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COMING “OUT”
• Actions Based on Rejection from Team/ Family/
Coach
Isolation of Athletes:
6-10 Times More Likely To Commit Suicide
• Choice of Sports vs. Affectional Preferences
• Women: No Lesbians Allowed Policies (90s)
Men: So Afraid No Need For Written Rules
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COMING “IN”
• Emphasis is on the Importance of Allies, Family
Members and the Entire University Community.
• Importance of BROAD Liaison Training &
Making Contacts Available to Athletes.
• Creative Ways to Incorporate LGBT Awareness
into the formal curriculum and programming.
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COMING “OUT” MYTHS
(Hegemony): Homos As Sickos
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1953 Psychologist Evelyn Hooker, with a NIH
grant, determines no psychological differences
between homosexual and non-homosexual men.
• However, it takes over 20 years for APA and
AMA to “come out” with it!
• 1972 The American Psychological Association
finally removes homosexuality as a mental illness.
• 1974 The American Medical Association finally
removes homosexuality as a medical disorder.
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BARBIE DOLLS,
ACTION FIGURES
& “GIRLYMANS…”
SHRINKING Vs. BULGING
Arnold slams 'girly-men'
18/07/2004 : Accused
Cali state legislature of
being "girly-men"
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Why This Matters
• Men are getting BIGGER: Body Dismorphia
• Women are SHRINKING: Increased Eating Disorders
• MEANS TO SUBVERT AMBIGUOUS GENDER and
FLUID SEXUALITIES AND IDENTITIES…
• Underpinning reason is HOMOPHOBIA: CARTOONS
OF MEN AND WOMEN to reassert images of
REAL MEN and REAL WOMEN!!
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Research Blames Barbie Dolls For Contributing To Eating
Disorders... The Sunday NYTimes | Roger Dobson | May 14, 2006
Rutgers April 2007
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TODAY: FLUID
MULTIPLE &“INTERACTIVE”
INDENTITES …
Day After Imus &Rutgers Women's Basketball
“Megatext”
Transgender Kate Bornstein
Dedicated Her Lecture to the Rutgers’ Women
(in front of an audience of 300)
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Why was the national
discussion primarily about race?
Why wasn’t
“Nappy Headed Hoes”
Deconstructed?
• Socioeconomic Status, Sexism, and Sexuality took
a back seat, and in many discussions no seat!!
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When Athletic Departments
COME “IN”
• Pick/Invite and Train Liaisons/Allies from EVERY
Aspect of the University: Faculty, staff, athletics, etc.
• Make choices NOT based on position, but based on
people that are more affirming and not afraid to be a
strong and supportive ally for LGBT Athletes.
• CRITICAL: After the training, posting allies’ names and
contacts are visible and on websites for athletes to
reach out to them when needed.
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STRESS ASSESSMENT TEAMS
FOR LGBT ATHLETES:
• Based on Safety Net /Threat Assessment Teams
• Meet once or twice a month.
• Trained liaisons should attend to increase
communication across divisions, departments,etc.
• Invite SAAC Leaders to present cases of athletes
and teams that need support.
• Train SAAC Leaders as peer advocates in this
area (train-the-trainer model).
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Presence/Visibility of Athletic
Director and Leadership Team:
• Best Way To Send Message issue is important.
• LESS OBVIOUS WAYS BUT AS VITAL:
• Show up to Opening LGBT Receptions and
encourage teams to attend major programming.
• Put up obvious posters, pictures of OUT athletes,
and Certifications of Liaison Training and Service
in office.
• Let the shy and invisible know you are an ally.
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FACULTY:
• No more “Faculty of One”…you are a “Start Up” CEO
• Expand Involvement and interaction with Every Level
of administration and faculty departments.
• Encourage faculty to include LGBT athletes in their
syllabi for relevant courses, this includes sport
management and sport & exercise science courses.
• Teach faculty how to create “alternative assignments”
in exchange for a paper or assignments. Have class
attend films, lectures, panel discussions relevant to this
the topic. Then, write reaction or analysis papers on
how their perceptions have changed.
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Invite Less “Relevant” Departments to
“Come In” (Stop Teaching to Converted):
• Approach the most affirming members of EVERY
department to attend liaison training (good witches).
• Encourage them to attend programs that target these
issues at least once a semester.
• Pull in Graduate Students and TAs of the more
traditional or less likely departments.
• Invite faculty doing relevant research on gender,
sexuality, identity etc. to present and participate in
athletic and SAAC discussions.
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ALLIES ARE CRITICAL TO THE
COMING “IN” PROCESS:
Alliances are really very simple
they arise out of the fact that we are different
and yet may have common goals
they grow on the two conditions
that you and I
both of us
understand that we need each other to survive
and that we have the courage
to ask each other what that means.
From the poem, Alliances, by Judit
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WE ARE ALL ONE TEAM:
ATHLETES ARE ATHLETES !!!
OUR BLOG OF RESOURCES
FOR THIS PANEL & SESSION:
athletesrathletes.typepad.c
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