Male teamsport athletes have traditionally been described as some of the most homophobic and femphobic men in North American culture. However, in this ethnographic research of an education-based soccer team at a small Catholic university in a rural part of Middle America, I use inclusive masculinity theory to highlight that a softer version of masculinity is in operation. I use participant observation and 22 in-depth interviews to show that these men are gay friendly, that they avoid fights, and that they use reciprocal disclosure and homosocial tactility to emotionally bond. Although the type of masculinity the men on this team exhibit retains some orthodox behaviours, it is nonetheless far removed from the traditional model of hegemonic masculinity commonly attributed to teamsport athletes found in American institutes of sport and education.

/pdf/inclusive-masculinities-of-university-soccer-players-in-the-4bwmrd1h8j.pdf

Inclusive Masculinities of University Soccer Players in the American Midwest.

Despite extensive changes in social attitudes to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT)
Australians over the last decade, research shows they still experience significant levels of
discrimination and abuse. There is very little direct empirical research on the sport experience of
LGBT Australians. Whilst other disadvantaged groups in the Australian sport context have been
recognised in the research and policy agenda, the existence, experiences and needs of LGBT peoples
within sport have largely been ignored. Both implicit discrimination that results from
‘heteronormative’ attitudes and explicit discrimination that causes LGBT sports-people to remain in
the closet, become isolated and essentially silenced, have shaped a circle of silence on this topic.
Sport plays a significant role in Australian society; however, it is a place where LGBT Australians are
largely silent and invisible. Come Out To Play is the first comprehensive survey of the LGBT sport
experience in Australia and provides rich insight through closed and open ended responses into the
sporting lives, passions, rewards and challenges of these sports participants, supporters, volunteers
and workers.

Come Out To Play : the sports experiences of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people in Victoria

Research on bullying and homophobic bullying has mainly focused on school contexts, with little research in sports-related contexts This study used a sample of 88 gay males and 120 heteros

/pdf/sports-as-a-risk-environment-homophobia-and-bullying-in-a-2l0bx0p9lk.pdf

Sports as a risk environment: Homophobia and bullying in a sample of gay and heterosexual men

This study examined the traumatic sequelae associated with childhood sexual abuse from a contextualized perspective, taking into account childhood physical and psychological abuse experiences and adult trauma. Participants were 90 (45 men and 45 women) competitive athletes, purposefully selected to balance the distributions of sex and reported childhood sexual abuse across the sample. The study comprised a cross‐sectional, retrospective investigation using well‐established, standardized, self‐report questionnaires and a semi‐structured interview Results revealed that, within the total sample, childhood sexual, physical, and psychological abuse were strongly correlated. Reported childhood psychological abuse was the primary unique correlate of current posttraumatic and dissociative symptomatology. Reported childhood sexual abuse and psychological abuse were uniquely correlated with posttraumatic and dissociative symptomatology in the male sample. The unique correlate in the female sample was child...

A Contextualized Investigation of Traumatic Correlates of Childhood Sexual Abuse in Australian Athletes

Reviewing evidence of LGBTQ+ discrimination and exclusion in sport

The authors of this chapter came together from very different starting points but 
with a common interest in how gender, sexuality and sexual orientation are used 
as weapons of exploitation in various arenas and, particularly, in sport where such 
behaviour deters sports participation and enjoyment. Ian Rivers and Brendan 
Gough, although adopting two very different methodological approaches to their 
research, share a common interest in the ways in which homophobia manifests 
itself within contemporary society (Rivers 2001a, 2001b, 2004; Gough 2002, 
n.d.). Celia Brackenridge and Karen Llewellyn have approached their previous 
work from feminist sociological perspectives. Karen Llewellyn has always been 
interested in gender relations and their inﬂ uence within physical education and 
sport and Celia Brackenridge’s work on sexual exploitation (1997, 2001, 2003), 
which has focused largely on sexual harassment and abuse, was the springboard for 
her interest in sport as a site of homophobic bullying.

K Llewellyn

Papers

Driving down participation: Homophobic bullying as a deterrent to doing sport