HOMOPHOBIA STILL A PROMINENT ISSUE IN CANADIAN SPORTS
A new study has shown that homophobia is still a prominent issue in Canadian sports and is discouraging youth from participating in some athletic fields.
Out on the Fields was conducted online in six English-speaking countries and was promoted through a coalition of sports organizations. There were 9,500 participants in the survey and 75 per cent of those were members of the LGBT community.
Results of the survey showed that 81 per cent of Canadians surveyed had witnessed or experienced homophobia in sports. The survey also revealed that 84 per cent of gay men and 88 per cent of gay women had faced homophobic slurs in sports.
Sociology professor Sandi Kirby was a member of Canada’s first female Olympic rowing team. Kirby says she kept her sexuality private during the entirety of her career as an athlete.
Kirby says it’s clear that there is still a lot to be done in regards to creating equality in sports and ensuring that athletes feel safe coming out while they are still at the peak of their careers.
“We used to think that if we worked on gender, we worked on gender equity, that the rest of the inequalities would follow along behind and it’s pretty clear from this study that it just isn’t so.”
While Canadian athletic organizations do currently promote acceptance, the study suggests there is still much hostility toward perceived homosexual athletes and it starts at school age.
