Homophobia is still rife in community sport in Australia, new research shows – and it’s why many gay athletes are pursuing other life goals.
Research from Swinburne University of Technology, which looked at discrimination against LGBTIQA+ young people, found that three in four gay men have witnessed homophobia and 63 percent of gay men experience it first-hand.
“The young people we spoke to for this study emphasized their desire to be able to play sports and ‘just exist’ or be themselves, without their identity being questioned, debated or questioned,” says research colleague Dr Ryan Storr .
‘This research clearly indicates that discrimination prevents LGBTIQA+ young people from participating in sport, and when they do play sport, they often face persistent discrimination.’
More than half of LGBTIQA+ young people have seen discrimination on the ground, and 40 percent have experienced it themselves. The survey surveyed more than 1,000 people.
Homophobia remains rife in community sport in Australia, new research shows – and it’s the reason many gay athletes pursue other life activities (pictured, Sydney AFL player Michael O’Donnell)
According to research from Swinburne University of Technology, three in four gay men witness homophobia in Australia and 63 percent of gay men experience it firsthand
Amateur Sydney Australian rules footballer Michael O’Donnell says Australia is slowly moving towards eradicating homophobia and all forms of discrimination.
O’Donnell, 37, plays across the halfback line in UNSW Eastern Suburbs division three.
The proud gay man also coaches the club’s second division women’s team.
O’Donnell was surprised that 53 percent of LGBTIQA+ young people had seen discrimination in sports.
‘My memory of that kind of language when I was younger was predominant. I thought it would be 100 percent.”
Many young people are missing out on the community, mental and physical benefits of sport because of discriminatory language, he added.
‘People shouldn’t miss that because they are attracted to the same sex.’
O’Donnell spoke to ABC’s Four Corners program last year about the AFL being the only professional sporting code in the world not to have a gay player, past or present.
Born and raised in Melbourne, O’Donnell retired from football due to the homophobic language hurled on the pitch by spectators and media figures in the professional ranks.
He was not yet free at the time, but the discriminatory language caused him to harbor shame and internal homophobia.
Michael O’Donnell was surprised that 53 percent of LGBTIQA+ youth in Australia had seen discrimination in sports
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“When you play at the community level, it (homophobic language) pops up, but now it is reported and there are consequences.”
There are also consequences for the elite.
Just this year, two AFL players and the league’s longest-serving current coach, Alastair Clarkson, were suspended for homophobic comments, all in separate incidents.
O’Donnell said there was no spike in offensive language, but it was finally being called out and punished.
Interestingly, Swinburne’s research found that LGBTIQA+ young people living in urban areas faced more discrimination than their rural counterparts.
O’Donnell attributed that to understanding what kind of language crossed the line.
Broadly speaking, he believes that the Australian sporting public is willing to address discrimination based on sexual orientation and race; those special edition Pride and Indigenous jerseys always sold out, he said.
The research shows that young LGBTIQA+ people have strong opinions about Pride efforts in sports.
They reported the challenge of washing the rainbow of sporting organizations; the negative impacts on their mental health from the ongoing debates and discussions about the lives of LGBTIQA+ people through the medium of sport – including trans athletes and pride games – were also highlighted, the researchers say.
The data showed that targeted efforts and programs were urgently needed to ensure that sport and exercise environments did not continue to cause harm and force LGBTIQA+ young people to drop out.