Communication

Language and communication, whether good or bad, can have a significant impact on the quality of sport experiences for LGBTIQ+ individuals. Poor language or communication are often highlighted as a negative factor at all levels. ^{24, 25, 28, 46}

This includes communication by players, volunteers, officials, employees, or spectators. In person and through other channels, such as websites, advertising, newsletters, and social media. ^{28, 45}

Using respectful and inclusive language helps people feel welcome and accepted regardless of their own gender, bodies, or relationships. ^{25, 47}

In line with the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) and discussions with representatives of the sector, the Clearinghouse for Sport primarily uses the acronym LGBTIQ+ to refer to the diverse population of people who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans/transgender, intersex, queer, and other sexuality (including asexual), gender, and bodily diverse. The way in which individuals and communities identify, including preferred acronyms, have and will change over time and can vary depending on available evidence and the groups or issues discussed. ⁴⁸

Best-practice is to follow the language used by the person or group that you are working or communicating with, and if in doubt ask. ^{14, 25, 47}

Suggestions for practice

Some general suggestions for good communication practices include:

• Use appropriate language and correct terminology (such as using people’s preferred pronouns). ^{25, 46, 49}
• Use gender neutral language, for example, families/friends/fans/spectators when addressing a crowd instead of ladies and gentlemen. Partner instead of husband/wife/girlfriend/boyfriend. ^{3, 50}
• Be open to feedback and/or reaching out to specific communities and individuals to learn what they need to feel welcome and included. ²⁵
• Provide inclusive options on registration forms, potentially moving away from gender-based (including for parents when registering children, parent/guardian rather than mother/father). ^{28, 49}
• Make sure that images, videos, and other signage is representative of different participants. ^{25, 50}

Homophobic language

One of the most frequently referenced barriers to sport and physical activity for LGBTIQ+ individuals and communities is the common use of sexist (“you throw like a girl”) and homo/bi/transphobic (calling participants ‘fag’ or ‘dyke’ regardless of sexuality) language. ^{6, 14, 25, 51}

This type of language contributes to LGBTIQ+ participants feeling unwelcome and unsafe. It can lead to them hiding their identity or sexuality or dropping out of sport altogether, often at young ages. This can have potential life-long impacts on their health and wellbeing. ^{6, 14, 25, 34}

• In the 2023 Australian Pride in Sport National Survey, 15% of respondents had witnessed mild behaviours (negative commentary, jokes, and/or innuendo) within their organisation. More serious bullying was witnessed by 4% of respondents. 12% of diverse sexuality respondents had been the target of mild behaviours and over half did not report these behaviours to anyone. Around 3% (5 respondents) had experienced more serious bullying and harassment. Of these 1 reported to Sports Integrity Australia and 2 to their state governing body, while the remaining 2 did not report to anyone. ¹⁵
• A 2021 study in six countries (United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland) found that LGB youth who ‘came out’ to teammates were more likely to report being the target of homophobic behaviour (verbal slurs, bullying, assaults). The more people who knew, the more likely negative behaviour would occur. ⁵²
• Participants within a 2019 South Australian study identified that homophobic language was used regularly in sport. While some felt that this language was not always used 'literally' it was still derogatory, used to offend and mentally challenge opposition players. ²⁵
• A 2017 study of LGBT inclusion in Australian cricket found that both LGBT (46%) and non-LGBT (34%) participants often witness homophobia in cricket and an additional 26% of queer and 16% of non-queer participants often experienced homophobia during cricket. 80% of participants thought that offensive language towards LGBT people was a problem in cricket. 76% also did not greed that anti-LGBT language is harmless if it’s just meant as banter. When asked about ways to address discrimination based on gender identity and sexuality, survey respondents ranked coaches, officials, and/or captains challenging discriminatory language; players challenging discriminatory language; and penalties for players using discriminatory language during training the highest. ⁵³
• The 2014 ‘Equal Play’ study highlighted that more than three-quarters of young LGBTIQ+ respondents (aged 14–23 years) in Victoria reported hearing homophobic verbal abuse at least sometimes in the previous 12 months, with 79% hearing it at physical education and 75% in school-based sport. ⁴³

There is currently limited, and mixed evidence about the role that programs or initiatives in sport environments can play in reducing the use of harmful sexist and homo/bi/transphobic language. ^{16, 54, 55}

• A 2023 report on the use of professional rugby athletes to deliver education on homophobic language found that it was not effective. The authors suggest that other approaches to reduce homophobic language (and other forms of discrimination) such as peer-to-peer education, and enforcement of policies prohibiting specific language by coaches, should be explored. ⁵⁵
• A 2022 study of clubs who held a Pride Cup event (including education opportunities and hosting a pride game) found that their individual participants used less homophobic language than comparison clubs (who did not host a Pride Cup event) (11% vs 32%) and were half as likely to report their teammates had used this language (26% vs 57%). However, the authors did highlight that there was still some homophobic language use, and it was unclear if differences were caused solely by the Pride Cup intervention or some other factor (i.e. teams that agreed to host Pride Cup were already more supportive of LGBTQ+). ⁵⁶
• A 2021 study with male rugby and ice hockey players in Australia found that over half (54%) of the players self-reported using homophobic language at least once in the previous two weeks, and 69% had perceived their teammates to have done so. Self-reported homophobic language use was related to norms (i.e. habitual or everyone does it), rather than homophobic attitudes. The authors suggest that interventions could target changing these norms rather than ‘tackling’ homophobic attitudes as a more effective way to change the behaviour. ⁵⁷

Resources and reading