Trans Prejudice in Sport: Differences from LGB Prejudice, the Influence of Gender, and Changes over Time

Cunningham, George B.; Pickett, Andrew C.

doi:10.1007/s11199-017-0791-6

Cited by 53 publications

(37 citation statements)

References 27 publications

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“…LGB individuals also experience many of these barriers, albeit not to the same degree (Cunningham & Pickett, 2018). Research is needed to understand how biases against trans individuals can be reduced.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Understanding the experiences of LGBT athletes in sport: A multilevel model.

Cunningham¹

2019

APA Handbook of Sport and Exercise Psychology, Volume 1: Sport Psychology (Vol. 1).

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Two examples from February 2017 illustrate the equivocal state of affairs for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) athletes in sport. 1 The first occurred in Cypress, Texas, where Mack Beggs won the 110-pound division of the Class 6A wrestling championship (Floreck, 2017). Although winning a state title is noteworthy in itself, what made this achievement particularly striking is that Beggs is a transgender boy, meaning he was assigned the sex of female at birth but his gender identity and gender expression are that of a boy. At the time of the event, Beggs was taking testosterone as part of the transition process. His testosterone treatment was permitted under University Interscholastic League rules, which offer a provision that students are permitted to take steroids so long as they are "dispensed, prescribed, delivered and administered by a medical practitioner for a valid medical purpose" (as cited in Floreck, 2017). Beggs' s transition comes under this valid medical purpose. Further, although Beggs preferred to compete against other boys, University Inter scholastic League rules stipulate that athletes must participate in sports based on their sex assigned at birth (Buzuvis, 2011). Thus, although Beggs identified as a boy, preferred to compete against boys, and was taking testosterone to transition, he was required by state guidelines to compete against girls. The wrestling meet and Beggs' s accomplishments occurred against the backdrop of a lawsuit brought by a competing school' s wrestling coach, who was seeking to prohibit Beggs from participating.The same month, Braden Holtby, of the National Hockey League' s Washington Capitals ice hockey team, wore a You Can Play-themed goalie mask. You Can Play is an organization whose mission is to create a sport environment that is safe, respectful, and inclusive of all persons, irrespective of their sexual orientation or gender identity (see http://www.youcanplayproject.org). The organization partnered with the National Hockey League in 2013 to begin promoting an LGBT-inclusive space for all athletes seeking to play hockey. In February 2017, the National Hockey League promoted the slogan "Hockey is for Everyone" as a way of promoting diversity and inclusion in the sport. As part of those efforts, the Capitals engaged in several LGBTinclusive activities, including Holtby' s wearing of the equality-themed mask and several other players using rainbow-colored Pride Tape on their sticks during a practice. The helmet and the sticks were then signed and auctioned to raise money for You Can Play (Gulitti, 2017). 1 The terms lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) commonly are considered together. According to the American Psychological Association (http://www.apa.org/topics/lgbt/orientation.aspx), lesbians are women who have emotional, romantic, or sexual attractions toward other women. Gay men have emotional, romantic, or sexual attractions toward other men. Bisexual refers to women or men who have emotional, romantic, or sexual attractions toward both w...

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Understanding the experiences of LGBT athletes in sport: A multilevel model.

Cunningham¹

2019

APA Handbook of Sport and Exercise Psychology, Volume 1: Sport Psychology (Vol. 1).

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“…Transgender individuals face prejudice and discrimination in many parts of society, including sport (Buzuvis, 2012;Cunningham & Pickett, 2018;Tagg, 2012;Travers & Deci, 2011). Although there are a number of explanatory theoretical perspectives, stigma theory is particularly ideal because of factors at multiple levels of analysisthat is, the theory takes into account factors at societal, group, and individual levels that may influence attitudes and behaviors directed toward transgender individuals.…”

Section: Theoretical Underpinningsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…A number of factors predict prejudice toward transgender individuals, including sex (men express more prejudice than do women), conservative beliefs, religiosity, gender-binary beliefs, authoritarianism, ambivalent sexism, sexual prejudice, and the need for closure (Nagoshi et al, 2008;Norton & Herek, 2013;Tebbe & Moradi, 2012). Cunningham and Pickett (2018) conducted an analysis of transgender prejudice in sport and its correlates. They collected data from two samples of demographically similar undergraduate students and did so 7 years apart.…”

Section: Individual Stigmamentioning

confidence: 99%

Inclusive Spaces and Locker Rooms for Transgender Athletes

Cunningham¹,

Buzuvis²,

Mosier³

2018

Kinesiology Review

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The purpose of this article is to articulate the need for a strong commitment to transgender inclusion in sport and physical activity, including in locker rooms and team spaces. The authors begin by defining key constructs and offering a theoretical overview of stigma toward transgender individuals. The focus then shifts to the changing opportunities for transgender athletes at all participation levels, case law and rulings germane to the topic, and the psychological, physical, and social outcomes associated with inclusion and exclusion. Next, the authors present frequently voiced concerns about transgender inclusion, with an emphasis on safety and privacy. Given the review, the authors present the case for inclusive locker rooms, which permit access by transgender athletes to facilities that correspond to their gender identity. The authors conclude with the official AKA position statement—“The American Kinesiology Association endorses inclusive locker rooms, by which we mean sex-segregated facilities that are open to transgender athletes on the basis of their gender identity”—and implications for sport and physical activity.

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“…Conversely, sports organizations are accused of implementing discriminatory policies, of adhering to binary sex-segregation instead of considering gender identity or other competitive categories, and of systematically excluding transgender athletes and preventing the positive effects of sport on transgender individuals (e.g., in Sykes, 2006;Karkazis et al, 2012;Gleaves and Lehrbach, 2016;Jones et al, 2017b;Semerjian, 2019). These arguments about systemic bias are supported by evidence of individual attitudes toward and personal experiences of transgender individuals in sports (e.g., Smith et al, 2012a,b;Jones et al, 2017b;Cunningham and Pickett, 2018;Devís-Devís et al, 2018).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…For some time now, transgender issues have been discussed in Anglophone research, mostly under the LGBT(IQ) umbrella (Kavoura and Kokkonen, 2020). This approach of lumping transgender athletes together with other sexual minorities has been questioned, because these groups face different challenges and prejudices in sports (Lucas-Carr and Krane, 2011;Cunningham and Pickett, 2018;Semerjian, 2019). In the European context, transgender inclusion in sports, as well as experiences of and barriers to transgender sports participation, are rarely quantitatively examined on a broader level.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Gender Identities in Organized Sports—Athletes' Experiences and Organizational Strategies of Inclusion

2020

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In relation to conceptualizing sports, beliefs about sex binary and male hegemony are dominant. To match these assumptions and provide level playing fields, sport systems are based on sex-segregation. Thus, people who do not fit into or reject fitting into sex categories are hindered from participating in sports, particularly organized sports. Studies on social exclusion of gender-identity minorities in sports mainly adopt a qualitative approach and focus on Anglophone countries. This research is the first to provide a comprehensive picture of the experiences of LGBT+ athletes in organized sports settings in Europe and is based on a quantitative online survey (n = 2,282). The current paper draws special attention to differences between cisgender and non-cisgender athletes (including transgender men, transgender women, non-binary, and non-identifying individuals). Besides athletes' experiences, organizational strategies of inclusion, derived from qualitative interviews with stakeholders from sport systems in five European countries (Germany, Scotland, Austria, Italy, and Hungary) are examined. Theoretically anchored in Cunningham's (2012) multilevel model for understanding the experiences of LGBT+ individuals and Meyer's (2003) minority stress model, the paper aims to (1) analyze the assessment of transnegativity and (2) examine negative experiences (prevalence, forms, perpetrators) of LGBT+ athletes from organized sport contexts in Europe; and (3) discuss inclusive strategies in sports organizations in Europe. Data reveal that transnegativity is perceived as a major problem in European sports, and non-cisgender athletes are the most vulnerable group, suffering particularly from structural discrimination. The implementation of inclusive strategies for non-cisgender athletes is perceived as a complex and essential task, but the sports organizations in the five countries differ substantially in terms of the status of implementation.

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Trans Prejudice in Sport: Differences from LGB Prejudice, the Influence of Gender, and Changes over Time

Cited by 53 publications

References 27 publications

Understanding the experiences of LGBT athletes in sport: A multilevel model.

Understanding the experiences of LGBT athletes in sport: A multilevel model.

Inclusive Spaces and Locker Rooms for Transgender Athletes

Gender Identities in Organized Sports—Athletes' Experiences and Organizational Strategies of Inclusion

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