The Unique Lived Experiences of LGBQ Athletes: A Collegiate Women's Rugby Club Team as an Inclusive & Empowering Community.
J Homosex
; 71(4): 1003-1029, 2024 Mar 20.
Article
in En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-36625543
ABSTRACT
There is ongoing debate regarding the culture of competitive women's sports. On one hand, women who participate in sports are viewed as adhering to and reinforcing heteronormative stereotypes and hegemonic masculinity. Conversely, women's sports are viewed as an inherently supportive environment for those involved. The current study explored the latter phenomena, specifically related to factors that promote an inclusive and empowering community for LGBTQ+ women. Eleven individual semi-structured interviews and one follow-up focus group with six participants were conducted with women from a collegiate women's rugby club team. All participants described their sexual identities as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and/or Queer (LGBQ). A reflexive thematic analysis was used to analyze the data collectively. Participants described their collegiate rugby team as being one of their first encounters with a safe and inclusive LGBTQ+ environment. Membership on the team also was viewed as an important experience that helped participants come to terms with their sexual identity. Specifically, findings indicate the supportive actions of teammates, an inclusive team culture, and unique factors related to the sport of rugby helped promote an inclusive and empowering community for LGBTQ+ women. Indeed, from a critical positive youth development perspective, social justice life skills (e.g., allyship) provided actionable behaviors that promote an inclusive and empowering community for LGBTQ+ women. However, future research must seek to understand the lived experiences of all women's rugby participants, particularly transgender and athletes of color.
Key words
Full text:
1
Collection:
01-internacional
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Homosexuality, Female
/
Sexual and Gender Minorities
Type of study:
Qualitative_research
Aspects:
Equity_inequality
Limits:
Adolescent
/
Female
/
Humans
/
Male
Language:
En
Journal:
J Homosex
Year:
2024
Document type:
Article
Affiliation country:
Estados Unidos