Current Campaign
Contributing to the debate
OVERVIEW
There are important conversations taking place both locally and globally about gender and sexuality. We aim to contribute to those conversations, with a specific perspective on sports and the value of diversity and collaboration, not least through the "straight ally" concept.
Our methods to achieve this will include:
Commissioning academic research in key relevant areas
Facilitating youth-led action research, particularly through social media and other peer-to-peer communication channels
Sharing our findings to key decision makers within national and local government, the education sector, international and national governing bodies in sport, and other relevant policy makers
We will work in partnership with academic institutions, market research companies and other relevant sports and youth organisations to deliver this work.
Homophobia, Gender and Sporting Culture
A report for Sport Allies by Adam Lowe, MSc. & Professor Brendan Gough
In order to launch an effective response to the obstacles we face and as part of our commitment to working from a rigorous evidence base, we concluded that it was important to have a robust, academic understanding of the existing research into homophobia, with a specific focus on young people and sporting culture.
To this end, we commissioned academics from Leeds Beckett University to produce the current review in order to inform us in the development of our strategic objectives and the formulation of our content. The report was launched on Thursday 26th October at the House of Commons, at an event hosted by Damian Collins MP - Chair of the select committee for Culture, Media and Sport.
You can download a digital copy of the report here.
Submission to the official UK Government inquiry into homophobia in sport
Sport Allies has provided written evidence to a Commons Select Committee investigating homophobia in sport. A previous inquiry into racism in football (soccer) had concluded that homophobia was emerging as a bigger problem than other forms of discrimination in sport, and this inquiry has been launched in response.
The committee has expressed particular interest in:
Looking at the experiences of gay sportsmen and sportswomen; what do these tell us about different sports and the progression of attitudes in general?
The approach of governance bodies throughout sport; how does homophobic abuse compare to other forms of harassment? How successful have governing bodies been in tackling this issue?
How is homophobia being tackled at school? What actions are taken by teachers and coaches involved in youth and amateur sport to ensure homophobia is challenged at any early stage?
Does football have a particular problem with homophobia in comparison to other sports?
Is homophobic abuse more of an issue in traditionally “masculine” sports? And looking specifically at the experience of women who play sport: is there more acceptance in the female game or is homophobia just as prevalent amongst women?
What effect has the advent of social media had on discrimination in sport, in general?
