‘Seeing the Invisible, Speaking about the Unspoken’

‘Seeing the Invisible, Speaking about the Unspoken’

Canadian Association for the Advancement of Women in Sport and Physical Activity (CAAWS)

purpose of this paper

CAAWS has prepared this paper to initiate a discussion about homophobia in sport. CAAWS views it as a first
step in a longer-term strategy to reduce homophobia in Canadian sport and to make sport an inclusive and
safe place for all participants. This paper is not intended to provide an answer to the problem of homophobia
in sport — but to start a discussion that will hopefully lead to future solutions.
Part of CAAWS’ mandate is to promote participation in sport by girls and women. Homophobia in sport is
often an obstacle to participation, presenting barriers and challenges to individuals, both homosexual and
heterosexual. While this document discusses homophobia in general terms, as it applies to both females and
males, CAAWS’ priority is to improve the conditions for females in sport and it is with this objective in mind
that CAAWS has prepared this document.
It is hoped, however, that the discussion arising from this document will be insightful to all groups committed
to making sport safe for girls and women andboys and men, and that subsequent actions on this issue will
involve other partners so that the whole range of concerns of lesbians, gays, bisexuals, transgendered/
transitioned and queer (LGBTQ) persons in Canadian sport can be addressed. This paper, however, only
addresses the concerns of lesbians and gays in sport.
This document is not an academic research paper. The source materials for this paper include the excellent work
already done in the United States by the It Takes a Teamproject, as well as the experiences of many lesbians
and gay men in Canadian sport. An earlier version of this paper was widely circulated among athletes, coaches
and other sport leaders for their input, including lesbians and gays. Their support and encouragement for this paper
further reinforces CAAWS’ belief that homophobia is an issue that needs to be addressed. CAAWS also hopes
that this position paper will encourage others to pursue more formal study on the issue of homophobia in sport.

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CAAWS_Homophobia_ Discussion_Paper_E[1].pdf	98.4 KB