“Something has to give”: Exploring The Negotiation of Masculinity and Identity of Gay Males in Sport

Abstract

The institution of sport has an extensive history of heterosexism, and homophobia, making sport a problematic and unsafe space for gay-identified males. The lack of representation of gay athletes in professional sports highlights the risks associated with openly identifying one’s sexual identity within athletic settings, as gay-identified players often are faced with discrimination and harassment. As a result, gay-identified athletes may choose not to be open about their sexual identity or leave sports altogether as a way to avoid being subjected to discrimination and marginalization within athletics.

Grounded in queer theory, and engaging in phenomenology and arts-informed inquiry, this study seeks to explore the ways in which gay-identified males involved in sport negotiate their identies and masculinities. After each participant was interviewed, he wrote a letter to his past self as a way to share what he had come to learn about his process of coming into his own identity and negotiating masculinity. The study interrogates how gay males experience team-based competitive sports differently than individually-based sports and personal fitness activities. Additionally, it explores the personal process of defining and embracing masculinity. Deconstructing the definition of hegemonic masculinity, this study explores how masculinity can be understood in multiple ways. Changing the heterosexist and homophobic discourse that informs the organization of sport on multiple levels creates more opportunities for gay-identified athletes to be welcomed into the arena of sport and safely access the benefits associated with competitive sports and healthy active living activities. This study brings light to the emotional and psychosocial consequences that stem from homophobia and heterosexism’s dominance in our society. The perpetual discrimination and marginalization faced by those who identify as gay males highlights the need for social work’s involvement in justice-oriented research and practice as a way to bring greater equality and equity into our communities.