Has the athletic department publicly adopted and endorsed (i.e., posted on their website) a fan code of conduct that explicitly protects against homophobic and transphobic language during competitions in all of their venues, for any sport?
Methodology update as of July 2023: If AEI evidence (or the document or page containing the evidence) has a visible time-stamp, date range of application, or departmental review date, such time-stamps must be dated within the last 2 calendar years to qualify for scoring purposes. Evidence that is explicitly timestamped more than 2 calendar years before an institution’s annual audit cannot be reasonably assumed to remain unchanged in its application to current students unless explicitly stated by the athletic department. We use calendar years to make these distinctions; for example, a 2020-2021 student-athlete handbook is acceptable evidence for an audit conducted in 2023, but would not be acceptable for an audit conducted in 2024.
- Of over 9,000 sports fans surveyed, the majority believed spectator stands were the most dangerous and unwelcoming of all places for LGBTQ+ people in sport.
- A majority of fans indicate an acceptance of LGBTQ+ athletes, yet instances of aggressive and discriminatory fan behavior are still reported.
- Fan codes of conduct may help promote more inclusive fan behaviors and eliminate homophobic and transphobic language toward athletes.
A 2015 study by Denison and Kitchen found that only 1% of over 9,000 sports fans think that LGBTQ+ people are completely accepted in athletics. Study participants believed spectator stands were the most dangerous of places for LGBTQ+ people, including the locker room. However, research by Cashmore and Cleland (2012) found evidence of rapidly decreasing homophobia within the culture of fandom. Of all fans surveyed, 93% stated there was “no place for homophobia within football”. Similarly, scholars in 2011 found that male fans’ ratings of gay male athletes did not significantly differ from their ratings of straight athletes, while female fans formed more positive impressions of gay male athletes than straight athletes (Campbell et al.). The disconnect between discriminatory fan behavior (such as using homophobic and transphobic language) and socially accepting opinions has yet to be examined. To promote inclusive fan behavior and language, many schools offer fan codes of conduct. However, these codes do not explicitly outline which behaviors are appropriate and expected during a competition, and which are not. Because research has yet to examine whether policies impact fan behaviors, their capacity to mitigate homophobic language remains unclear. More research must be done to craft fan codes of conduct that are effective in protecting LGBTQ+ student-athletes.
Denison, E., & A. Kitchen. (2015). Out on the fields study on homophobia in sport. Retrieved from the Out on the Fields here.
Cashmore, E., & Cleland, J. (2012). Fans, homophobia and masculinities in association football: Evidence of a more inclusive environment. The British Journal of Sociology, 63(2), 370-387. Publicly available here.