Does the athletic department offer LGBTQ educational resources (such as a link to the campus LGBTQ center or resource center) on their website and/or in their student-athlete handbook?
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.
- LGBTQ student-athletes can seek help/information without fear of repercussions.
- Awareness, visibility, and access to educational resources supports better protection for the LGBTQ community within athletics.
- Providing identifiable and accessible resources reinforces the athletic department’s policies and commitment to inclusivity.
When athletic departments promote LGBTQ educational resources, they equip student-athletes with vital information that can help them address their individual needs without fear of repercussions (Griffin & Taylor, 2012). A 2019 study by Turk et al. suggests that access, awareness, and visibility are among the most important factors in the protection of marginalized college athletes, along with policy development and follow-through. Many of the NCAA’s proposed practices, resources, and guidelines for LGBTQ inclusion are not formally adopted by institutions, thereby allowing prejudice and discrimination to persist. By offering LGBTQ educational resources, in conjunction with assuming the NCAA’s proposed practices and guidelines, the athletic department actively reinforces the policies protecting student-athletes and reiterates its commitment to inclusivity, ultimately aiding in the decline of discrimination in sport.
Griffin, P. & Taylor, H. (2012). Champions of respect: Inclusion of LGBTQ student-athletes and staff in NCAA programs. National Collegiate Athletic Association. Publicly available here.