Why being counted, counts

Across the world, the summer months see lesbian, gay, bisexual, queer, trans, and non-binary people (and a whole host of others across the attraction and gender spectrums) observe that multi-faceted and incredible thing we call ‘Pride’.

‘Pride’ means something different to each of us.

The meaning can vary based on when and where we grew up, who (and how) we love, or how we might understand our gender.

Despite these variables, there’s usually some agreement that it’s a time to unashamedly acknowledge and celebrate our LGBTQ+ selves, regardless of whether you consider Pride to be a party or a protest.

Yet, being an LGBTQ+ person is becoming increasingly difficult.

In 2014, the United Kingdom was considered the number one place to be an LGBTQ+ person in Europe, out of some 49 countries included on the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association (ILGA)’s annual Rainbow Map.

But in less than 10 years, the UK has plummeted to 17th place, as Malta now takes the top spot, closely followed by Denmark and Spain. 

But what has Pride got to do with sport? 

You are probably reading this because you have more than a passing interest in sport. You may even follow or play a sport (or two, or three) yourself.  

You might even describe yourself as a ‘sport-lover’ or a ‘superfan’ but even if your interest is purely professional, you’ll likely have heard the phrase ‘the power of sport’ before today.  

Globally, our sector loves to profess the amazing potential of the ‘power of sport’ to change and improve so many things in our lives.  

If you enter the phrase into an online search engine you’ll be told, relatively quickly, that sport has the power to change the world for the better.   

If that potential can be even partially realised, we share a collective responsibility to ensure that none of our LGBTQ+ siblings are left behind.
 

That’s why we value the work of purposefully inclusive sports national governing bodies (NGBs) like Baseball Softball UK and why campaigns like This Girl Can shine a spotlight on non-binary people’s inclusion.

It’s also the reason that we’ve recently been sharing other grassroots examples of LGBTQ+ sport groups showcasing support within the community in cycling, allyship in football and diversity in rugby. All of these pieces, plus this one today, demonstrate the importance of inclusivity.  

LGBTQ+ inclusion in sport 

These are great and very welcome successes, but being included in sport isn’t just about the amount of time your wheels spent on the road or the total number of minutes you spent holding a bat.  

It’s about being included in the knowledge and insights that inform the sector, being fairly and rightly included within the policies that shape the sports we love, and it’s about having a seat in the boardrooms that define how our sports councils, NGBs and clubs operate. 

But if that is our working definition of LGBTQ+ inclusion, there is considerable room for improvement.

Yet being counted (and being seen to be counted) is an important step and it’s why I’m pleased that this year, for the first time, our Active Lives data includes lesbian, gay and bisexual people in it’s headline report.  

And it’s also why I’m excited to be collaborating with Sport England colleagues on making trans/non-binary people’s experiences more visible in our insight moving forwards. 

LGBTQ+ inclusion involves taking deliberate steps

Yet, having data that’s inclusive of LGBTQ+ people can only be an effective tool for advocacy if you choose to use it as such.

No doubt you’ll be aware that this week the Independent Commission for Equity in Cricket published a damning report into the experience of people from various minority backgrounds across all levels of the game.

The results are stark - among others, 68% of women, 87% of South Asian people, 75% of black people, 70% of disabled people and 73% of LGBTQ+ people reported experiences of discrimination in cricket in the last five years.

As a result, the commission has rightly made several recommendations on how the sport might seek to redress the ingrained racism, misogyny and elitism that is so clearly commonplace.

However, the numerous recommendations (p.275) make no explicit mention of the need for cricket to proactively address its problems relating to homophobia, biphobia or transphobia - nor the ingrained ableism that disabled people reported - despite nearly three-quarters of LGBTQ+ people experiencing discrimination.

In a report that is over 300 pages in length, the word ‘homophobia’ appeared only four times, compared to 206 mentions of racism.

Moving forward together and with pride

This isn’t a blog professing that discrimination against LGBTQ+ people trumps other forms of oppression - unlike a number of areas in sport, this isn’t a competition.

It’s a recognition that a sport sector that is only inclusive of some groups, isn’t inclusive at all.

Every day, LGBTQ+ people take risks by being visibly themselves in a society that would rather we didn’t exist.

When people stand up to be counted, we owe it to them to acknowledge and include them in whatever comes next.

By doing so, we might stand a chance of harnessing the power of sport in a way could benefits us all, without exception.

Hope you’ve had a happy Pride and here’s to next year's.