How safe is the playing field? Collegiate coaches' attitudes towards gay, lesbian, and bisexual individuals

Abstract

Within the American university setting, athletics is often perceived as an extremely hostile and unwelcoming environment for gay, lesbian and bisexual individuals. However, research in this area is limited and mostly qualitative. Because the coach plays a pivotal role in the climate of a team by determining whether prejudice and discrimination will be promoted, tolerated, or prohibited, this study examined collegiate coaches' (N = 289) attitudes towards gay, lesbian, and bisexual individuals. Overall, tolerance toward gay, lesbian, and bisexual individuals was found with less positive attitudes toward bisexuality as a stable identity.

Notes

¹ D'Augelli, ‘Lesbians and Gay Men's Experience of Discrimination and Harassment in a University Community’; DeBord et al. , ‘The Relevance of Sexual Orientation to Substance Abuse and Psychological Distress Among College Students’; Herek, ‘Documenting Prejudice Against Lesbians and Gay Men on Campus’; Rhoads, Coming Out in College.

² Rankin, Campus Climate for Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender People.

³ Hinrichs and Rosenberg, ‘Attitudes Toward Gay, Lesbian, and Bisexual Persons Among Heterosexual Liberal Arts College Students’.

⁴ Dundes, ‘The American Game of “Smear the Queer” and the Homosexual Component of Male Competitive Sport and Warfare’; Galst, ‘The Sports Closet’; Griffin, Strong Women, Deep Closets; Krane, ‘Homonegativism Experience by Lesbian Collegiate Athletes’; Lenskyj, ‘No Fear? Lesbians in Sports and Physical Education’; Rotella and Murray, ‘Homophobia, the World of Sport, and Sport Psychology Consulting’; Wellman and Blinde, ‘Homophobia in Women's Intercollegiate Basketball’; Wolf-Wendel, Toma, and Morphew, ‘How Much Difference is Too Much Difference?’.

⁵ Pharr, Homophobia.

⁶ Hyde and DeLamater, Understanding Human Sexuality.

⁷ Wolf-Wendel, Toma, and Morphew, ‘How Much Difference is Too Much Difference?’.

⁸ Krane, ‘Homonegativism Experience by Lesbian Collegiate Athletes’.

⁹ Griffin, Strong Women, Deep Closets; Nelson, Are We Winning Yet?; Theberge, Higher Goals.

¹⁰ Rotella and Murray, ‘Homophobia, the World of Sport, and Sport Psychology Consulting’.

¹¹ Krane, ‘Lesbians in Sport’.

¹² Wellman and Blinde, ‘Homophobia in Women's Intercollegiate Basketball’.

¹³ Blinde and Taub, ‘Women Athletes as Falsely Accused Deviants’; Griffin, Strong Women, Deep Closets; Krane, ‘Homonegativism Experience by Lesbian Collegiate Athletes’; Nelson, Are We Winning Yet?; Theberge, Higher Goals.

¹⁴ Southall et al. , ‘An Investigation of Male College Athletes’ Attitudes Toward Sexual Orientation'.

¹⁵ Anderson, Inclusive Masculinity, 105–26.

¹⁶ Weinberg and Gould, Foundations of Sport and Exercise Psychology.

¹⁷ Horn, ‘Coaching Effectiveness in the Sport Domain’, 309.

¹⁸ Long et al. , ‘A Qualitative Study of Moral Reasoning of Young Elite Athletes’.

¹⁹ Griffin, Strong Women, Deep Closets; Krane, Surface, and Alexander, ‘Health Implications of Heterosexism and Homonegativism for Girls and Women in Sport’.

²⁰ Griffin, Strong Women, Deep Closets.

²¹ Krane, Surface, and Alexander, ‘Health Implications of Heterosexism and Homonegativism for Girls and Women in Sport’; Krane, ‘Homonegativism Experience by Lesbian Collegiate Athletes’; Krane and Barber, ‘Identity Tensions in Lesbian Intercollegiate Coaches’.

²² Griffin, Strong Women, Deep Closets.

²³ Fishbein and Ajzen, Belief, Attitude, Intention, and Behavior.

²⁴ Iannotta, ‘Sexuality and Resistance’; Wellman and Blinde, ‘Homophobia in Women's Intercollegiate Basketball’; Wolf-Wendel, Toma, and Morphew, ‘How Much Difference is Too Much Difference?’.

²⁵ Gill et al. , ‘Attitudes and Sexual Prejudice in Sport and Physical Activity’; Herek, ‘Assessing Heterosexuals’ Attitudes Towards Lesbians and Gay Men'; Herek, ‘Gender Gaps in Public Opinion About Lesbian and Gay Men’; Stoever and Morera, ‘A Confirmatory Factor Analysis of the Attitudes Toward Lesbians and Gay Men (ATLG) Measure’.

²⁶ Herek, ‘Heterosexuals’ Attitudes Toward Lesbians and Gay Men'; Herek, ‘Assessing Heterosexuals’ Attitudes Towards Lesbians and Gay Men'.

²⁷ Park, ‘Development of the Heterosexism Scale’.

²⁸ Mohr and Rochlen, ‘Measuring Attitudes Regarding Bisexuality in Lesbian, Gay Male, and Heterosexual Populations’.

²⁹ Herek, ‘Heterosexuals’ Attitudes Toward Lesbians and Gay Men'; Herek, ‘Assessing Heterosexuals’ Attitudes Towards Lesbians and Gay Men'.

³⁰ Stoever and Morera, ‘A Confirmatory Factor Analysis of the Attitudes Toward Lesbians and Gay Men (ATLG) Measure’.

³¹ Park, ‘Development of the Heterosexism Scale’.

³² Mohr and Rochlen, ‘Measuring Attitudes Regarding Bisexuality in Lesbian, Gay Male, and Heterosexual Populations’.

³³ Baird, ‘Playing It Straight’; Dundes, ‘The American Game of “Smear the Queer” and the Homosexual Component of Male Competitive Sport and Warfare’; Elfman, ‘NCAA and Gay Rights Group Take on Homophobia in College Sports‘; Galst, ‘The Sports Closet’; Griffin, Strong Women, Deep Closets; Krane, ‘Homonegativism Experience by Lesbian Collegiate Athletes’; Krane and Barber, ‘Identity Tensions in Lesbian Intercollegiate Coaches’; Lenskyj, ‘No Fear? Lesbians in Sports and Physical Education’; Rotella and Murray, ‘Homophobia, the World of Sport, and Sport Psychology Consulting’; Wellman and Blinde, ‘Homophobia in Women's Intercollegiate Basketball’; Wolf-Wendel, Toma, and Morphew, ‘How Much Difference is Too Much Difference?’.

³⁴ See, for example, Fisher, ‘Is There an Emerging Age Gap in US Politics?’; Heath and Goggin, ‘Attitudes Towards Male Homosexuality, Bisexuality, and the Down Low Lifestyle’; Persell, Green, and Gurevich, ‘Civil Society, Economic Distress, and Social Tolerance’; The Pew Research Center for the People and the Press, ‘How Young People View Their Lives, Futures and Politics’.

³⁵ Fetner, ‘Changing Attitudes Toward Homosexuality in the United States and Canada’; Loftus, ‘America's Liberalization in Attitudes Toward Homosexuality, 1973 to 1998’.

³⁶ Snively et al. , ‘Understanding Homophobia’.

³⁷ Altemeyer, ‘Changes in Attitudes Toward Homosexuals’; Engberg, Hurtado, and Smith, ‘Developing Attitudes of Acceptance Toward Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Peers’; Herek and Capitanio, ‘“Some of My Best Friends”’; Roper and Halloran, ‘Attitudes Toward Gay Men and Lesbians Among Heterosexual Male and Female Student-Athletes’.

³⁸ Gill et al., ‘Attitudes and Sexual Prejudice in Sport and Physical Activity’; Herek, ‘Assessing Heterosexuals’ Attitudes Towards Lesbians and Gay Men’; Herek, ‘Gender Gaps in Public Opinion About Lesbian and Gay Men’; Stoever and Morera, ‘A Confirmatory Factor Analysis of the Attitudes Toward Lesbians and Gay Men (ATLG) Measure’.

³⁹ Anderson, In the Game.

⁴⁰ Herek, ‘Assessing Heterosexuals’ Attitudes Towards Lesbians and Gay Men’; Herek, ‘Gender Gaps in Public Opinion About Lesbian and Gay Men’; Roper and Halloran, ‘Attitudes Toward Gay Men and Lesbians Among Heterosexual Male and Female Student-Athletes’; Stoever and Morera, ‘A Confirmatory Factor Analysis of the Attitudes Toward Lesbians and Gay Men (ATLG) Measure’.

⁴¹ Ochs, ‘Biphobia’.

⁴² Hutchins and Kaahumanu, Bi Any Other Name.

⁴³ Diamond, ‘Female Bisexuality From Adolescence to Adulthood’.

⁴⁴ Hutchins and Kaahumanu, Bi Any Other Name.

⁴⁵ Roper and Halloran, ‘Attitudes Toward Gay Men and Lesbians Among Heterosexual Male and Female Student-Athletes’.

⁴⁶ Laird, Engberg, and Hurtado, ‘Modeling Accentuation Effects’.

⁴⁷ Barber and Krane, ‘Creating a Positive Climate for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Youths’.