Coaches, gender non-conforming youth and athletics: examining male identity and masculine expression

Abstract

Participation in athletics by gender non-conforming (GNC) and lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer/questioning (LGBTQ+) is lower in comparison to their participation in other school activities; LGBT students avoid athletic fields, locker rooms, and coaches. We examine the ways DeVita, a GNC student athlete in high school negotiated his identity, expression, and sexual orientation as an accomplished classical ballet dancer and all-conference soccer player. Using Butler’s work on gender and discourse, we analyze DeVita's gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, and the performances of masculinity he maintained to ensure his emotional safety, position on his teams, and access to playing time. We underscore the ways two coaches affirmed his identity and expression and represent their everyday speech acts as account of the ways educators can disrupt the discourse of dominant binary gender norms.

Keywords:

• GNC youth
• LGBTQ + youth
• high school coaches
• high school athletics
• discourse
• gender
• Judith Butler

Correction Statement

This article has been republished with minor changes. These changes do not impact the academic content of the article.

Notes

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes

1 We use LGBTQ + throughout the article with caution. We do not intend to diminish the significant differences across L, G, B, and/or T and/or Q experiences. Additionally, we acknowledge the tensions that exist in the research when transgender experiences and perspectives have not been sufficiently addressed and/or integrated in larger discussions of LGBTQ + topics (Renn, 2010; Vitulli, 2010).

2 We use “hir” and “they” as examples of gender neutral/gender inclusive pronouns coaches and educators may adopt.

3 We use LGBTQ + except when the literature cited refers to only “LGBT” or another specific sub-grouping. In those cases, we use the acronym that reflects participant identities in the original research.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Allison Daniel Anders

Allison Daniel Anders, PhD, is an Associate Professor of Educational Studies at the University of South Carolina in Columbia, SC. Anders studies the everyday experiences of targeted youth and the k-20 educational settings they navigate, contexts of education, systemic inequities, and qualitative methodologies. Her research includes work with incarcerated youth, children with refugee status, and LGBTQ youth.

James M. DeVita

James M. DeVita, PhD, is an Associate Professor of Higher Education at the University of North Carolina in Wilmington, NC (UNCW). DeVita currently serves as co-editor of the Journal of Effective Teaching in Higher Education (JETHE). His research is focused on marginalized and targeted populations in higher education, including LGBTQ+ student experiences, and issues of student success related to teaching and learning in higher education.