The concepts underpinning everyday gendered homophobia based upon the experiences of lesbian coaches

Abstract

This study focuses upon conceptualizing everyday gendered homophobia based upon the narratives of 10 lesbian coaches in the UK, connecting their stories of everyday inferiorizations to wider structural practices. This theory highlights that lesbians in sport and coaching continue to encounter marginalization through their gendered sexual identity. The participants recounted experiences such as being treated as paedophiles or predators, constructed as less able leaders and less knowledgeable than male coaches. Oppressive structural practices that influenced such experiences included inflexible or gendered professional development opportunities, apathetic stances towards welfare issues, inadequate sociocultural coach education and a culture of ‘unspoken truths’ that suppressed discussions of sexuality. The gender-blindness and sexuality-blindness cultures of governing bodies for how these ideologies allow organizations to ignore the construction of male privilege, heterosexism and homophobia and the impact on everyday lives of lesbian coaches are highlighted.

Notes

^1.Griffin, ‘Changing the Game’.

^2.Brackenridge et al., Review of Sexual Orientation.

^3. Brackenridge et al., Review of Sexual Orientation.

^4.Kolnes, ‘Sexuality as an Organising Principle’.

^5.Clarke, ‘Queering the Pitch and Coming Out’; Fink, Pastore, and Riemer, ‘Do Differences Make a Difference?’; Griffin, Strong Women, Deep Closets; Krane and Barber, ‘Lesbian Experiences in Sport’; Messner, Taking the Field; and Wellman and Blinde, ‘Homophobia in Women's Intercollegiate Basketball’.

^6. Griffin, Strong Women, Deep Closets and Messner, Taking the Field.

^7.Krane, ‘One Lesbian Feminist Epistemology’.

^8.Burton-Nelson, Stronger Women Get, the More.

^9. Griffin, Strong Women, Deep Closets and Messner, Taking the Field.

^10.Messner, Power at Play and Pronger, Arena of Masculinity.

^11.Adams and Anderson, ‘Exploring the Relationship Between Homosexuality and Sport’.

^12. Griffin, Strong Women, Deep Closets.

^13. Adams and Anderson, ‘Exploring the Relationship Between Homosexuality and Sport’; Anderson, Inclusive Masculinity; Anderson, ‘ “Being Masculine” ’; Anderson, ‘Updating the Outcome’; Harris and Clayton, ‘First Metrosexual Rugby Star’; McCormack and Anderson, ‘Re-Production of Homosexually-Themed Discourse’; and Southall et al., ‘Investigation of Male College’.

^14. Adams and Anderson, ‘Exploring the Relationship Between Homosexuality and Sport’.

^15.Pharr, ‘Homophobia’.

^16. Brackenridge et al., Review of Sexual Orientation.

^17. Brackenridge et al., Review of Sexual Orientation.

^18.Caudwell, ‘Hackney Women's Football Club’; Caudwell, ‘Football in the UK’; Hart, ‘Lesbian Professional Athletes,’; Krane, ‘Homonegativism Experienced by Lesbian’; Krane and Barber, ‘Lesbian Experiences in Sport’; and Ravel and Rail, ‘On the Limits of “Gaie” Spaces’.

^19. Brackenridge et al., Review of Sexual Orientation.

^20.Barber and Krane, ‘Creating a Positive Climate for Lesbian’; Cunningham and Melton, ‘Prejudice Against Lesbian, Gay’; Oswalt and Vargas, ‘How Safe is the Playing Field?’; Wellman and Blinde, ‘Homophobia in Women's Intercollegiate’; Vargas-Tonsing and Oswalt, ‘Coaches’ Efficacy Beliefs Towards Working’; and Wolf-Wendel, Douglas, and Morphew, ‘How Much Difference is Too Much Difference?’.

^21. Griffin, Strong Women, Deep Closets.

^22. Griffin, Strong Women, Deep Closets.

^23.Iannotta and Kane, ‘Sexual Stories as Resistance Narratives’.

^24. Iannotta and Kane, ‘Sexual Stories as Resistance Narratives’ and Griffin, Strong Women, Deep Closets.

^25. Krane and Barber, ‘Lesbian Experiences in Sport’.

^26. Krane and Barber, ‘Lesbian Experiences in Sport’.

^27.Campbell and Bunting, ‘Voices and Paradigms’.

^28.Essed, ‘Everyday Racisms’.

^29.Essed, Understanding Everyday Racism and Riggins, ‘Gendered Racism’.

^30.Berger and Luckman, Social Construction of Knowledge.

^31. Essed, Understanding Everyday Racism.

^32. Essed, Understanding Everyday Racism.

^33.Denison, ‘Social Theory for Coaches’ and Jones, ‘Coaching as Caring’.

^34.Jones, Armour, and Potrac, Sports Coaching Cultures.

^35. Essed, Understanding Everyday Racism and Riggins, ‘Gendered Racism’.

^36. Essed, Understanding Everyday Racism and Riggins, ‘Gendered Racism’, 205.

^37.Heller, Everyday Life.

^38.Smith, Everyday World as Problematic.

^39. Essed, Understanding Everyday Racism, 279.

^40. Interview, May 12, 2009.

^41. Interview, June 4, 2009.

^42. Interview, May 1, 2009.

^43. Interview, April 10, 2009.

^44. Interview, April 10, 2009.

^45. Interview, May 14, 2009.

^46. Interview, April 10, 2009.

^47.Schlegel, ‘Gender Meanings’.

^48. Interview, April 10, 2009.

^49. Interview, July 25, 2009.

^50. Interview, June 20, 2009.

^51. Interview, June 4, 2009.

^52. Interview, June 4, 2009.

^53. Interview, June 20, 2009.

^54. Interview, July 25, 2009.

^55. Essed, Everyday Racisms.

^56.Robinson, ‘Everyday [Hetero]Sexism’.

^57. Essed, Understanding Everyday Racism.

^58. Interview, July 25, 2009.

^59. Interview, May 1, 2009.

^60. Interview, July 25, 2009.

^61. Interview, June 20, 2009.

^62. Essed, ‘Everyday Racisms’.

^63. Essed, Understanding everyday Racism.

^64. Essed, ‘Everyday Racisms’.

^65. Interview, June 4, 2009.

^66. Interview, May 14, 2009.

^67. Interview, May 12, 2009.

^68. Interview, June 20, 2009.

^69. Interview, June 20, 2009.

^70. Essed, Understanding Everyday Racism, 146.

^71. Essed, Understanding Everyday Racism, 146.

^72. Messner, Power at Play; Curry, ‘Fraternal Bonding in the Locker Room’; Kane and Disch, ‘Sexual Violence and the Reproduction’; and McDonald, ‘Unnecessary Roughness’.

^73.McIntosh, ‘White Privilege and Male Privilege’.

^74.Hylton, ‘Talk the Talk, Walk the Walk’ and Sport England, Equality Standard.

^75.Bonilla-Silva, ‘Linguistics of Color Blind Racism’.

^76. Adams and Anderson, ‘Exploring the Relationship Between Homosexuality and Sport’; Anderson, Inclusive Masculinity; Anderson, ‘ “Being Masculine” ’; Anderson, ‘Updating the Outcome’; Harris and Clayton, ‘First Metrosexual Rugby Star’; McCormack and Anderson, ‘Re-production of Homosexually-Themed Discourse’; and Southall et al., ‘Investigation of Male College’.

^77.NCAA, Champions of Respect.

^78. NCAA, Champions of Respect.

^79. NCAA, Champions of Respect.

^80. Barber and Krane, ‘Creating a Positive Climate’, 54.

^81. C. J. Cushion, ‘Coaching Research and Coach Education: Do the Sum of the Parts Equal the Whole?’ SportaPolis, September 2001. http://www.sportsmedia.org/Sportapolisnewsletter4.htm (accessed October 1, 2012).

^82. NCAA, Champions of Respect.

^83. NCAA, Champions of Respect.