Using a mixture of surveys and focus groups, the project will be looking at real and perceived barriers to students participation in sports and fitness, as well as ways to overcome them. To launch the campaign last November LGBT Officer Women’s place, Vicki Baars, signed the government’s 'Charter for Action'. The Charter is a government-led campaign to stomp out homophobia and transphobia in sport, and has been backed by some of the UK’s biggest sports bodies and institutions.
There has only been a limited amount of data collection in this area. This limited data hints at the barriers to participation in sport from LGBT students but does not explore them.
The Equality Challenge Unit (ECU) found that many chose to self exclude themselves from sports societies and clubs, while 62% of LGB students who did participate were not out in sports societies or clubs. 'The experiences of lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans staff and students in higher education.’ (Equality Challenge Unit 2009).
The Skills Funding Agency (SFA) found that 35.2% LGB learners in FE were fully or partially out in sports clubs and societies. This was lower for trans respondents. The SFA also found that a significant number of respondents felt unsafe in sports areas and facilities. ‘Study of learners aged 19+ in further education in England.’ (Skills Funding Agency, August 2011)
More widely Stonewall have published a report looking at homophobia in football Leagues behind, (2009) and 'The experiences of young gay people in Britain's schools’ (2007). Both found homophobia as a barrier to participation of LGB young people.
Anecdotally NUS is aware from committee members, policy and LGBT students more widely that barriers exist and that students either choose not to participate or do not come out to peers.
Therefore NUS will seek to understand these issues better by conducting a number of focus groups with self-identified LGBT students, as well as LGBT societies, students’ unions and sports teams, this will be coupled with a quantitative survey.
The results will be disseminated in a report and a toolkit will be created for students’ unions and institutions in order to equip them to make sport more inclusive for LGBT students. The goal is to launch to findings and resulting toolkit alongside the Olympics, so keep your eyes peeled.
If your students’ union would be interested in taking part, or you know of a good practice example, please do not hesitate to get in touch at lgbt@nus.org.uk