• A Charles Sturt researcher, Ally and member of the LGBTIQA+ community weighs in on representation of LGBTIQA+ sport stars in media
• Associate Professor Chelsea Litchfield said privacy, especially when it comes to sexual orientation, is a major issue
• Charles Sturt offers a number of support services to members of the LGBTIQA+ community

A Charles Sturt University academic said putting a spotlight on the sexual orientation of professional athletes is a major privacy violation but could also have benefits in forging a more inclusive community.

Associate Professor of Human Movement and Associate Head of Charles Sturt’s School of Allied Health, Exercise and Sport Sciences in Bathurst Chelsea Litchfield (pictured, inset) completed her PhD on sexuality diversity in sporting clubs in hockey and has published articles on inclusion in sport for diverse sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI) athletes, the Gay Games and homophobia in sport.

Professor Litchfield is a Charles Sturt Ally and a proud member of the LGBTIQA+ community and said athlete privacy is a major issue, especially when it comes to sexual orientation.

Recent articles in the media named Australia’s Matildas soccer team as the ‘gayest’ team in the world while another article, only weeks later, noted the lack of male players in the AFL that identify as gay, queer or bisexual.

Professor Litchfield said this creates further interest in the teams and its players, albeit for the wrong reasons.

“For those athletes that are recognisable on the global stage, very little information remains private,” she said.

“Fandom of athletes results in supporters wanting to know all the information about athletes, including their personal details, for example, who they are married to, boyfriends/girlfriends.

“Very few high-profile athletes are able to keep this information private.”

Professor Litchfield said there remains a culture of heteronormativity and hegemonic masculinity in many traditionally male professional team sports.

She said that when a male athlete comes out as gay, there is a lot of public interest but for female athletes, due to the historical lack of high-profile athletes, many have been able to keep their private lives more private.

Professor Litchfield said the recent media coverage on the sexual orientation and private lives of Australian athletes could also have benefits.

“Recently, we see the examples of Sam Kerr, Sam Stosur, to a less extent, and Alex Blackwell being ‘out’ and open with their private lives and this is starting to lead to greater acceptance of all types of relationships,” she said.

But she said athlete privacy is still a major issue. While most coverage results in support and praise for athletes, there is a darker side where athletes receive abuse for a range of reasons, including their sexuality.

She said the media can play a part in directing the narrative on how these stories are received by the public, as was the case with the Manly Sea Eagles players who refused to wear the pride jersey for religious reasons.

“Additionally, the homophobic social media posts of rugby player Israel Folau received an enormous amount of attention,” Professor Litchfield said.

“These stories create a huge amount of interest, but also reassure the fans that it is OK not to accept LGBTIQA+ people/inclusion, especially if their role models and sporting heroes don’t.”

She said female athletes are currently leading the way to foster inclusion and diversity in sport, with the AFLW competition’s ‘pride round’, compared to the men’s single pride match.

Professor Litchfield said the openness of female athletes to talk about their own sexuality, including Matildas players and Australian female cricketers, provide great role models.

“The male athletes need to follow suite,” she said.

“There is a real silence on positive LGBTIQA+ stories for male athletes in the AFL, NRL and Rugby in Australia.

“I believe that the media could provide further focus on these initiatives and positive stories, as there will be young people and other athletes who will draw strength from these stories being normalised.”

Charles Sturt University fosters an inclusive environment and has multiple practices in place to support members of the LGBTIQA+ community.

These include the Ally Network, counselling services, giving students the option to nominate a chosen name, offering gender transition support and provision of gender-neutral facilities.

“If Charles Sturt University can actively show that we embrace diversity and difference and provide a safe space for both employees and students, then we will continue to attract diversity,” Professor Litchfield said.

“I believe that as an institution, we do very well in this regard, led by the wonderful work of the Equity, Diversity and Inclusion team.”