Gender, Sexuality and Sport

Juliet JacquesMegan Worthing-Davies

Aims

• Increase understanding and awareness of the effects of discriminatory attitudes in media reporting upon readers

• Support journalists to reflect on their own reporting practices

• Provide best practice examples of journalism on sexuality, gender and sport

• Provide resources and awareness of campaigns that positively aim to change football culture

Agenda

• Introduction to key issues• Reflection on personal practice• Best practice examples and approaches• Resources• Break (19.50 – 20.00)• Panel discussion• Networking (21.00)

Juliet Jacques

• Freelance writer for newspapers, magazines & websites• Wrote Transgender Journey for Guardian (2010-12)• Cultural critic for New Statesman• Co-founder of The Justin Campaign (2008-2009)• Written on football for various publications• Independent Pink List 2012/2013• Orwell Prize longlist 2011

Sexism in football

• Extensive coverage of Gray and Keys – largely against them, little use of “banter” as defence

• Attitudes to women’s sport often patronising• Little critique of structural issues around women’s sports –

e.g. lack of funding/coaching, prejudice being people off• Coverage of women in sport often focuses on looks –

especially true of women in boardroom positions• Tam Cowan mocking women’s football in Daily Record• Women’s sport gets 5% of newspaper coverage

Grantland: Dr V’s Magical Putter

• Investigative journalism – long-form piece (Jan 2014)• Looked into story of miraculous new putter• Journalist outed creator as transsexual to investors• Piece covered Dr V’s wish for privacy and her death• Undertone of lack of respect for subject• Failure of responsibility from journalist and editors• Lack of input from any trans people on coverage• No structures in place to understand trans perspectives

Thomas Hitzlsperger & Robbie Rogers

• Thomas Hitzlsperger – recently retired, highest-profile player to come out, after Robbie Rogers, Justin Fashanu

• Robbie Rogers retired before coming out, then played again• Hitzlsperger – issue ignored within football but not media• Good coverage of support for Hitzlsperger/Rogers – positive• Regional coverage of issue – local players were supportive• Media interest in gay footballers – but what kind?• Mirror/Sun suggested it wasn’t an issue – were they right?• Does negative media coverage fuel homophobia, or make it

more difficult for players to come out?

REFLECTIONS

• GRAY & KEYS: What structural issues in football culture made them feel able to behave like this?

• Which stereotypes did they use? Can they be challenged?

• GRANTLAND: How else might the reporter have handled Dr V’s transgender history?

• What could the editors have done differently?• HITZLSPERGER: Do the media lead fans’ opinions on

sexuality/gender in sports?• What can you as journalists do to improve things?

Good practice: Women’s sports

• Stylist campaign for fairer coverage – more women involved, and more reporting

• Marina Hyde criticised Gray and Keys with mixture of political analysis and humour

• Mirror coverage of Gray/Keys made clear its allegiances: their behaviour was unacceptable

• Positive response to Casey Stoney coming out

Good practice: Trans people and sport

• Lessons learned from Grantland – editor took some responsibility for errors made

• Chris Ledger – In Bed With Maradona – well-researched look at legal/structural issues

• Jaiyah Saelua – coverage attempted to be sympathetic even if it struggled with language

Good practice: Gay men and sport

• World Soccer – gay issue• Interviews with Hitzlsperger/Rogers – papers

largely supportive of them both• Local newspaper focus on supportive players• Ed Smith on cricket – highlighted issues across

sports and around prejudice and class

Resources - campaigns

Football v Homophobia• First year 2010• 2014 – 36 clubs confirmed actions/work• Focus on education, empowerment and

building relationships within football• www.footballvhomophobia.com• @fvhtweets

Resources - campaigns

Women in Football• Aims to improve women's representation at

all levels of the game • Celebrating, lobbying, networking, mentoring• http://www.womeninfootball.co.uk/• @WomeninFootball

Resources – other orgs

• Pride Sports• Gay Football Supporters Network• Kick It Out• Women’s Sport and Fitness Foundation• Women in Sport

Resources - academia• Routledge Sport & Leisure Studies• Jayne Caudwell – Brighton University• Journal of Sport and Social Issues• International Review for the Sociology of Sport• Taylor and Francis online: Sexuality and Sport: a free article collection - http://

explore.tandfonline.com/page/pgas/lgbt-month • Brackenridge, C et al (2008) A Review of Sexual Orientation in Sport

sportscotland Research Report no. 114 Available from http://www.sportni.net/SCNI/Core/CrawlerResourceServer.aspx?resource=1e0dd5d5-6923-444f-bfa0-146fc971f06f

• Lawley, S (2011) ‘Sexual orientation and invisibility: Issues in LGBTI sports development and the role of LGBTI sports groups’. Leisure Studies Association Newsletter, March 2011 email scott.lawley@ntu.ac.uk for copy

• Griffin, P. (1998). Strong women, deep closets: lesbians and homophobia in sport. Human Kinetics Publishers.

• Wellard, I. (2009). Sport, masculinities and the body. Routledge.

Resources - media

• Trans Media Watch• All About Trans• She Kicks – women’s football magazine• Leagues Behind - Stonewall report on

homophobia in football (2009)• FvH fanzine

Panel discussionShelley Alexander

Juliet JacquesScott Lawley

Musa Okwonga