New Data on LGBTQ Youth and Sports

The Trevor Project has released the results of their survey on the correlation of queer youth, sports, and mental health. The study tracked LGB, queer, trans, and nonbinary students from December of 2019 to March of 2020. Queer youth from the ages of 13 to 18 were asked about their sports participation. 

The results of the survey showed that one in three students who are not out to their peers report they are active in sports; however, only one in five students who are out participate. These numbers are significantly lower when it came specifically to trans and nonbinary youth. 

“Transgender and nonbinary youth were nearly half as likely to report sports participation to their cisgender peers within the LGBTQ community. This could be because of discrimination and safety concerns, in addition to structural discrimination in the forms of trans-exclusive policies, sex-segregated sports teams, and locker rooms. To promote LGBTQ inclusion in youth sports, The Trevor Project is committed to developing LGBTQ ally training to prepare coaches and teammates to best support LGBTQ youth athletes and to continue fighting discriminatory policies that limit LGBTQ youth sports participation.” says Amy E. Green, Ph.D., director of research for The Trevor Project. 

The Human Rights Campaign reported that 80 percent of queer youth are not out to their coaches, and the percentage increased for transgender youth to 82 percent.

The question of safety is largely placed in spaces where students may feel less comfortable, such as the locker rooms. Forty-one percent of transgender boys and 34 percent of transgender girls stated they never feel safe in the locker room.

There is a need to transform the way sports are viewed. The current environment, as this survey shows, has is shone a bright light on that fact that queer and gender-variant youth across the board are not feeling like sports is a safe place for them.

“No LGBTQ young person should have to choose between being ‘out’ and being an athlete. This data adds to a growing body of research on LGBTQ youth sports participation that suggests a need to transform sports environments into LGBTQ-affirming spaces.”

Changing the space and the culture within sports to be more welcoming will truly benefit all, not just the queer youth.