How LGBTQ+ friendly is the sports and fitness world?
At first glance, the sporting world might not seem a likely safe space for the LGBTQ+ community. British football fans are still scarred by the tragic death of Justin Fashanu died by suicide shortly after coming out in the late 90s, and there are very few openly gay male cricketers, rugby players or athletes around today. Look at womens sport, however, and its a different story. Weve got Nicola Adams, Megan Rapinoe and footballer Fara Williams to name but a few openly queer sportswomen. From grassroot communities like LGTBQ+ friendly female football teams Goal Diggers FC to playing at very top of the professional tree like Lioness Lucy Bronze, gay and bisexual women seem to be well-represented in sport. It seems, at least from the outside, that the sporting world is far more accepting of female sexuality than the fitness industry. The media plays a strong role in how the world sees LGBTQ+ people, Amazin LeThi, athlete and Stonewall and Gay Games Global ambassador, tells Stylist. In mens sports, its perhaps harder to be out but thats not necessarily the case in womens sports. Look at the Womens World Cup. Across the whole tournament there were at least 41 female players or coaches who are openly gay or bisexual. Womens sports do have a different atmosphere; theyre more family orientated and often have a more diverse group of people going to watch matches. Thats not to say that everything is perfect in the sporting world, however. LeThi believes that theres still more work to be done, namely in providing the press and official bodies with more media training around language, pronouns and how our stories are told. LeThi, the first openly-queer Asian athlete to appear in Stonewalls Rainbow Laces campaign, suggests that coming out might be easier for those sportswomen who excel at traditionally masculine sports, like football, rugby and hockey. Rather than being a sign of progress, she believes that fact is proof that misogynistic, homophobic stereotypes of gay women persist. Amazin LeThi believes that stereotypes make it easier for gay women to find acceptance in traditionally 'masculine' sports like football. Queer women of colour and trans women are still on the margins  Of course, the queer spectrum is a diverse one and no conversation around LGBTQ+ acceptance would be complete without delving into the experiences of women of colour and trans women. They, of course, experience the industry quite differently. I do think we are lucky in womens football, says Ella Masar, a professional footballer and the co-founder of Doyenne Sport. We are able to feel comfortable. But you dont see male players coming out and that is because they are very much scrutinized and feel as if their lives could be threatened. I also still believe that football still focuses on the LGB side of things  where the TQ fits in is still not really being looked at. Arguably, social media is one arena that hands control of ones image back to the user. Through curating their own social media presence, LGBTQ+ women are able to craft and nurture their personal brands and connect with a wider community. However, its hard to deny that heteronormative beauty standards reign supreme across Instagram and TikTok, with the fitness influencers banging on about building glutes and honing abs to create a womanly hour-glass shape. Nicole*, a personal trainer from south London says: As a woman of colour, I dont think its as easy to be out and be a fitness professional unless you already have a sizeable following. Black womens bodies are fetishised and sexualised to such an extent that dealing with the male gaze is challenging. Yes, I deal with it every day and I deal with it on Instagram. While shes out to her closest friends, Nicole feels uncomfortable about connecting her sexuality with her business. I dont run a queer Black personal training business, I just run a personal training business because I dont want to give anyone the ammunition to marginalise, sexualise or mistreat me.  Sex sells  even in the fitness industry  The fact that women-only gyms seem to be increasing in number may pay testament to the fact that some women  queer or not  can feel a little uncomfortable in mixed gender fitness spaces. Research from Mindbody back in 2020 found that 57% of women have felt inappropriately looked at while working out Emilia Richeson runs Pony Sweat, an LA-based aerobics brand and proudly queer-centric space. Her experiences as a fitness professional have been varied during the seven years shes spent building her business. As a femme person, I am and have been hypersexualised throughout my life and as someone who works with their body, it is difficult and frustrating to always have to confront and defy that gaze, she says. Representation does make a difference in that when we see folks that look like us, we may be more likely to start our own exercise routine, or aerobics class, or dyke-soccer club, or whatever it is! We have a better chance of shifting this culture when there are more of us in it. The creation of LGBTQ+ friendly fitness spaces  groups like Stonewall Sport, businesses like Doyenne Sport and media outlets that celebrate and champion out athletes and fitness professions  has undoubtedly helped with encouraging more women in the industry to come out. Theres still a long way to go, however, until everyone feels safe and comfortable to do so. We have come a long way but there is still such a long way to go. Abuse and comments on social media are still very common, explains Masar. She adds that, despite being out for almost eight years and making her identity visible on her social media channels, the (homophobic) comments still come. And then, of course, theres the fact that heteronormative ideals of beauty persist online, regardless of personal sexuality. If I do a workout video  one with my shirt on and the other with my shirt off  the view rate is considerably higher for the shirtless one, says Masar. There are forums encouraging young women to post sporty pictures in gym gear to accrue more followers and fan accounts dedicated to collating photos of women exercising. Its clear that Instagrams algorithms, which in simple terms favour images that receive a high level of engagement and hides those that do not, promote a particular aesthetic where womens bodies and sexuality are associated with being fit. Of course, this algorithm affects not only the visibility of low-ranking images, but the visibility of LGBTQ+ women, the visibility of women of colour and the visibility of athletes and fitness professionals who dont create content that subscribes to the algorithms standards. It doesnt even matter if you want to engage with more authentic content; if youve engaged with a classic, sexualised gym selfie image from a certain influencer, Instagram will show you more content like that. Eventually, youll find yourself in a fitness echo chamber that could preclude gay content makers entirely. You may also like Pride 2021: I purposely failed PE at school to avoid being outed as bisexual by my classmates  Both industries are progressing forward  On social media, many athletes and fitness influencers can control their own image but stereotypes still affect them. says LeThi. Its still more challenging for Asian and black women to be out in sports (or anywhere else, for that matter) because of cultural differences, negative stereotypes and lack of representation. We struggle with a double layer of discrimination. These issues create and impact future barriers to being openly out. Its clear that theres still a mammoth challenge on our hands to level the playing field between LGBTQ+ communities and heteronormative players and fitness influencers, but progress is being made. All the women we spoke to believe that more LGBTQ+ role models in the industry are needed, alongside better allyship from media and fans and more spaces in which talent and passion are the chief concern for anyone playing the game. For now, let me leave you with this heartening fact: according to Out Sports, over 100 openly LGBTQ+ athletes are expected to compete at this years Toyko Olympics  the latest number ever. The tide really is turning. *Names have been changed to protect the identity of individuals