From international podiums to local playing fields, sports are transforming into more inclusive spaces
for 2SLGBTQIA+ athletes.
Representation of 2SLGBTQIA+ athletes on the international stage has a powerful ripple effect, reaching all the way down to community sports leagues. For many queer youth, seeing athletes who share their identities helps make local sports spaces feel more welcoming and affirming.
Last summer, a record-breaking 193 2SLGBTQIA+ athletes competed in the 2024 Paris Olympics, racking up an impressive 68 medals across all events. Despite the success of queer athletes on the international stage, homophobia in sports remains an issue rooted in toxic masculinity and a long history of conformity.
Since the very beginning of organized sports, the nature of the competitions has valued aggression and physical
dominance, traits that are traditionally correlated with masculinity. As the popularity of organized sports boomed in the 20th century, athletics became a rite of passage for young men.
For the generation of male athletes who grew up on Rocky (1976) and Hoosiers (1986), sports were a way to gain social capital and reaffirm their masculinity. Continuing into the 21st century, hyper-masculine sports culture has enabled harsh responses to any deviation from the ‘jock’ stereotype, including homosexuality. Popularized “locker room talk” included derogatory slurs, creating a hostile environment for 2SLGBTQIA+ athletes.
However, as 2SLGBTQIA+ athletes continue to excel on the international level, community sports are becoming significantly more inclusive, celebrating rather than shaming their queer athletes.
Queer Olympians such as British diver, Tom Daley, and United States distance runner, Nikki Hiltz, are bringing attention to sports’ history of homophobia by advocating for 2SLGBTQIA+ rights and donating to charities supporting queer youth—movements that are impacting the base level of sports and building the next generation of athletes up for success. It’s role models such as Daley and Hiltz who are creating inclusive spaces for queer athletes from the grassroots to the international level.
Daley has publicly condemned countries where homosexuality is punishable by death, and he has criticized the International Federation of Association Football for hosting the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. From denying migrant workers’ rights to anti-2SLGBTQIA+ laws, the 2022 World Cup hosts received a plethora of backlash, bringing attention to the role of politics—especially topics centered on queer rights—in international sporting events.
Though it’s not their responsibility, queer athletes such as Daley and Hiltz are utilizing advocacy and fundraising to create an increasingly inclusive sporting environment, turning the page on a narrative that has traditionally enabled toxic masculinity.
Organizations like You Can Play and The Trevor Project are actively leading this shift—training coaches, promoting inclusion, and ensuring that community sports become safe spaces where young 2SLGBTQIA+ athletes can thrive. This work matters deeply, especially for those who don’t feel safe being themselves at home and instead turn to their teams and community groups for belonging and identity.
Notably, 170 of the 193 2SLGBTQIA+ athletes at the Paris Olympics were women. Women have been historically excluded from organized sports that were considered “too masculine.” This history of exclusivity has
fostered a subculture of resistance and solidarity within women’s sports, celebrating non-conformity and welcoming 2SLGBTQIA+ athletes.
While some female athletes, such as American swimmer Riley Gaines, have been outspoken in their opposition to 2SLGBTQIA+ inclusion, women’s sports as a whole has been historically a safer and more welcoming space for many queer women and non-binary athletes. In fact, women’s sports have often been at the forefront of efforts to uplift and celebrate queer athletes
Though in 2025 male sports teams still struggle with exclusivity and toxic masculinity, they have come a long way in promoting acceptance and inclusion. Despite vaguely homophobic locker room rhetoric present at the local and international level, male athletes are often more accepting than you would expect given this history.
Equestrian athlete and founder of Outsports, a 2SLGBTQIA+ sports blog, Cyd Zeigler shared with NBC Sports that the level of acceptance in men’s sports is usually much higher than is perceived. Despite the hyper-masculine and borderline homophobic jargon in men’s locker rooms, many male 2SLGBTQIA+ athletes feel supported and accepted by their teammates.
While homophobia still exists in sports, the growing visibility and advocacy of 2SLGBTQIA+ athletes is paving the way for an inclusive and accepting sporting community.
Though not always perfect, the positive influence of creating safe spaces for students can be felt here on campus—where 2SLGBTQIA+ athletes are beginning to find their community and a sense of pride. Queen’s Athletics currently hosts a 2SLGBTQIA+ cycle class, and solidarity swims for queer students looking for a safe and comfortable space to swim.
However, Queen’s hasn’t always been active in supporting their 2SLGBTQIA+ athletes. In 2015, student athlete
Donovan Hillary transferred schools following his experience of homophobia on the football team. Athletics and
Recreation denied comment on the incident at the time, but in 2018, they renewed their commitment to Safe Sport policies, including mandatory inclusion training for all staff.
As awareness and representation of queer athletes increases, and traditionally masculine stereotypes are challenged, a new generation of athletes are looking up to modern superstars and beginning to view sports as a tool of self-expression rather than repression.
Where earlier generations may not have had 2SLGBTQIA+ representation in their sports, today’s young athletes see role models who proudly celebrate who they are.
Tags
Inclusive spaces, Pride 2025, Queer athlete
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