When people think
about inclusion in the athletic world they think about how an athlete feels at
home with a team. Whether you belong on a XC course or on the court, everyone has
the need to feel embraced, including LGBT athletes. We are athletes who want to
succeed just as much as anyone else would, but for that to happen the team has
to play a part. Inclusion is very hard to quantify, given it’s highly
individualized repertoire. So to figure out a little more what inclusion means
to athletes around the country, I asked a few fellow swimmers what it means to
them. The swimmers that I have asked help open the dialogue on inclusion range
from rising high school seniors to National Team members. Take a look at what
being a part of the team means to some swimmers below.
What does
inclusion mean to you as an athlete?
Inclusion is more than just being allowed to participate in
a sport. It’s being valued for who you are and what makes you different.
Everybody on the team is coming from a different background, and has a unique
viewpoint as a result. Inclusion is accepting and fostering what makes each
person unique within the structure of the team.
How has being
accepted and included influenced your swimming career?
If it wasn’t for my teammates’ acceptance of me, I might not
be swimming anymore. And I know for sure I wouldn’t be enjoying it as much as I
am, or doing as well as I am. The ability to be honest with my teammates about
who I am allows me to lower my guard around them. I can focus on what’s going
on in the pool and not have to worry about any of the outside stuff that was
weighing on me before I came out. In the few months since, I’ve had more fun
with swimming than I’ve had in a long time, and my times have reflected that
renewed love of the sport.
Is their any
LGBT inclusion policies or non-discrimination statement of support from your athletic
department or club you're associated with?
The athletics website says that it wishes to “establish an
atmosphere of diversity, respect, and inclusion.” That said, if there’s any
statement or policy on non-discrimination from the athletic department either
online or in the student-athlete handbook we’re given, it’s pretty hard to
find.
Do you think
education and awareness could help organizations draft inclusion policies?
Absolutely! I’d imagine that, most of the time, the lack of
there being some sort of inclusion policy is not malicious in nature. I feel
like it’s just that, if it hasn’t been made an issue of yet at your specific
institution, it’s possible that nobody thought to make one. I think by
informing administrators and coaches of the importance of having these types of
policies in place, more often than not they’d be very open to drafting one. Or
at least I hope they’d be.
Do you think
it's important?
For sure! Even if you’re someone who’s in a great situation, with no
sort of anti-LGBT backlash, just knowing that your school or team ‘officially’
has your back has to be such a relief. And if you’re not in that great of a
situation and do feel some negative vibes because of who you are, these kind of
protective policies become doubly important.
What does inclusion mean to you as an athlete?
Inclusion to me means the ability to participate in the sport I love, despite the fact that I’m a proud gay man!
How has being accepted and included influenced your swimming career?
I have fallen in love with the sport of swimming all over again since coming out. Even though the workouts are extremely challenging, I’m always soar and I’m always tired, I feel like the 10 year old kid who just loved to be in the water. It is no longer a coping mechanism that I have to do—it is something that I want to do, and enjoy doing. It also just so happens to be my job, which is pretty great! My practices are more consistent, I’m able to recover faster from a challenging workout or lift, and I’m improving in my events. A huge difference from a year ago when I wasn’t sleeping, loosing weight and always stressed out about being found out.
Is their any LGBT inclusion policies or non-discrimination statement of support from your athletic department or club you’re associated with?
One certainly existed while I was at UNC, swimming and getting my undergraduate degree. Unfortunately I was deeply closeted college athlete and didn’t reach out for support when I probably should have. The way my teammates, coaches and staff members at NBAC reacted was certainly indicative of a policy existing. However, I’m not aware that one does exist. Once I went public, everyone simply gave me a hug, said they were proud of me, and that they loved me. I think that shows how supportive they are of the community. They are an amazing group of people!
Do you think education and awareness could help organizations draft inclusion policies?
I do! Education and awareness are two extremely powerful tools. We are fortunate enough to live in a time where people are much more willing listen and learn than to pass preconceived notions.
What does inclusion mean to you as an athlete?
To me, Inclusion is when the team environment is not only accepting, but positive and the coach as well as the team, treat you as if you were not “different” because you are not different.
How has being accepted and included influenced your swimming career?
Being accepted has made a huge impact. Before I was out, I was so preoccupied with how my team would treat me once I was out, how recruiting would go, how my coach would interact with me that I think it began to negatively impact my swimming. After I came out to my team I no longer had to worry about any of those things and I could focus my time and energy on becoming the best swimmer that I could possibly be.
Is their any LGBT inclusion policies or non-discrimination statement of support from your athletic department or club you're associated with?
At this point I do not think there are any LGBT inclusion policies in place on my club team that I can find. I checked around on the northwestern university athletics website and I could not find a specific policy but they are partnered with It gets better. The article was written in 2011. There are several members of the athletic department who take part in the video.
Do you think education and awareness could help organizations draft inclusion policies?
I think it could. I think that many athletic departments could utilize some education and training in order to figure out how to best create policies that are inclusive and appropriate. I know that many clubs and some athletic departments don’t think that LGBT students and athletes are not an issue, so they haven’t thought about drafting these policies. With education and awareness these issues could be fixed.
Do you think it's important?
I think that it is incredibly important to have policies in place to make the LGBT athletes feel like part of the team, and to discourage hate among those athletes who may not be as comfortable with the sexuality of the other athletes. I know even though I could not find any policies in place at first look, knowing that my future school is supportive of it’s LGBT population.
What does inclusion mean to you as an athlete?
Inclusion means equal treatment of athletes regardless of race, gender identity, or sexual orientation. To me, it meant unconditional love and acceptance from the people around me.
How has being accepted and included influenced your swimming career?
I came to a point in my life where I realized that I couldn't swim because of the environment I was in. I felt threatened by some language that was used and the treatment of other lgbt athletes even though I was closeted. People probably didn't mean to hurt me, but they did. When I found a more inclusive environment, I found my love for the sport again and was able to finish my career on a good note.
Is their any LGBT inclusion policies or non-discrimination statement of support from your athletic department or club you're associated with?
Our athletic department has held meeting to discuss the importance of inclusion and inclusive actions. We have a Step Up program to teach athletes about standing up to inappropriate or offensive actions and to create more inclusive environments. We have also had diversity and inclusion meetings in which coaches, athletes, and administrators shared their thoughts on inclusion.
Do you think education and awareness could help organizations draft inclusion policies?
I think education and awareness are extremely helpful. It would help organizations identify possible issues and solutions to the problems.his is very important because it keeps people active and engaged in incorporation of inclusion policies.
