OUTSPORT Innovative and educational approaches to prevent violence and tackle discrimination in sport based on sexual orientation and gender identity

Outsport is a co-founded project by the European Commission project within the framework of the Erasmus Plus Sport Program. Partners of Outsport are AICS – Italian Association for Sport and Culture (Coordinator, Italy), DSHS– German Sport University (Germany), LEAP Sports Scotland – Leadership, Equality and Active Participation (Scotland),VIDC– Vienna Institute for International Dialogue and Cooperation (Austria), FRIGO– Organization for fresh Ideas (Hungary). Research – The first EU-wide survey based on direct experiences of LGBTI peopleThe Institute of Sociology and Gender Studies of the German Sport University Cologne was in charge of the scientific research (Outsport@dshs-koeln.de) and was coordinated by Prof. Dr. Ilse Hartmann-Tews, Birgit Braumüller e Tobias Menzel. More than 5,500 lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) people from all 28 EU countries completed the online survey. Almost 90% of respondents consider homophobia and particularly transphobia in sport a current problem. 20% refrain from participating in a sport of interest due to their sexual orientation and/or gender identity. 16% of respondents who are currently active in any sports have had at least one negative personal experience in the last 12 months that was related to their sexual orientation or gender identity. The share is higher among trans people – especially among trans women (46%).Based on these survey findings, umbrella organisations and federations from the 5 projects countries have been interviewed about their strategies in tackling homo-/transphobic discrimination in the field of sport. These data have been used to produce 5 specific focus booklets for each country (Austria, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Scotland) with local highlights and recommendations to their national sport institutions.Education – A pedagogical toolkit to address LGBTI inclusion in and through sportOutsport aims to promote a new inclusive training approach: apart from contrasting homophobia and transphobia in sport, Outsport strives to make sport a tool to educate against any form of exclusion and a chance to develop social competencies. On this front, the second main outcome is the publication of the Outsport Toolkit, a manual for those working in sport and education with exercises and practices tested during the project and based on the Non-Formal Education through Sport methodology (moveandlearn.org).The importance of training and education has also emerged in the research. According to survey respondents, “Diversity training” was considered one of the top three actions to take in order to tackle homo-/transphobic discrimination in the field of sport. Other actions include the promotion of “popular sports stars coming out” and “high profile anti-homophobia/transphobia campaigns”.RecommendationsConcrete policies on SOGI discriminations in sport could be very useful to contrast homo-transphobia and gender stereotypes. These policies could indeed boost initiatives in the field of gender equality, because tackling stereotypes and discriminations based on sexual orientation and gender identity is also a necessary step to address sexism in sport. Unfortunately, to this day, female athletes still face numerous obstacles based on their gender.In accordance with the first guiding objective of the current EU Work Plan for Sport, “to ensure, through cross-sectoral cooperation, the awareness of other EU policy domains of the contribution that sport can make in meeting the policy challenges facing the EU” project partners recommend the Working Party on Sport of the Council of the European Union:•to include LGBTI issues and SOGI discrimination in the guiding objectives of the next EU Work Plan for Sport. •to promote the enhancement of the existing sport education programs with trainings on SOGI discrimination and LGBTI rights issues.•to open up a dialogue with all relevant stakeholders