Competing as the First Out Transgender Female Olympian: A Twitter Network Analysis of Laurel Hubbard During the 2020 Tokyo Games

Abstract

This study examines the Twitter network discussing the inclusion of Laurel Hubbard, the first out trans woman Olympian, during the 2020 Tokyo Games. By analyzing the Twitter reactions, top opinion leaders, and the modularity of the network, this study uncovers that (a) the majority of the top 10 most-liked tweets and the top influential social actors hold a negative attitude toward Laurel Hubbard’s participation in the women’s category; (b) compared to traditional news agencies, social media influencers and newly launched digital media agencies play a more important role in facilitating the flow of information in this network; and (c) the observed Twitter network is highly clustered, indicating that individuals tend to interact with people more frequently within their segregated subgroup, whereas information diffusion across clusters is more restricted. This research contributes to the understanding of how Twitter users perceive the inclusion of trans athletes at international sporting events by empirically exploring the Twitter network of Laurel Hubbard, the first out trans female athlete in Olympic history.

Media Framings of the Transgender Athlete as “Legitimate Controversy”: The Case of Laurel Hubbard at the Tokyo Olympics

“…Feminist and queer scholars have made important contributions to understanding the lived experiences of transgender participants in a range of sporting contexts, from everyday physical activity (Caudwell, 2021; Tagg, 2012), to school sport and the ‘exceptional’ (Anderson & Travers, 2017), and a growing body of scholarship is examining policies on transgender participation in sport (Buzuvis, 2021; Jones et al, 2020; Love, 2014; McClearen, 2022), including transgender athletes’ perceptions of such policies (Teetzel, 2017). Scholars are also beginning to focus on social media (i.e., Twitter) representations of and engagement with transgender athletes (Minogue & Thompson, 2021; Xu, 2022). Yet examinations of journalistic framings of transgender athletes (e.g., Birrell & Cole, 1990) are still few and far between.…”

“…In this paper we build upon and extend transgender media scholarship with a focus on the various ways the media (de)legitimized Hubbard as an Olympic athlete. While recent research has assessed social media responses to Hubbard's participation (Xu, 2022), our paper is specifically interested in the framing and editorial techniques used by reporters before, during and after Hubbard's Olympic experience. Drawing upon a content analysis of mainstream print media conducted over three periods leading up to, during and immediately following the 2020/2021 Tokyo Olympics, we reveal the ways the media framed Hubbard's presence at the Games as up for discussion, debate and questioning.…”