LGBT Inclusive Athletic Departments as Agents of Social Change

Abstract

Despite advances, prejudice against lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) individuals continues to plague many areas of sport, including intercollegiate athletics. There are, however, some athletic departments that are inclusive of LGBT athletes, coaches, and administrators, and that have inclusive organizational cultures and practices. In this paper, the author draws from an institutional theory perspective to suggest these athletic departments act as agents of social change, working to deinstitutionalize norms of exclusivity and heterosexism, articulating a viable alternative, and then working to reinstitutionalize new structures, processes, and norms of LGBT diversity and inclusion.

Inclusive Spaces and Locker Rooms for Transgender Athletes

“…Of particular relevance to the current position statement, researchers have shown that when faced with exclusionary sport contexts, transgender individuals will engage in avoidance behaviors, eschewing physical activity opportunities (Ellis, McNeil, & Bailey, 2014). Importantly, the opposite is also the case, as transgender individuals who encounter welcoming, inclusive sport spaces are likely to be active and use sport facilities (Cunningham, 2015a(Cunningham, , 2015b.…”

Creating Social Change in and through Intercollegiate Sport

“…Several sport management scholars have argued that because of the tradition, leader behaviors, and prevailing stereotypes, gender discrimination has become institutionalized in sport (Burton, 2014;Cunningham, 2008;Walker & Sartore-Baldwin, 2013). In this special issue, Taylor (2015), Walker and Melton (2015), and Cunningham (2015) emphasize the influence of institutionalized practices on social change in intercollegiate sport. Taylor (2015) described his personal journey as an athlete, coach, and advocate to illustrate the challenges and opportunities associated with supporting inclusion for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender individuals within intercollegiate sport.…”

“…Consequently, the most talented employees prefer to work in men's sport organizations. In his theoretical paper, Cunningham (2015) argues LGBT-inclusive athletic departments, a rarity within intercollegiate sport, may provide a way to reinstitutionalize industry practices. Specifically, by modeling inclusive behaviors and effectively articulating the moral and business case for inclusion, these athletic departments will motivate others to follow their example.…”

“…Both scholars and practitioners recognize the difficulty in inspiring prosocial behavioral, but suggest communication strategy and tactics can play a vital part in building support for social change initiatives (Hayles, 2014;Hayles & Russell, 1997). Cunningham's (2015) theoretical paper touched on the role of organizational communication, and suggested organizations use two types of messages when garnering support for LGBT inclusion. First, he argued athletic departments should present moral legitimacy arguments when advocating for inclusion, but cautioned that relying solely on such positions would not effectively motivate everyone to change their behavior.…”

“…The papers included here accomplish this objective. Specifically, the authors demonstrate that participating in sport-based service learning courses can empower and motivate students to work toward social justice in their communities (Fuller et al, 2015); describe how displaying small acts of inclusion and respect can challenge gendered norms in intercollegiate sport (Taylor, 2015); develop a conceptual model for how athletic departments can be agents of change (Cunningham, 2015); show how community-based social marketing plays a vital role in promoting proenvironmental behaviors at sporting events (Martin, Ross, & Irwin, 2015); explore how academic and industry partnerships provide opportunities for social change in women's sport (Walker & Melton, 2015); and outline challenges and opportunities for future research . In the following space, I diverge from the traditional introduction to the special issue format and instead, present the work within a broader, multilevel conceptual framework.…”