Perception Matters: Attitudes Toward Transgender Inclusion in Campus Recreational Sports

Abstract

The participation of transgender individuals in sporting spaces continues to receive increased attention in both popular media and in academic scholarship. However, while attention is growing, little is known about the attitudes the general public holds toward transgender sport participation. This is particularly true when it comes to attitudes participants hold toward transgender persons and their participation in recreational sport programming. As such, this study quantitatively explores the attitudes of intramural and club sport participants across the United States toward transgender persons and transgender participation in recreational sport programming. Specifically, results emphasize (a) the general attitudes of recreational sport participants toward transgender persons, (b) the attitudes of recreational sport participants toward the participation of transgender persons in recreational sport programs, (c) differences in attitudes by gender, and (d) differences in attitudes by program area (intramural vs club sport). Discussion of these differences and practical implications for recreational sports are considered.