‘You’re going to teach my son to be viado’: From ‘girling’ to queering sport for development?

Abstract

This paper critically explores how queer youth experience sport for development programmes in Brazil. Whilst the Sport for Development and Peace (SDP) field is not void of discussions that touch upon heteronormativity and sexuality, the ‘sensitive’ stories of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) individuals within SDP initiatives remain rather unheard. Drawing on ethnographic methodology and queer theory, this paper aims to understand the impact of two different SDP programmes located in Sao Paulo, Brazil, that use sport to address sexuality and gender issues as part of their mission. The findings of this study indicate that delivery of sexuality-focused projects is a complex, problematic and contested process. Whilst the programme is conceived of as and committed to being LGBT-inclusive, the space is not completely void of heterosexism and homophobia. The queer lens here allowed for the revelation that whilst the SDP initiative provided a relatively supportive environment regarding the free expression of queer desires, it creates rather ‘safe(r)’ spaces, as the conventional norms of mainstream hetero-patriarchal society permeate these spaces. Furthermore, initiatives led to new means of exclusion and alienating experiences for its non-queer beneficiaries. Ultimately, raising the question of sexual diversity resulted in unexpected consequences outside the SDP space associated with misinterpretations, suspicions and a rejection of the initiatives. The conclusion consists of overall reflections regarding the use of the queer approach within SDP research and suggests possible directions for future studies of this topic.

Leaders building relationships with young refugees during a sport project

“…Their lack of a personal history in physical education or sport coaching courses may have enabled these SWs to focus on relationship building that could produce enjoyment rather than emphasizing achievement in progressions of skill development and competitions as may occur in SfD projects (e.g. Kidd 2011;Válková 2021;Zipp, Smith, and Darnell 2019). The findings suggest staff members for SfD need to engage in critical self-reflection to grasp how their previous training and curricular background could enhance or detract from relationship building with participants.…”

“…Scholarship focusing on SfD projects, including those for refugees, reveals that the focus of many such projects has often been on the learning of sport skills, on using sport to develop life skills, on empowerment, on guiding youth towards sport club membership, on enhancing the integration of refugees into the country where the refugees hope to live/settle and on contributing to the wellbeing of participants (Kaya et al 2021;Kidd 2011;Schulenkorf, Sherry, and Rowe 2016;Spaaij and Jeanes 2013;Spaaij et al 2019;Válková 2021;Welty Peachey and Burton 2017;Welty Peachey, Schulenkorf, and Hill 2020;Zipp, Smith, and Darnell 2019). Kaya et al (2021) found however, that immigrant and young refugees did not have long term goals for participation in such projects but participated in sport because they viewed it as a fun activity that gave them an opportunity to interact with others in an enjoyable way.…”

How Can Sport-Based Interventions Improve Health among Women and Girls? A Scoping Review

“…Future studies applying more focused and systematic strategies to document existing multilevel factors within the local context of participants’ daily lives can form an important foundation for developing intervention strategies to address barriers and leverage support. Such efforts may be particularly suited to include additional critical perspectives currently overlooked in this field, with emphases on emergent areas such as intersectionality (i.e., how overlapping social identities may compound experiences of discrimination within sport) [ 47 ], engagement of girls and women beyond heteronormative conceptions (e.g., inclusion of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender experiences) [ 48 ], and approaches customized for displaced women and girls [ 49 ]. Additional research is also needed to reveal experiences and perspectives of sport participation by women across the life course [ 50 ].…”

Équité, diversité et inclusion dans les organisations sportives

“…La mixité ne doit pas être vue comme une solution miracle aux problèmes d'inclusion, mais comme un outil auquel il faut réfléchir. D'autres vont plus loin en insistant pour dire qu'un réel changement de paradigme vers un sport queer inclusif, qui remettrait en question la nécessité des différenciations de genre, est nécessaire (Landi, 2018(Landi, , 2019Larsson et al, 2014 ;Válková, 2020).…”