Saturday 19th October 2019, 0930-1700
This conference is a part of the Erasmus+ project and I have attached my notes from this conference, as well as the day’s timetable.
I really enjoyed this conference and was a great to share ideas and experiences from like-minded people around the world, discussing various ways that we can work with young people to provide a range of sports experiences for LGBTIQ+ young people in a safe and inclusive environment.
Charter for Inclusive PE (attached)
Gender binary as a western culture. Gender identity is an individual and internal experience, whereas gender expression is the way they show themselves (clothing/appearance)
Transgender as umbrella term whereas transsexual is when they seek surgery/medical for gender reassignment.
Gendered Sport
Stereotypes in sport – why is it male vs. female?
Sports gendered by stereotypes and societal expectations, but don’t actually make a difference in participation, gender not the factor
Idea of femininity vs. masculinity in sport
Skill & ability should be the focus, regardless of gender
⭐Look into history of women’s football – pre and post WW2
Gendering sports
encourage negative stereotypes/categorises
Can out LGBTQIA+ people
🏀 don’t take part in certain sports as assumptions made around identity
Trans & non-binary exclusion
🏀 gendered sport can align people with the wrong gender-where do they participate?
🏀 gender dysphoria – affects on mental health
🏀 if they don’t want to play with their gender, but not want to be aligned with wrong gender
🏀 outing people as trans
🏀 open up people for bullying and harassment
Uniforms
🏀 gendered uniforms cause similar issues around gender dysphoria
🏀 sexualisation of women’s sport can be very harmful – women not always taken seriously in sport
🏀 allowing up to wear what they are comfortable in can allow up to participate
What can we do.
🏀 change your language
🏀 encourage individual participation ( as the person, not the gender)
🏀 try mixing groups
Under 18s can play together in mixed teams
Make all sports accessible
Language
⭐Wanda Sykes If you don’t mean gay, don’t say gay, video thinkb4youspeak.com
🏀 use inclusive or neutral language
🏀 ask people for name and pronouns (name may be different to documentation)
🏀 stay away from all stereotyping
🏀 be aware of stereotypes and challenge them – in yourself and others
🏀 use positive affirmations – consider growth mindset
🏀 respect diversity, encourage it!
🏀 embrace and encourage inclusion – policy supported
🏀 address the inappropriate & offensive language, by providing explanations and/or sanctioning
🏀 no outing of individuals or families
Changing Rooms
🏀 Male and female changing rooms encourage heteronormativity
🏀 Encourages idea of “boys will be boys” boys cannot control themselves sexually
The Problem
Trans/non binary people
🏀don’t know where to go, or forced to use wrong changing room
🏀effects on gender dysphoria
🏀 changing in front of other people
🏀 Outing
🏀 bullying and harassment
LGB Stereotypes
🏀 being called a pervert, accused of looking at people
🏀 exclusion from same behaviour as peers
🏀 bullied, harassed and accused
🏀 yp disenfranchised and don’t want to take part
Inadequate monitoring and reporting
🏀 sports educators can not always be in changing rooms for safeguarding reasons
How do we challenge these behaviours.
🏀 encouraging reporting can be helpful – but how? YP don’t want to be seen as a snitch, or makes the situation worse
🏀 teachers/coaches should have a clear stance on the behaviour expected in changing rooms
🏀 anonymous reporting systems
🏀 clear consequences for actions
🏀 Inclusive posters
🏀 rules and guidelines (must be consistent)
Ideal changing facilities
🏀 Individual cubicles
🏀 Alternative options
🏀 Mixed changing facilities
🏀 support young persons needs and wants – explain situations and outcomes
Consequences
🏀 Consider circumstances from mild to major
🏀 How do we deal with the mild in a way which will prevent the major?
2. Timetable.docx 4107-Manifesto-Leaflet