Can your orientation have an impact on sports?
When you have a different sexual orientation than the majority, you have to face a lot of discrimination. Once you are identified as being “part” of a minority, since there are a lot of stigmas attached to it, it often causes various forms of discrimination. Unfortunately, these discriminations can limit your possibilities in many areas of life and create inequalities.
Let us look at how your sexual orientation can impact the sport you will choose, your access to different sports, and how it can create different unfortunate barriers when it comes to doing sports. If this topic interest you, there are a lot of interesting articles you could check to learn more about this particular matter. Today, datinger.uk has prepared some information about the problems and rights of LGBT sportsmen.
LGBT Discrimination and Impacts on Sports
Various studies have shown that athletes feel that they are discriminated because of their sexual orientations. Some of them even chose to hide their sexual preferences to avoid any judgment. And since the pressure can get intense when you reach a certain level of fame, many athletes are afraid of expressing themselves when it comes to their orientation. So, it has been established than professional athletes are having a hard time dealing with these problems. But some studies go even further: famous athletes are not the only victims of discrimination. Indeed, people who are just doing sports to stay in shape are reluctant to try certain sports because they are afraid of homophobia. Indeed, for instance, if you are gay and if you want to play football, some people might not take you seriously because it is supposed to be a sport for “virile” men. Even worse than that, another study showed that because of their sexual orientation or their gender identification, a lot of people feel unsafe and vulnerable when they are in sporting environments. So whether you are trying to join a new club or simply wanting to go watch a game, you may have to face some barriers because of your orientation. The reason why this feeling of vulnerability exists is the fear of being judged or harassed. Because unfortunately, sporting environments are places where homophobia is often present.
How Can Athletes Deal with Loneliness?
It may seem surprising, but a lot of athletes are suffering loneliness. Being rich and famous will not cure you of loneliness. On the contrary, it can isolate you from the rest of the world! And since athletes have to follow a very strict regime, work all the time, and always be in the best shape possible, they can’t spend their nights partying or drinking with friends like everyone else. Consequently, socializing can be a big problem for some athletes! Moreover, in a society were social networks and media have a huge place, athletes can quickly imagine that the whole world is against them if their performance is decreasing which accentuates this feeling of loneliness and vulnerability. Fortunately, there are various solutions to fight this feeling of loneliness. The first step is to understand that loneliness is just a feeling: it is just a bitter feeling that is triggered by a situation, a memory, or a need to compare yourself to others. But it does not mean that you are actually lonely: you can have a family, great friends and still feel lonely. The next step is to try to identify what is triggering this feeling of loneliness: do I feel lonely after going on social networks? Do I feel lonely when I assume than my self worth is defined by my level of performance? Do I feel lonely because I have to face huge obstacles? Once you found the reason, you can start working on this problem. But no matter what, you should reach out to other people, talk about it, observe your negative thoughts and analyze them, and focus on others instead of focusing on your feeling of loneliness!
Some Famous LGBT Athletes
One of the most famous LGBT athletes is Caitlyn Jenner. Once known as Bruce Jenner, this incredible athlete has won the Olympic gold medal for Decathlon! Not only has Jenner broke a lot of world record but she also won 92% of the decathlon she participated in! In 2005 Jenner revealed that she was a transsexual and declared that she had used hormone replacement therapies. She is now one of the best advocates of LGBT causes. One of the biggest stars in the tennis planet is also part of the LGBT community: Amélie Mauresmo. This French tennis player has won a lot of Grand Slam and she has been number one for a long time. Serena Williams often referred to her as a role model when it comes to sports and femininity!