Abstract

Issues of sex, sexuality, and gender are inextricably linked to sport. Research within sport has examined issues such as experiences of LGBTQ employees (Melton & Cunninhgam, 2014), gender and sex diversity in sport (Cunningham & Sagas, 2008), sex testing (Pielke, 2017), and adolescent athlete views on masculinity (Legg & Varney, in progress). However, an examination of the lived experience of sport and sexuality of individuals from marginalized communities and international settings remains underrepresented.

The purpose of this study will be to explore the lived experience of sport specifically as it relates to gender and sexuality across five marginalized communities, including four international communities. This study will use a combination of arts-based methodologies (e.g. photo-elicitation), qualitative interviews, and in-situ observations (funding and global health situation dependent) to probe how individuals perceive sport, and how that perception relates to their own views on their gender, sexuality, and body perception. The following four communities in Nepal will participate in the study: 1) teen and young adults in the adult entertainment sector (AES) and commercial sexual exploitation of children (CSEC) 2) youth who are affected and or/infected by HIV/AIDS (e.g. deceased parents, personally infected), currently reside in group living situation, and participate in organized and recreational sports; 3) youth, most of whom have been rescued from human trafficking, are currently residing in a group living situation, and participate in formal and informal sport; and 4) deaf youth currently residing in group living, and who will be provided with sports equipment to use. In addition, the study will also implement similar methodologies to explore the lived experiences of sport among transgender young adults in the United States. Previous research supports the use of creative, arts-based methodologies as effective tools for research within marginalized communities and sport (Schultz & Legg, 2020; Fader, Legg, & Ross, 2020).

Significance and Alignment

This study will contribute to and expand upon existing literature on sport and perceptions of sexuality and will provide a global perspective among marginalized communities. Given the potential importance of sport as an influencer on perceptions of sexuality, including views of masculinity and femininity, this is a worthy area of exploration. Further, this study is significant due to the unique access to communities that are vastly unrepresented in the literature. The author will conduct the study in close collaboration with local service providers and mental health professionals. As such, not only will the information add to existing literature, but will further be able to directly influence local on-site service providers and assist the development of sports programs in these communities.

This study also aligns with the 2020-2021 ASU Global Sport Institute (GSI) theme of Sex, Gender, and Sexuality in Sport and builds upon previous research related to last year’s theme of Sport and the Body. This research will inform and facilitate discussion on issues of sex, sexuality, and gender, and lead to practical impact on an international scale. Further, research can be leveraged to apply for additional funding, in partnership with on-site providers.'

Read the final papers from his GSI-funded research here, here and here. 

Last updated April 2021.