An investigation of male college athletes’ attitudes toward sexual-orientation

Abstract

Multiple studies have found homophobic cultures within intercollegiate athletic departments. Accordingly, intolerance of gay/lesbian athletes (while most often forbidden by university policy), may still exist. Many “straight ” athletes feel gay/lesbian/bi-sexual (GLB) athletes do not “belong ” in college sport. In addition, female sport participants are frequently assumed to be lesbians. Within this social milieu, this study surveyed 698 male and female college athletes from four Division I & III universities in a traditionally conservative region, the Southeastern United States, to determine their attitudes toward sexual orientation. The primary research questions were: (a) “What are college-athletes ’ attitudes toward sexual orientation?” and (b) “Is there a significant relationship between athletes ’ gender and expressed attitudes toward sexual orientation? ” Specifically, this study focused on an examination and discussion of male college athletes ’ attitudes toward sexual orientation. Results confirm a relationship between athletes ’ gender and their sexual-orientation attitudes, specifically the existence of a higher degree of sexual prejudice among male college athletes. This research reveals that while homophobia is quickly eroding- even in the American South- there still exists a need for both expanded research of college athletes ’ sexual-orientation attitudes as well as an expansion of