Heterosexuality Of Women In Sport Essay

For centuries, sport has been a male dominated field of entertainment focused around competitive exhibitions of strength and dominance. The sexuality of male athletes has historically never been questioned, because athletic displays of hyper masculinity are automatically associated with heterosexuality. Heteronormativity is a driving factor for homophobia in the world of sport. Deviation from the social norm is generally shocking to consumers, and, as a result, if often perceived negatively. While homophobia in sport, as well every other area of society, has seen a significant decline in recent decades, the issue is still present. Despite the historical domination of heterosexuality in men’s sports, queer women in sport is not a revolutionary concept. There have been openly gay, high-profile female athletes for decades across multiple sports. In recent years there has been a large influx of female athletes coming out, and at this point most people don’t bat an eye. However, because the idea of a gay female athlete is so commonplace, queer women in sport face a particular set of double standards that men do not experience. The percentage of out, queer women in sport is so
Female athletes can face microagressions from sources outside of the team, such as the assumption of their sexual orientation by peers, fans, or the general public. Microagressions can also be embedded within team culture. Many teams have a sort of taboo surrounding teammates hooking up or having relationships with each other. This unspoken rule is often enforced by straight members of a team who argue they simply want the best for the team. Discomfort with teammates dating relates back to the idea of heterosexual players attempting to distance themselves from gay teammates in order to avoid that label