By Pat Griffin
Published: January 16, 2009
“The girls’ softball team is totally gay!”
“Take those hits like a man! Don’t be a fag!”
(To a boys’ football team who is losing the game): “Ladies, don’t muss your make-up out there!”
Think about your school athletic program. How many times in the last month have you heard coaches or athletes use name-calling like this? How many times in the last week? During workshops on lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning (LGBTQ) issues in athletics, when I ask this question of college and high school athletes, almost everyone in the room raises her or his hand to indicate that name-calling is a constant and persistent problem in schools. Coaches are often surprised to learn that the athletes in their schools hear so much name-calling day after day in the locker room, in the weight room, on the playing field or in the gym. Name-calling is often accepted as an inevitable part of the school and athletic experiences. Is it something we should just accept, or can we do something to eliminate name-calling in athletics? It Takes A Team! believes that we can eliminate name-calling in school athletics if leaders in schools, in athletics and on teams all work together.
The mission of No Name-Calling Week is to focus national attention on the problem of name-calling in schools and to provide students and educators with the tools and inspiration to launch an on-going dialogue about ways to eliminate name-calling in their communities. The No Name-Calling Week Coalition, created by GLSEN, consists of more than 40 national partner organizations. The first No Name-Calling Week in schools across the nation took place during the week of March 1-5, 2004. This year’s No Name-Calling Week will be January 26-30, 2009. It Takes A Team! is a three-year No Name-Calling Week partner and have designed some No Name-Calling activities specifically for school athletic programs.
Name-calling in athletics is a persistent problem in many schools:
- Athletes use name-calling to taunt or intimidate opposing teams or to tease teammates.
- Coaches use name-calling to try to motivate or shame athletes to perform better.
- Spectators use name-calling from the stands to taunt opposing teams during competitions.
- Athletes use name-calling to bully non-athletes in the school.
Name-calling of any kind is unacceptable in any setting. But when coaches or team leaders either engage in anti-gay or anti-female name-calling themselves or fail to address it when team members use name-calling, this sets a hostile and disrespectful tone for everyone. In athletics, this kind of name-calling is often brushed off as a joke or as meaningless taunting. However, name-calling such as “You throw like a girl!” or “You’re playing like a fag!” or “The other team is a bunch of dykes!” is intended to bully, intimidate and insult.
Not only is name-calling never an appropriate way to interact with others, but also these taunts are based on demeaning assumptions and stereotypes of women, gay men and lesbians. When they are unchallenged, the demeaning stereotypes are reinforced and dehumanize lesbians, gay men and women. As a result, all athletes are left to assume that it is ok to use them. Otherwise, coaches, team captains or other leaders on the team would stop team members from using them, wouldn’t they?
In addition to claiming that name-calling is a joke, some coaches and athletes justify name-calling by stating that no one on the team is offended when words like “fag,” “lezzy” or “woman” (for a male team) are used as taunts. It takes a lot of courage to speak up to object to name-calling, and many team members who do not like it when others name-call keep quiet out of fear that they will be taunted for speaking up. For this reason, it is important for coaches and team leaders to set the tone by making it clear that name-calling will not be tolerated by anyone.
If any team members or coaches are closeted lesbian, gay or bisexual or are questioning their sexuality, the use of anti-gay slurs by coaches and teammates makes it more difficult for them to think about coming out and skeptical about finding support on their team. Even if no athletes on the team are lesbian, gay or bisexual, many team members have lesbian, gay or bisexual friends or family members, and these slurs are demeaning to people they care about.
It Takes A Team! is committed to assisting coaches, athletic administrators, athletes and parents in identifying ways that they can creating a name-calling-free climate in athletics where all participants feels safe and supported in trying to do their best. Check out our ITAT No Name-Calling Week activities now and plan events for your program today.
For more information about GLSEN’s No Name-Calling Week, go to www.nonamecallingweek.org