Coming Out on the Field: Negative Attitudes and Perceptions of Others’ Attitudes Toward LGB+ Athletes

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and other sexual minority (LGB+) people often conceal their identity in sports environments, which has negative consequences for their sense of belonging, well-being, and health. One explanation might be that the sport climate is particularly unwelcoming for LGB+ people. Using data collected among students from one sport university and three general education universities in Germany and Switzerland (N = 1,033), we investigated differences in personal attitudes and perceptions of others’ attitudes toward men compared to women LGB+ athletes. We further examined whether the gender of the respondents and the form of their university (sport university compared to general education universities) predicted their attitudes. We found that men hold more negative attitudes than women toward LGB+ athletes, especially toward men (compared to women) LGB+ athletes. There is no effect of environment (sport university compared to general education university) on personal attitudes. Results for perception of others’ attitudes reveal similar patterns. However, students in the sport university perceive stronger LGB+ negativity toward both men and women LGB+ athletes compared to students in the general education university. These results provide a more nuanced understanding of how gender and environment might shape negativity toward LGB+ athletes and provide a starting place for future intervention.