FEATURE: FOSTERING INCLUSION OF LGBTQ COMMUNITY IN SPORT HOW CAN WE HELP CREATE A SAFE ENVIRONMENT FOR LGBTQ ATHLETES WITHIN SPORT? IN MODERN SOCIETY, ATHLETES CAN BE JUDGED NOT JUST BY THEIR PERFORMANCE, BUT ALSO BY THEIR RACE, RELIGION OR SEXUAL ORIENTATION. THIS DISCRIMINATION AGAINST ATHLETES, FOR REASONS THAT HAVE NO IMPACT ON THEIR PERFORMANCE, CAN BE HURTFUL FOR THE ATHLETE AND CAN RESULT IN THE ATHLETE SUPPRESSING WHO THEY ARE, OR LEAVING THE SPORT ENTIRELY. WE HAVE PROVIDED THREE DIFFERING VIEW POINTS FROM AN ATHLETE, A MEMBER OF THE SPORTS MEDICINE TEAM AND A MANAGEMENT EXECUTIVE ON HOW WE MAY BE ABLE TO BEST CREATE A SAFE ENVIRONMENT FOR LGBTQ ATHLETES IN SPORT. MATTHEW ceremony, during which he ran up to Q: What do you feel are the MITCHAM the stands and embraced his partner.biggest barriers for the inclusion Matthew Mitcham had already made of LGBTQ athletes participating Matthew Mitcham headlines all around the world when hein sport? OAM achieved his ‘came out’ before his Olympic debut childhood dream earlier in 2008. A: Trans athletes have the hardest time in 2008 when he of all because of how sport is gendered won Olympic Gold Mitcham retired from diving in 2016 withand the procedures around sex organ at the Beijing Gamesan Olympic gold (2008), World Cup goldand endocrine level testing, and then in China. Going into(2010), Commonwealth gold (2014), sixtrans athletes also have to deal with the the last round of theCommonwealth silver medals (4 in 2010,same (or more) prejudice on the field men’s 10m platform final in second place,2 in 2014) and several World Grand Prixof play that other LGBTQ athletes Mitcham needed a whopping 110 pointstitles among his career highlights. often face. to catch up to Chinese diver and crowdRefreshingly candid, especially for a favourite, Zhou Luxin. Finishing with thesportsperson, Mitcham has been openQ: Were there ever times that highest degree of difficulty dive of theabout his history with depression andyou considered leaving sport competition, a back 2.5 somersaults withrecovery from crystal meth addiction. 2.5 twists, Mitcham received four perfectA passionate men’s and mental healthdue to discrimination or 10s to reach a score of 112.10, winning theambassador, he uses his profile and hisharassment because of gold medal with the highest scoring divestory to promote diversity in sport andyour sexual orientation? in Olympic history; a record which stillhelp break down the stigma surrounding stands today. depression and addiction, and regularlyA: I wasn’t very happy in my training lends his time to various #EndingHIVenvironment throughout my teenage Afterwards Mitcham’s historic win, campaigns, headspace, and Wear It years and I think sexuality had a part broadcaster NBC was forced to apologisePurple days. to play in that. Admittedly, I wasn’t for failing to televise Mitcham’s victory 32 VOLUME 36 • ISSUE 3 2018