NCAA D1 Schools Lack LGBTQ-Inclusive Policies
Only three percent of D1 institutions have queer-affi rming guidelines
BY TAT BELLAMY-WALKER
A new report led by Athlete
Ally shows that
many NCAA Division
1 athletic departments
continue to severely lack policies
that support LGBTQ college athletes.
Less than three percent of NCAA
Division 1 athletes participate in
departments with robust protections
for LGBTQ players and a
whopping 92 percent of Division
1 athletic departments don’t have
trans-inclusive policies, according
to the annual Athletic Equality
Index (AEI), which evaluates
school climate for LGBTQ studentathletes,
coaches, administrators,
staff, and fans at Division 1 NCAA
institutions.
The report also found that 70 percent
of D-1 departments are missing
LGBTQ educational resources,
including training on the needs
of trans, non-binary, and gendernon
conforming teammates. Furthermore,
80 percent of DI departments
lack a fan code of conduct,
which explicitly bans spectators
from unleashing homophobic and
transphobic attacks on athletes
during sporting events.
“Of over 9,000 sports fans surveyed,
the majority believed spectator
stands were the most dangerous
and unwelcoming of all places
for LGBTQ people in sports,” researchers
wrote in an executive
summary.
The Athlete Ally report coincides
with numerous anti-trans sports
bills circulating statehouses across
the country. Governors in Mississippi,
Arkansas, and Tennessee
have recently signed bills banning
transgender and some non-binary
athletes from school sports, while
South Dakota Governor Kristi
Noem issued her own executive orders
attacking trans athletes.
To compile the research, the
organization audited student-athlete
handbooks, policy manuals,
and offi cial athletics websites for
policies and practices advocating
for the inclusion of LGBTQ students.
Researchers determined
A new report from Athlete Ally shows that many NCAA Division 1 institutions lack LGBTQ-inclusive policies.
the scores based on trans-inclusive
sports policies, accessible
non-discrimination statements,
LGBTQ inclusivity training for
staff and athletes, and LGBTQ
resources, as well as any collaborations
with their college’s LGBTQ
center.
The report allows anyone to compare
the grades assigned to different
schools. While some schools
are equipped with additional fi -
nancial resources, that doesn’t
always translate into inclusivity.
The University of Wisconsin-
Milwaukee, a smaller school with
only 15 teams and about 300 athletes,
scored 65 percentage points
higher than Columbia University,
which received a score of 25 on
the AEI report.
Columbia University has a nondiscrimination
policy but lacks a
trans inclusion policy, sexual harassment
policy, fan code of conduct,
LGBTQ educational resources,
and trainings for staff and
athletes, according to the report.
Even in the face of enduring
transphobia and homophobia,
queer athletes are hopeful that the
Biden administration will work towards
eradicating disparities that
were exacerbated under the Trump
administration. Last year, the Department
of Justice opposed a
Connecticut policy allowing transgender
students to participate on
a team that matches their gender
identity and the Trump administration
tried hiding their transphobia
behind Title IX — the 1972
landmark law that established
gender equity in academics and
athletics. The Department of Education
under Trump even threatened
to withhold federal dollars
for racial desegregation initiatives
after Connecticut continued to allow
trans athletes to participate in
SPORTS
USA TODAY SPORTS VIA REUTERS/KIRBY LEE
accordance with their gender identity.
The Justice Department under
President Biden recently followed
up on an executive order from President
Joe Biden by issuing a new
memorandum to federal agencies
clarifying that Title IX bans discrimination
on the basis of gender
identity and sexual orientation.
“Under new leadership, we have
renewed hope for greater inclusion
in college athletics, but much work
remains ahead,” researchers concluded.
“Campuses have an opportunity
to provide LGBTQ studentathletes
with a safe place to be who
they are.”
The group added, “Now, more
than ever, students are looking to
their athletic departments to provide
guidance, support, and community,
and to model the kind of
inclusivity we hope to see in society
as a whole.”
GayCityNews.com | APRIL 8 - APRIL 21, 2021 9
/GayCityNews.com
