Editorial: Equal playing field needed for LBGT athletes

For lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender students, being on a
sports team often presents difficult challenges ““ and often
leads to hiding behind an unspoken “don’t ask,
don’t tell” policy.

The problems are definitely not confined to UCLA, but recent
reporting by the Daily Bruin confirms the campus is not immune to
the immature and fearful intolerance most commonly associated with
high school locker rooms and prehistoric coaches.

As a result, LGBT athletes often sit in silence and endure the
bigoted banter of their fellow players and coaches, hoping that
they will not be outed.

The consequences for closeted LGBT athletes are real: They are
fearful of criticizing prejudicial comments, of dating people of
the same sex openly, and of verbal and physical abuse if their
sexual orientation is made public.

One athlete told The Bruin he thinks coaches make anti-gay
comments because “they don’t even think anyone on the
team could be gay.”

Another athlete said, “If I came out, it would affect my
play on the team because everyone else would be thinking about it,
and I would be worried that they were thinking about it.”

This athlete’s concern is understandable, but it also
highlights the need for a cultural watershed in the sports culture.
In a perfect world, a person’s sexual orientation should not
be a factor in his or her life as an athlete.

It should be ludicrous to suggest that having an openly LGBT
player on a team would negatively affect its performance. Similar
claims were made about black players in the last century, a claim
which today is laughably ironic. Athletes and coaches should not
fear that acceptance will somehow impact ferocity on the field of
play.

On the contrary, coaches and teammates who shun LGBT athletes
are also doing themselves and their teams a disservice. The world
will never know how many superb athletes choose not to join a team
because they fear prejudice, discrimination and abuse.

Discrimination is as much an ethical problem as it is an
athletic problem, and coaches who discriminate against LGBT
students should face harsh punishments.

But it is not enough to punish problematic coaches. UCLA and
other sports programs must work proactively to ensure all coaches
and teams have resources that can help them make LGBT athletes feel
safe and welcome.

The campus already has a healthy spectrum of LGBT organizations
and counselors, ranging from the LGBT Resource Center run by Ronni
Sanlo to student organizations like the Queer Alliance.

One of the positives of sports teams is that they have a clear
leadership structure: Coaches and team captains have the
opportunity to set the tone of team cultures. Building on this
existing framework, the Athletic Department should make sure every
coach is trained to deal with LGBT issues ““ and every player
knows discrimination is unacceptable.

The ethos of sports is steeped in decades of tradition and
impacted by unique dynamics ““ but is not an excuse to
perpetuate intolerant environments.

Sports are inherently about competition and finding the weakness
of the opponent. Too often, LGBT athletes are made to feel that
their sexuality is a flaw in the fabric of teamwork.

UCLA should be proactive, vocal and unwavering in its commitment
to protecting the rights of all its students. Becoming a leader in
a much-needed reform of sports culture is a goal worthy of this
university.