As top-level professional sports continue to battle on-field homophobic incidents, local sporting clubs have been warned they risk losing a generation of players unless they commit to reducing discrimination.
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00:00 Roller derby may not be the most gentle of sports, but it was the push Caitlin White
00:07 needed to come out as non-binary.
00:09 I, I suppose, hadn't really considered my own gender identity until I started skating
00:17 here.
00:19 Growing up in Sale in Victoria's East, Caitlin felt being different was never really an option.
00:24 But that all changed when they strapped on their skates.
00:28 It makes me feel really grateful that I have found this pocket of safety and inclusivity
00:34 and love and, you know, everyone here loves each other and loves this sport.
00:39 Roller derby players are bound by a strict code of conduct, ensuring a safe environment
00:45 free from discrimination.
00:47 But new research has found young LGBTQIA+ people who play sport face alarming rates
00:54 of homophobia, biphobia and transphobia both on and off the field.
01:00 Every young person should have access to safe and equitable sport environments and our research
01:04 has shown that's not the case.
01:06 The research found 53% of LGBTQIA+ people have witnessed discrimination on the field,
01:13 with 40% saying they've experienced it personally.
01:17 And for gay men the numbers are even higher, with 76% witnessing homophobia and 63% saying
01:25 they've been the target of a homophobic slur.
01:29 Amid ongoing discussions about a lack of openly gay men in professional sport, this research
01:35 highlights a main problem.
01:37 Queer people are being driven away from the sports they love out of fear and a lack of
01:42 acceptance.
01:43 It's stopping young people from participating in sport and accessing the benefits that sport
01:48 participation can lead to.
01:51 But some country sporting bodies have taken it upon themselves to create change.
01:56 Like the North Gippsland Football Netball League, which held its first annual Pride
02:00 Cup in 2017, a first for regional Victoria.
02:04 We were able to put on an event that not just showed visibility for community but also an
02:12 education piece for a broader community too on the importance of inclusion in sport.
02:18 The research found LGBTQIA+ people want safe sporting environments, and that's exactly
02:25 what Caitlin White has found on the rink.
02:28 And it's just such a welcoming, beautiful place that I guess I thought, why not be me?
02:34 Rolling past discrimination, one game at a time.
02:37 [BLANK_AUDIO]