On Thursday, May 25th, Out For The Win vzw, together with a number of partners, organized 'Out For Inclusion', an inspirational day entirely dedicated to gender and sexual diversity in sports.
Out For The Win would like to express its sincere gratitude to the Centre for Ethics in Sport, the Flemish Sports Federation and Sport Vlaanderen, who contributed to the project and the inspiration day. The project was made possible thanks to the support of the federal gender equality policy and the Institute for the Equality of Women and Men.
For once, the conversation wasn't about Caster Semenya, Laurel Hubbard, or Lia Thomas, and while that debate is necessary, we were glad for that. The current societal debate focuses very often on elite sports, fair competition, and testosterone levels. This results in a search for strict guidelines and clear regulations with little regard for the bigger picture. What we often forget is that elite sports represent a very small fraction of the total number of athletes, and we have no influence over them anyway, as international regulations apply. This inspiration day revolved around what we *can* do: focusing on the proverbial local sports club and working on the basic participation and sports experience of a vulnerable group of athletes.
Only a very small proportion of gender and/or sex diverse athletes find their way to organized sports in Flanders. Due to, among other things, stereotypical language use, lack of representation, discriminatory or inappropriate behavior, certain clothing regulations and infrastructural challenges, gender and/or sex diverse people do not always feel safe and welcome in sports.
We were delighted to welcome 40 participants from at least 20 different organizations, all open to discussing and learning about these challenges. We know that there is often a certain lack of awareness within organizations regarding gender and sexual diversity. We see that this lack of awareness leads to inaction, but we also feel that various organizations are committed to positive change and are taking steps forward.
With the various workshops and speakers, we wanted to respond to these findings with the organization. The inspiration day became a platform for LGBTQI+ athletes to share their experiences, but also to exchange knowledge, tools and ideas. The presence of a number of Dutch guests ensured that inspiration was also sought across national borders.
'Out For Inclusion' is part of a larger project by Out For The Win, which concludes in June 2023. During the project, Out For The Win collaborated with its partners on a Q&A and a revised version of the Consultation Tool for Transgender People in Sport. These tools will be available from the summer onwards.