“It Builds Bonds Between People”: Sport Participation and Belonging Among Transgender and Gender-Diverse High Schoolers (Poster 9)

• In Event: AERA Poster Session Saturday 3:20 p.m.
  In Poster Session: “It Builds Bonds Between People”: Sport Participation and Belonging Among Transgender and Gender Diverse High-Schoolers

Abstract

This study aims to explore the benefits of school-based sport participation via qualitative analysis of TGD athletes’ perception of belonging. Ten TGD youth (M age = 16.9, SD = 1.04) were recruited via social media. Participant gender identities included transmale (50%), nonbinary (20%), female (10%), male/transmale (10%), and male/nonbinary (10%), and 50% were BIPOC. Themes included: (1) institutional support (e.g., support from family, coaches, band directors, teammates, peers), (2) personal motivation (e.g., physical, social, emotional benefits), and (3) structural inclusivity (e.g., affirming spaces such as changing rooms, locker rooms, non-gendered teams). Findings can be used to guide schools, and specifically their athletic departments, in shaping spaces to be more welcoming and inclusive for TGD youth.

Authors

• Aidan D. Kraus, Boston University

• Melissa K. Holt, Boston University

• Olivia Wyatt, Boston University

• Nicolina Fusco, Boston University