Persistence and Change in the Stereotype of Women Athletes as Lesbians

• In Event: Sociology of Sex and Gender Section Roundtables
  In Refereed Roundtable (60 minute): Table 17. Youth, Education, and Socialization

Abstract

Sports have traditionally represented an idealized expression of masculinity. As a result, historically, women and girls who played them have been stereotyped as lesbians. Analyzing semi-structured interviews with 132 athletes who played on women’s varsity teams at an NCAA Division III college between 2009 and 2025, this paper has explored their experiences with this stereotype. The athletes revealed keen awareness of the persistence of the lesbian stereotype associated with women playing sports. The stereotype varied by sport with softball most strongly associated with it. While in the past, athletes frequently felt the need to defend both their femininity and their heterosexuality, in the last five years, some athletes, both heterosexual and LGBTQ+, have expressed less need to do so. A few no longer regarded the lesbian stereotype as stigmatizing, thereby reducing its power to control women’s behavior.

Author

• Catherine White Berheide, Skidmore College