Physical Education and Leisure Sports of Trans Persons in Spain

• In Event: 45.081 - Transforming Sport in Education: International Perspectives on LGBTQ Inclusion

Abstract

Objective
The two interconnected purposes of this multiple-methods research design were to explore: a) the ways in which trans persons participate (or not) in leisure and school-based sport in Spain and b) trans persons perceptions and experiences within these settings.

Background

Nowadays in Spain, an increasing social and political awareness of trans persons’ rights to participate in every domain of social life contrasts with prevalent heteronormative believes that still prevail in different contexts, particularly at educational levels (Devís-Devís et al., 2017; Pereira, 2016; Pérez-Samaniego et al., 2016, 2017). Embodied educational practices, such as Physical Education (PE) and leisure sports (LS) can play an important role either in maintaining or challenging situations of harassment, marginalization and rejection of trans persons (Devís-Devís et al., 2018a; Devís-Devís et al., 2018b). Specifically, our research project addresses two research questions in relation to trans persons participation in PE and LS in Spain: 1) What do Spanish trans person do (or do not) in these domains? and 2) how do they experience what they do (or do not)?

Methods

The multiple-methods project was developed in two phases complementing quantitative (survey study) and qualitative (semi-structured interviews and thematic analysis) methods in order to describe the general Spanish scenario of trans persons participation in PE and LS, as well as to provide comprehension to their experiences.

Data Sources

For the quantitative phase, 212 trans participants from different Spanish regions were recruited from LGBT collectives and through snowball sampling procedure. At the end of the survey, participants were offered to collaborate in a second qualitative phase. From the persons who voluntarily expressed their will to collaborate, 43 trans participants (21 trans woman, 17 trans men and 5 ‘other’), varying from 15 to 62 years of age, were finally interviewed. All informants were living in their desired gender when they were interviewed.

Results

Findings show that trans persons’ participation in LS, though high, is mostly confined to non-organized and individual activities. Trans men (TM) are more engaged in organized than non-organized PAS than trans women (TW) before and after gender disclosure (GD). Only TM are eventually engaged in organized LS, both before and after GD. Thus, trans persons are still marginalized from organized LS in Spain, and TM and TW patterns of participation acutely reproduces heteronormative values.

In order to deepen in experiences of trans persons, highly relevant testimonies showed that in daily practices, participants felt in ‘the middle’ of activities, spaces and gender groups, experiencing aloofness, isolation and loneliness. Participants often experienced hegemonic forms of gender and sexuality in different ways. For most TM, sport-based PE was their favorite subject, while TW found it particularly negative and demotivating. Situations of stigmatization and bullying in PE were frequent. Finally, body intimacy was crucial for participants. Changing rooms were utmost problematic spaces.

Significance

This is the first study in Spain, and one of the first worldwide, about trans persons involvement in PE and LS. The results can be used to inform researchers, educational institutions and policymakers interested in promoting trans persons involvement in social life.

Authors

• Víctor Pérez-Samaniego, University of Valencia

• Elena López-Canada;, University of Valencia

• Sofia Pereira, University of Valencia

• Jorge Fuentes, University of Valencia

• José Devís-Devís, University of Valencia