The annual Pride in Sport Equality Index (PSI) National Survey has made significant strides over the past five years, demonstrating robust growth in participation and responses. Beginning with just 2 participating organizations/clubs and 14 responses in its inaugural year, the survey has now expanded to involve 27 organizations and garnered 1,043 responses in the year 2023.
Pride in Sport was conceived to address the unique needs of sporting organizations and clubs, primarily focusing on enhancing the inclusivity of LGBTQ employees, athletes, volunteers, and participants. This initiative spans both community and professional sports entities, aiming to foster an environment where diverse sexualities and gender identities are welcomed with open arms.
The PSI National Survey stands as a valuable tool to glean insights into the intricate fabric of culture, beliefs, opinions, and disparities that exist between LGBTQ and non-LGBTQ respondents within the sporting sector. By surveying a diverse range of organizations and clubs, the study sheds light on the ongoing efforts undertaken to ensure that LGBTQ individuals feel not only accepted but also integral to the broader sports community.
In the year 2023, the survey underwent a thoughtful redesign, aligning it more closely with other employee surveys within the Pride Inclusion Programs division. This strategic enhancement was intended to offer a deeper understanding of participation and experiences within the sporting arena. Furthermore, it allows for a comparative analysis with organizations operating across different sectors and industries.
The results of the survey’s 2023 edition are of particular interest, as they unveil several noteworthy trends and divergences from previous years. Through a series of questions, respondents provided insights into their personal beliefs and attitudes. Encouragingly, there has been a notable rise in inclusive behaviors relating to these beliefs over the past two years. Key findings include:
- Belief in Importance: An impressive 88.2% of respondents agreed that employees should actively engage in LGBTQ diversity and inclusion efforts. This marked an 8% increase from the previous year.
- Inclusion in Sporting Committees: 87.4% of respondents endorsed the notion that sporting committees and volunteers should be active in the realm of diversity and inclusion.
- Organizational Commitment: A striking 83.9% believed that their respective organizations or clubs genuinely embrace LGBTQ diversity and inclusion, signifying an increase from 2022’s statistics.
- Positive Impact of Track Record: 68.7% acknowledged that an organization’s positive track record in LGBTQ inclusion would positively influence their decision to join—a substantial 16.3% rise from the previous year.
However, amid these positive developments, there were a few areas where there was a decline in alignment with inclusive beliefs. For instance, there was a decrease in understanding the unique challenges faced by individuals of diverse sexuality and gender, a slight drop in the belief that a person of diverse gender would be treated no differently in a team, and a minor reduction in the recognition of more than two genders.
While awareness and ally training experienced a slight dip in availability, it remained significantly higher than in previous years. Notably, 74.2% of respondents advocated for making diversity and inclusion training mandatory for those in managerial or supervisory roles.
The survey also delved into the realm of health and wellbeing, revealing that LGBTQ respondents demonstrated slightly lower levels of agreement in various aspects related to health and productivity compared to non-LGBTQ respondents.
In matters concerning bullying and harassment, the survey revealed that a significant number of respondents had witnessed both mild and more serious forms of negative behaviors. Respondents expressed varied reactions to such instances, including the calling out of behaviors and the organization’s response to them.
The importance of visible allies within organizations and clubs emerged as a critical factor in fostering an inclusive environment. Respondents acknowledged that active allies significantly impacted their sense of inclusion. The role an individual held within the organization also played a role in determining the impact of their allyship.
In conclusion, the report outlined a series of actions that organizations and clubs could take to promote LGBTQ inclusion. These included reviewing processes, enabling inclusive facilities, fostering communication with LGBTQ leaders, developing resources, participating in the PSI National Survey, and actively promoting allyship initiatives.
The findings from the 2023 PSI National Survey illuminate both encouraging progress and areas that require continued focus and effort. The data serves as a roadmap for organizations and clubs to actively contribute to the ongoing evolution of a more inclusive and accepting sporting community.
Depending on if you are a more traditional organisation/club with employees, or a sporting club primarily
made up of volunteers and players, there are various actions which can be undertaken toward LGBTQ
inclusion.
- Review registration/employment processes and documents to ensure they use inclusive language.
- Enable inclusive uniforms, all-gender changing facilities and consider all-gender team participation.
- Talk to LGBTQ leaders in your community or sport to create an understanding of the local needs.
- Develop resources to support leaders to understand the barriers for LGBTQ players, how to support
them (ensure they are well communicated and easy to locate) - Participate in the free yearly PSI National Survey and compare your organisation’s results to all
results summaries to see how your organisation is progressing, using the results to encourage
further growth.
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Photo Courtesy Pride in Sport
Courtesy Pride in Sport