9. Chalk Talk: Sexual Harassment Among Athletes and LGBT Issues in Sport
Pat Griffin

Sexual harassment is often defined as repeated and unwanted words, acts or gestures with a sexual connotation which by nature attack the dignity of the physical or psychological integrity of the person or lead to hostile or uncomfortable working and learning conditions. Such behavior may take a variety of forms including, but not limited to:

• Persistent manifestations of sexual interest on the part of someone who knows or can reasonably know that such interest is not wanted;
• Verbal advances already refused and nevertheless repeated without the consent of the person who is the object of those advances;
• Insistent and unwanted propositions of a sexual nature;
• Repeated sexual remarks or comments made in front of several persons when this is done to intimidate others in that group;
• Nonconsensual physical advances such as touching, caressing, brushing against, pinching or kissing;
• Remarks, comments, allusions, jokes or insults of a sexual nature which are repeated or continual and which disturb the atmosphere of work or study;
• An explicit or implicit promise of reward or favorable treatment in return for complying with requests of a sexual nature;
• An implicit or explicit threat of retribution or unfavorable, hostile, unjust or discriminatory treatment, upon refusal to submit to a request of a sexual nature, or the reprisals which effectively follow such a refusal;
• Voyeurism or exhibitionism;
• Attitudes or acts of physical aggression or assault with the intention of imposing an undesired sexual intimacy;
• Persistent, unwanted contact or attention after the end of a consensual relationship;
• Sexually degrading language or actions used to describe or intimidate a person.

Sexual Harassment is against the law and applies to everyone in a school-based athletic setting: coaches, athletes, athletic trainers, academic counselors and administrators regardless of gender or sexual orientation. All participants in an athletic program should be taught what constitutes sexual harassment and the procedures for reporting it. Athletic administrators and coaches are particularly responsible for addressing sexual harassment and maintaining a safe and respectful climate for all participants.

Sexual harassment can take many forms:

• Heterosexual athletes harassing other heterosexual athletes with unwanted sexual attention, innuendo, or creating a hostile climate.
• Lesbian or gay athletes harassing other lesbian or gay athletes unwanted sexual attention, innuendo or creating a hostile climate.
• Heterosexual athletes harassing gay or lesbian athletes with sexually explicit actions, innuendo or creating a hostile climate.
• Heterosexual athletes harassing other heterosexual athletes with sexually explicit actions, innuendo or creating a hostile climate.
• Lesbian or gay athletes harassing heterosexual athletes with unwanted sexual attention, innuendo or creating a hostile climate.
• Coaches harassing other coaches or athletes with unwanted sexual attention, innuendo or creating hostile climate. (Any sexual relationship, consensual or not, between coaches and athletes is a violation of coaching ethics).

All manifestations of sexual harassment should be addressed equally, regardless of the gender or sexual orientation of the people involved. Everyone in athletics has a right to participate in a safe and respectful climate and the same standards of conduct should be applied to all.

Perceptions of Sexual Harassment and Homophobia

Stereotypes and fears about lesbian and gay people can predispose some athletes and coaches to believe that lesbian and gay athletes and coaches, merely by their presence, are a sexual threat to others on the team. The stereotype that lesbian and gay people are sexual predators who either force their sexual attentions on or exert sexual pressure on younger people is perhaps one of the most destructive myths underlying discrimination against lesbian and gay people in athletics. This stereotype can lead athletes to fear sharing a locker room, shower, or hotel room with a lesbian or gay teammate or coach. When athletes or coaches make these assumptions about lesbian or gay team members, the potential for misinterpretation and accusation can create serious misunderstandings that jeopardize careers and damage relationships.

The fear of sexual harassment or even sexual interest from lesbian or gay team members that other athletes may harbor can create a climate of distrust and lack of safety for all. To separate homophobia from sexual harassment it is essential to differentiate between presence and behavior. When athletes base their discomfort with lesbian or gay team members or make accusations of sexual harassment on the presence of lesbian or gay people on a team, the problem is homophobia among the athletes who are afraid or uncomfortable. In contrast, when athletes are uncomfortable, fearful or make accusations based on unwanted sexual behavior (words or actions) by other athletes, the problem is sexual harassment and should be addressed as such. By differentiating between presence and behavior, coaches and administrators can better address the problem appropriately.

Lesbian and gay participants in athletics should not be restricted or penalized because others fear or are uncomfortable with their presence on teams, in locker rooms or hotel rooms. Lesbian and gay participants in athletics are, however, responsible for observing the same standards of conduct with regard to sexual harassment as all others on the team.

Differentiating Invitation From Harassment and Friendship From Romantic Interest

Homophobia can also complicate how a heterosexual athlete might respond to an invitation to participate in an outside social event from a lesbian or gay teammate. For a team member who harbors sexual stereotypes about lesbians and gay men, any invitation from a lesbian or gay teammate, even one based on an interest in friendship, may be interpreted as a sexual advance or expression of romantic interest. If the invitation is based on a romantic interest and the invitee is not interested, a respectful turn down is appropriate as in the case of an unwanted heterosexual invitation. When romantic or sexual interest is persistent despite repeated turn downs, this can be construed as sexual harassment and should be reported as such.

Recommendations

• On an annual basis, provide all members of the athletic department with information about sexual harassment laws pertaining to your school: Coach, other athletic staff and athlete seminars, student-athlete handbook, new coaches orientation, parent orientation.
• Make sure sexual harassment education addresses all forms of harassment regardless of gender and sexual orientation.
• Develop clear procedures for reporting sexual harassment and make sure that all members of the athletic program know what they are.
• Provide education to staff, athletes and parents about LGBT issues in athletics, include a discussion of the connections between homophobia and sexual harassment.
• Coaches, team captains should understand their leadership roles in establishing a team climate free of sexual harassment within the team or outside the team activities.
• Emphasize the importance of and expectation that all members of the athletic program are responsible for maintaining a safe and professional climate in which sexual harassment of any kind has no place.