Australian National Study On Homophobia Finds Issue Is Prevalent In Sports

The first national study of homophobia in Australian sport released on Wednesday "suggests insults, jokes and discrimination based on sexuality is commonplace both on and off the field," according to NEWS 24. The study of 2,500 Australians, which "included those from professional and amateur sports," found 85% of gay and bisexual people had "witnessed or experienced discrimination in a sporting setting either playing or as a spectator." The figure was 75% for "heterosexual respondents." Gay Australian rugby union club Sydney Convicts President David Whittaker said, "The results are eye opening, but they also confirm what we have been hearing from our players for the last 10 years." The "Out on the Fields" study, which surveyed "equal numbers of gay and straight people, found 64% of lesbian, gay and bisexual athletes felt that derogatory jokes, insults or abuse were more common in sporting teams than in general society" (NEWS 24, 7/16).