Reducing Gender Stereotyping and Homophobia in Sports (Middle and High School)

Objectives 

• identify qualities that they associate with male and female athletes;
• identify the attitudes they have about gender, sexual orientation, and athletics;
• understand what stereotypes are and how they harm and limit people;
• explore what stereotypes they may believe about gender and sexual orientation;
• discuss how those stereotypes show up at their school, and
• make a plan for how to debunk stereotypes about gender and sexual orientation at school.

Essential Questions

• What characteristics do you associate with athletes? Which are positive and which are negative for male athletes? Which are positive and which are negative for female athletes?
• How do gender stereotypes and homophobia affect students?
• What can you do at your school to change homophobic attitudes?

Materials
Article: "Can the NFL Tackle Homophobia? [1]"

Handout 1: Stereotypes of Male and Female Athletes and Artists [2] (Middle and Upper Grades)

GLOSSARY

homophobia |ˌhōməˈfōbēə|
(noun) The irrational fear or antipathy toward LGBT people and homosexuality.

stereotypes |ˈsterēəˌtīp; ˈsti(ə)r-|
(noun) A set of preconceived ideas or beliefs, usually negative, over-generalized to all or most members of a group based on their membership in that group. Stereotypes can be based on race or ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, age, ability, physical appearance, class or socioeconomic status, occupation, etc.

Additional Resources
“Young gay athletes find a place out on the field [3]”   [3]

“Come out of the dark ages [4]”

“Homophobia Rampant in Women’s Sports [5]”

Social Studies/Reading and Language Arts/ELL 

1. What is a stereotype? What is homophobia? In small groups, define the terms. Use books or web sites to help you. Write a one- or two-sentence definition of each word. Compare your group’s definitions with other groups’ definitions to make sure you understand the terms.

2. With your group, complete the handout, Stereotypes of Male and Female Athletes and Artists [2]. 

3. Read “Can the NFL Tackle Homophobia? [6]”. When you think back to stereotypes about male athletes, what, if anything, in the article surprises you? Why do you think no professional football players self-identified as gay while they were playing pro ball?

4. Write a journal entry about gender stereotypes and homophobia in professional sports and at your school. You don’t need to share it with anyone. But bring your ideas to a group discussion about what you can do at your school to help combat homophobia and gender stereotyping. Make a plan. Identify the steps involved in carrying out the plan, and take on the task as an ongoing class project. Keep records of your progress in your journal.

APPLYING WHAT YOU’VE LEARNED

Effective learners connect what they learn to their own lives. Think about what you have learned in this lesson. Answer these questions in a journal.