Out and About: LGBTQ Sports Newsletter JULY (World Cup Edition)
- Liz Ward
- Jul 16
- 4 min read
Out & About
LGBTQ+ Monthly Newsletter: July
Welcome to Out & About - your monthly newsletter of LGBTQ+ sports and knowledge. Brought to you by Liz Ward.
July is upon us and there's lots to reflect on! I for one will be thinking about the likelihood of defending a 1-0 lead against 88% possession for 40 minutes, but hey, I'm a RB after all...
This month:
Back Pages: World Cup rundown and TikTok trends to keep an eye on
The Training Ground: Understanding Intersectionality
The Kitbag: What is Intersex?
Why am I receiving this? We've either worked together before, or I'm available to work with your club via the Premier League Lifeskills Programme or on the DiSE Programme this year.
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Back Pages: News Stories to Know
July 2026: FIFA World Cup
The World Cup is almost at its peak. The last month has been full of amazing stories, incredible games, questionable decisions and so many worldies, it's made us even question the ball.
When it comes to LGBTQ+ stories, Three Lions Pride, who had previously decided not to attend the world cup, had to put out statement condemning the P-slur that was directed at Jordan Pickford during the Mexico game. The slur "puto" loosely translates to Male Prostitute and has been hurled at goalkeepers for the past 25 years. Have a read of its history here. Sadly, we've seen the chant resurface at this year's World Cup. FIFA are yet to set out what action they will take, but previous years have seen heavy fines doled out.
Many of us became totally enamoured with Cabo Verde (my jersey is currently in the post) but how much do you know about the Island nation? Well, it's stunningly beautiful, has incredible music, and is one of the most accepting and welcoming African nations towards LGBTQ+ people. Check out this video here.
A last note on the world cup; there had previously been many comments shared about the prospect of Iran and Egpyt playing in Seattle during a Pride fixture. Some comments even went as far to say that players would walk off the pitch, should they see a rainbow. In reality? Players were of course focussed on the football, and Iranian players especially had much more to deal with. Check out this video with Mehdi Taremi himself.
Tik Tok Trending...
Ah Tiktok, what we would do without you (a lot, actually)...
One trend that I notice has been hitting the team sports world lately, albeit across the USA, has been the trend of shouting 'that's my man' during a clutch moment (such as a penalty or a free throw).
It may seem harmless, but the 'joke' here is the homophobia. Silly - yes, annoying - definitely, childish - undoubtedly, but it's these kinds of low-level small behaviours that make team sports impossible to inhabit, if you're a young gay man.
The Training Ground: Understanding Intersectionality
If I've been lucky enough to come and visit you, you've probably receIved my Identity 101 training. Within that, we breakdown intersectionality. If you still have questions, here's an explainer below...
What is it? Developed across the 90s and the 00s by Kimberlee Crenshaw, in short 'intersectionality' is described as the ways in which different parts of your identity become layered, and even compound and conflict. She came up with the concpet after a group of Black Women in the USA wanted to take their employer to court, over working practices. They were told to pick either racism or sexism as a reason for the discrimination, when in fact, it was a combination of the both...
What does it look like in our context? Let's look at the Lionesses. Every single one of those players get abuse, especially as footballers who are women. Yet time and time again, we see players such as Jess Carter and Lauren James get racist abuse too. Every player suffers, but those form different ethnic backgrounds, have even more to deal with.
In academies, you may have a team of young men. As young men, they are more likely to be targeted with messages about their masculinity, success, wealth, looks, relationships - often comparing themselves against each other. Some may also have an intersecting identity of poor mental health; which impacts 17% of academy players. The messages that they all receive might have an even more damaging impact on boys with anxiety or depression. Some may have an intersecting identity of being from an immigrant background - suddenly messages such as immigrants 'go home', or the persistent presence of flags, may take a heavier toll on boys from a different background.
What's important to remember is that we all have identity, and we can all experience intersecting identities too. What's important is that we recognise it, and build inclusive cultures so that everyone thrives.
Get in touch to learn more!
The Kit Bag: What does Intersex mean?
You've seen the 'I' in LGBTQI+ but what does it actually mean?
When we're born, the vast majority of us are born as male or female babies. That usually (but not always!) relates to us having XX chromosomes (female) or XY chromosomes (male). Chromosomes are parts of our DNA that make up who we are.
Intersex people may have Chromosome differences, such as XXY, XO, XYY, XXX. Some intersex people may even have XX or XY, like most people, but have a condition where their body might react differently to testosterone (the hormone often associated with masculinity), making them appear more feminine, or more masculine, even though they are male or female.
Up to 2% of the population can exhibit an intersex trait. This can include:
Chromosome differences
Reproductive organs
Genitals
Hormone production
Hormone responses
It's far more common than we think! Check this out for more info.
Let's Get To Work!
Lifeskills is live! So get in touch to book your session for the 26/27 season.
lizmaryward@gmail.com
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