Out and About: LGBTQ Sports Newsletter [MAY]
- Liz Ward
- Jul 16
- 3 min read
Out & About
LGBTQ+ Monthly Newsletter
Ever needed a little extra boost to your sports knowledge? Keen to give your understanding of LGBTQ+ a handy assist?
Then this is the place for you.
Expect monthly knowledge, news stories and useful approaches to talk about LGBTQ+ inclusion at your club. Brought to you by Liz Ward
This month:
A global look at LGBTQ+ Sports news featuring AFL and NBA
What is IDAHOBIT?
Test your ability to recognise discrimination
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Back Pages: News Stories to Know
April 2026: AFL
St Kilda AFL player Lance Collard faced the end of his Tribunal this month, in relation to anti-LGBTQ+ language he has used during games. This is his second offence, which has now seen him receive a 9-match ban. An interesting viewpoint on the case came from Mitch Brown, a fellow AFL player who came out as Bi in 2025. He states how there are ‘no winners’ during cases of homophobia, and though he wasn’t involved in Collard’s case, it important to think about how community members are further impacted in high-profile stories such as this.
Collard himself, who received his first sanction as a teenager playing for St Kilda, has also received abuse. This is an important case study that shows how far the ripple effect of homophobia can go.
May 2026: NBA
Sport is emotional, especially when you're in the field of play. That was very true this month of Victor Wembanyama, the 7ft 4 centre for the San Antonio Spurs, who are currently in the NBA play-off series with the Minnesota Timberwolves. After both clutch wins and disappointing losses, Wemby isn't scared of showing emotion, for which, despite his size, skill and fame, often results in him being called 'weak' or 'gay'. This blatant homophobia is something that many of us can recognise when working in team sports environments. Wemby's response was as cool as he is, simply saying "I think it's first and foremost a fear of judgement. Like this feeling that you have to act a certain way, social codes, I guess. Personally I refuse to carry the burden of hiding my emotions".
As teams and clubs move into the part of season where dreams are made and crushed, I hope players around the world are hearing Wemby's words, and not seeing their emotions as a form of weakness, or an opportunity to throw around homophobia...
The Training Ground: IDAHOBIT 2026
May 2026: IDAHOBIT: International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia
What is it? On the 17th May, events around the world are carried out to recognise the deep discrimination that the LGBTQ+ community face. It started in 2004, with several international Human Rights groups coming together to raise awareness.
How is it different to Pride Month? Pride is a month, often about celebration, whereas IDAHOBIT is a day that focuses on raising awareness of the different kinds of discrimination towards the LGBTQ+ community and challenging inequality.
What can I do? IDAHOBIT is all about learning. Test yourself to see if you know the difference between Homophobia, Biphobia, and Transphobia.
The Kit Bag: Recognising Discrimination
How well do you know the difference between Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia?
Check your knowledge below...
Deliberately getting someone’s pronouns wrong
Calling someone ‘greedy’ for dating men and women
Questioning someone’s family values when they reveal their same sex partner
Telling a male colleague that no woman would want him after dating men
Telling someone they’re confused for dating men and women
Saying someone isn’t a ‘real man’ for being gay
Questioning someone about what surgery they’ve had ‘down there’
Telling a female colleague that she’ll grow out of her ‘phase’ dating women
Calling someone ‘fruity’ or ‘zesty’
Asking to see someone’s ‘before’ photos
Saying that ‘2-3 years in Dagestan’ will ‘sort them out’
Extra time: How would you respond in these instances?
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