Homophobia has been around for many years, and at times, dominated decisions that were made in regards to the LGBT community. Exactly what is homophobia? Homophobia is the negative thoughts, feelings, and behaviors an individual has in response to others who are perceived to be gay or lesbian. This concept has plagued many among the LGBT community in regards to equal rights, fair employment, and most shocking of all, personal safety. This paper highlights some studies which have been conducted in order to test different levels of homophobia, and whether societal pressures and lack of exposure to the LGBT community play a role in a person’s homophobic attitude towards the LGBT community. The main focus will be on the current situation of many
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In recent years, there have been more and more athletes who have openly expressed their sexualities and the media normally uses key words such as gay or homosexual to identify the athlete before any accomplishments or credentials are spoken about. And since the first word most people often hear about these athletes refer to their sexualities, opinions about them are formed before any statistics or strengths are highlighted. Fortunately, the media is in a position to help deescalate some of the intense homophobia happening in high school sports by being a bit more responsible with what is broadcast. Focusing more on achievements of openly gay players instead of sexuality can make athletes a bit more relatable to those who are not a part of the LGBT community. Having a variety of advertisements, which would appeal to a broader audience instead of the male demographic, during games that are broadcast on television and radio, could help minimize the association of masculinity with contact …show more content…
However, in order to to combat homophobia in high school sports, it is important to know what homophobia is; how and why we learned it, and most importantly, the proper steps involved in overcoming it. Though there has been clear advancement of openly gay students playing high school sports, there is still a long way to go before we, as a society, can provide a safe place for those members of the LGBT community to form part of teams and successfully contribute their abilities in these
In recent years, there have been more and more athletes who have openly expressed their sexualities and the media normally uses key words such as gay or homosexual to identify the athlete before any accomplishments or credentials are spoken about. And since the first word most people often hear about these athletes refer to their sexualities, opinions about them are formed before any statistics or strengths are highlighted. Fortunately, the media is in a position to help deescalate some of the intense homophobia happening in high school sports by being a bit more responsible with what is broadcast. Focusing more on achievements of openly gay players instead of sexuality can make athletes a bit more relatable to those who are not a part of the LGBT community. Having a variety of advertisements, which would appeal to a broader audience instead of the male demographic, during games that are broadcast on television and radio, could help minimize the association of masculinity with contact …show more content…
However, in order to to combat homophobia in high school sports, it is important to know what homophobia is; how and why we learned it, and most importantly, the proper steps involved in overcoming it. Though there has been clear advancement of openly gay students playing high school sports, there is still a long way to go before we, as a society, can provide a safe place for those members of the LGBT community to form part of teams and successfully contribute their abilities in these