‘I somehow had the Feeling that I did not belong there’—Experiences of Gay and Lesbian Recreational Athletes in German Sports Clubs

Abstract

There is little empirical research on the sport experiences of gay and lesbian recreational athletes in Germany and their existence and needs within organized, non-professional sports have largely been ignored. Based on twelve in-depth interviews with self-identified male gay and female lesbian adults, this paper explores how queer recreational athletes experience sport in German sports clubs and which particular challenges or discriminatory situations they are confronted with. Findings show that study participants do not experience much discrimination on an explicit level in the sports clubs. Nevertheless, many respondents try to hide their sexuality in the sports context to prevent possible discrimination and questions about their sexuality. After all, it is mainly the discussion about and reduction of their sexuality that is being experienced as problematic. Five main stressors have been identified: (1) the necessity of an outing, (2) the sports club typical mode of communication, (3) the heteronormative pre-structuring of the sports, (4) the feeling of otherness and the assigned special role, (5) the implicit fear of discrimination. The findings point to the need for increased reflection on and reduction of heteronormative structures in German sports clubs.