Investigating the Effects of Inclusive Environments on the Mental Health of Queer Individuals : A Study With the Rose City Rollers

Abstract

Purpose: Portland, OR, is home to the world’s largest roller derby organization, the Rose City Rollers (RCR). Having the spotlight held upon the community, the organization takes immense pride in communicating its ongoing embrace of its queer and uniquely diverse players. With historical and present prejudice against the LGBT+ community, derby stands as a haven for players looking for a place that will embrace each player's identity. The purpose of the study is to see how RCR’s openly queer settings specifically impact the well-being of its queer members. Methods: November 2023, I conducted three interviews and a research group using three Rose City Rollers skaters’. The players had been recruited through the organization, where I was looking for a specific skill level and team applicable to each of the three participants. The players ended up being all B/C level skaters who belonged to the wreckers team. Additionally, each person self-identified as being a part of the LGBT+ community. Results: Three major themes were continuously mentioned by the participants. They talked about the amount of emotional validation and sense of community found in roller derby, as well as how the vocality of a community fosters trust in its members. The participants brought up the importance of representation of queer individuals and how that contributes to positive mental health and self-esteem. Conclusion: The roller derby players from this study had an overwhelmingly positive outlook on the effects RCR had on their mental health. Having RCR foster a safe and representative community for a vast population allowed the participants to freely express themselves. The combination of deep emotional validation, persistent activism, and representation fostered trust within each member interviewed. With that they had also felt seen and empowered, highlighting the importance of constant activism and representation for queer Individuals.