‘It seems really inclusive in some ways, but … inclusive just for people who identify as lesbian’: discourses of gender and sexuality in a lesbian‐identified football club

Abstract

This article explores discourses of gender and sexuality in relation to female football players located within the context of ‘gay sport’. The findings presented are taken from my PhD research, and as such form part of a larger study of both male and female footballers who choose to play in gay‐ or lesbian‐identified football clubs. Drawing upon participant observation and interview narratives of five women involved in gay/lesbian‐identified football contexts, this article considers how these women resist homophobic and heteronormative discourses present within the broader context of mainstream sport, and how they negotiate their position as women in the world of ‘gay football’. Engaging with feminist, post‐structuralist and queer theories, it offers a critique of ‘gay sport’, with a particular emphasis on ‘inclusion’. In doing so, it highlights the complex and often paradoxical responses to the homophobic and heteronormative climate of mainstream sport, and illustrates the tensions inherent within this specific gay/lesbian football context.