44 Exclusivity: The Confining Binary Institution of Sports for the Non-Binary

Keywords: Sports, tokenism, public sphere, diversity
** speaks on non-binary identity and gender non-conforming individuals
** also mentions people living with disabilities

This article aims to explore and analyze some inherent factors that work to either consciously or unconsciously exclude non-binary identities from accessing professional or recreational sporting teams. The use of qualitative research will be vital to investigate the systemic roots of the undisputable lack of accessibility. Sporting institutions will be assessed through a lens of intersectionality, by recognizing both the material and intangible features of confinement. The effects of not being able to engage in community builders such as sports will be highlighted which include further marginalization and segregation. Furthermore, examining the tokenism, discrimination and aggression that takes place during sports or athletic-related work to exclude non-binary individuals will be explored. Lastly, this paper will look at the manifestation of gender displacement for non-binary people playing on sex-stipulated teams. Questions such as how is an individual outside of the binary supposed to identify with an institution that enforces the binary at every level? And whether is it possible to remedy this gap in gender inclusion will be investigated.

Gender can be a dysphoric, confining, and all-consuming force, especially within specific institutions within society. According to Lawley (2020), sport is a set of organized institutional arrangements that vary in terms of formality and eminence. Sports are a leading industry that has great economic merit, which holds fundamental cultural and political influence and can shape and maintain a nation’s identity. In other words, the sporting industry is of great importance in society. Sporting institutions operate generally within the binary. Sports are divided into two separate mutually exclusive male and female leagues. Therefore, it can also be consequential for individuals who don’t subscribe to gender. Typically, these individuals identify as non-binary. It is important to digest gender terms to comprehend the subject matter fully. The term non-binary encompasses the gender identity that is not entirely male or female and identities that lie outside of the gender binary completely. For context purposes, I will address some basic but crucial aspects of the non-binary identity. Many non-binary or gender non-conforming individuals use they/them pronouns as they are not attached to a gender; occasionally, some will use multiple pronouns such as they/she or will use all pronouns he/they/she. When thinking about the non-binary identity, it is helpful to address the overlap with the transgender identity, but they are not indistinguishable experiences (Erikianen et al. 2020). While some people experience being both transgender and non-binary, others may experience them singularly. Sometimes, complex gender identities can become umbrellaed in which all identities outside of the binary are recognized as interchangeable. We must appreciate and practice the differences. Sometimes the title of non-binary can represent a spectrum which includes those who identify as gender-fluid. Gender-fluid means that they incorporate both aspects of masculinity and femininity but don’t identify as either male or female. Their gender is often reflective of how they feel on a day-to-day basis. Non-binary can also embrace additional genders that lay outside of male, female or gender non-conforming actors (Erikainen et al. 2020). It is also significant to note that gender is not a fixed or stagnant characteristic; it can be fluid or changing throughout an individual’s life.

Tokenism

Tokenism is the practice of making only a symbolic effort to do a particular thing, especially in supporting disenfranchised minorities. When a body of individuals is limited to one or a few members that are of the minority, it is reasonable to predict that they will fall victim to tokenism. Kanter’s tokenism theory examined by Stroshine (2011), labels member(s) of a collective that make up less than 15% of that collective as “tokens.” These tokens are often isolated from the collective body and are persuaded or pressured into the stereotypical role that is consistent with their expected identity as a minority. Tokenism is being exercised against women working within male-dominated industries, racial and ethnic minorities, and the inclusion of individuals who identify as part of the LGBTQ+ community. Rather than committing to restructuring systems that create oppression to prevent discrimination and encourage diversity, institutions, companies, or teams will hire a few tokens. The notion is that they will advance the perception that the team or institution demonstrates diversity and inclusivity. Token’s experience can include but is not limited to harmful stereotyping, isolation, unwarranted responsibility, and added pressure to perform their condemned role (2011).
 
When tokens are trapped carrying the weight of their respected communities, they feel pressure to uphold their community’s reputation as they unwillingly become the face and the sole actor representing the entirety of the community they belong to. Additionally, their performance reflects and condenses the experiences of all community members. This belittles the diversity and disparities of experiences within the LGBTQ+ community and allocates an impossible amount of accountability and obligation onto a single or small number of individuals.

Tokenism can also serve as a system of confinement, which entraps a token into what society deems as an appropriate role for them. This can result in repute or amplified visibility, where tokens stand out and are slowly recognized as separate entities from the greater collective because they represent something outside of the general population. Tokenism can also create an illusion of inclusion or a false sense of diversity which is a more relevant aspect of the spaces non-binary individuals occupy on sporting teams. This is referred to as “window dressing” (2008

para 11), which describes the action of a team recruiting diverse individuals. This allows them to manufacture an environment to appear more inclusive in response to the public pressure to be more heterogeneous. Research is primarily based on workplace settings but still provides very applicable information that is directly parallel to sporting institutions. One important distinction between a workplace and a sport-related environment recognizes the binary aspect of sports which can further eliminate the opportunity for LGBTQ+ members to participate in general, outside of tokenism.

Sex & Gender Segregation in Sports

For most individuals, their biological sex is assigned at the time they are born, based on the medical assessment of reproductive organs. Where gender differs is in the fact that gender is a social construct based on manufactured ideas on what a man or woman should look like, act like, be interested and what role they should play in society. Gender identity is a personal sense of self in which each individual is responsible for identifying with and demonstrating their identity through binary or non-binary expressions. Cisgender is when an individual’s gender matches their biological sex (Morris and Van Raalte 2016). Transgender is when an individual’s gender is contrasting with their assigned biological sex (Morris et al. 2016). Genderqueer is sometimes used to describe an individual whose gender fits outside of the binary and is more fluid or non-conforming.

The arrangement of sex segregation as a way of dividing sports has an extensive and rich history. Currently, binary categorization remains the hegemonic norm and the rooted structure for sports (Phipps 2019). Sex stipulation revolves around the idea that men and women are divine opposites with ideals of complementary genders (Barker et al. 2019). You can distinguish heavy undertones of patriarchal values and prospects in the division of men’s and women’s sporting leagues. Men created and labelled the construct of a female athlete as inferior, weaker, smaller, slower, less athletic and less inclined to engage in physical activity; therefore, it was ‘
obvious’ there needed to be a separation of men and women competing (Erikainen 2020).

The binary structure of sports has been fortified and practiced for such a substantial period, and it has become the normative way of looking at league division and organization. A direct result of such division created a difference in male and female uniform requirements. Women’s uniform requirements are typically smaller and tighter, and men’s are more concealing. For many queer individuals especially those outside of the binary, have difficulty adhering to the expected uniform without experiencing great gender displacement. One study explains gender as a negotiation in sports through materialized means such as clothing and gear (Erikainen 2020). Hegemonic masculinity ideology emerges through policies and regulations that are constructed to be seen as vital to keeping the game or sports fair between competing teams, but these impartiality conditions end up creating intra-squad inequity. For recreational sports, uniforms are not as heavily monitored, but in professional sports, failure to conform to uniform rules can disqualify participants. One of Caudwell’s participants spoke to the concept of body visibility and the discomfort of wearing a conventional swimsuit created for them. When they attempted to remedy the issue and wore a t-shirt into a public pool, they were questioned and directly isolated from the collective based on how they varied from the materialized display of gender in sports spaces (Caudwell 2021).

The Public Sphere: the locker room

The public sphere is a realm where people exercise social life and engage in social events. Sports are practised through the public sphere and manifested by facilities, clothing (uniform/jersey), and training. They are entrenched in fitness culture, which is inherently white, heteronormative, and binary (Erikainen et al. 2020). One of the greatest gender challenges is the problematic infrastructure of physical activity more specifically the locker rooms. This challenge can be actively observed in the decision to use or not use the locker rooms which are most often the clearest manifestation of the binary gender system, as they are parted by male or female (Erikainen et al. 2020). In the locker room, the body is central in all aspects. The locker room is supposed to represent a safe space for individuals engaging in sports to use for storage, undressing, hygienic practices, social engagement in team bonding and preparation for the activity ahead of them. For individuals who identify as non-binary, what should be a safe space quickly becomes elusive and potentially harmful. According to Greey et al. (2022), locker rooms are the defining factor that allows or denies an individual from engaging in sports. Locker rooms are subscriptive membership or clubs in the public sphere in which one must play a sport or pay to attend a gym to be allowed to take advantage of the facilities. Memberships or subscriptions to locker rooms are divided into two categories, a men’s room and a women’s room. This division undeniably reflects heteronormativity and cisgenderness. It ultimately fortifies the “dual-sexed model” (Lawley 2011 para 17), which is described as the separation of locker rooms by the male and female sex. This cisnormative system is directly exclusive of non-binary individuals, which can make camaraderie and social growth nearly impossible. One non-binary participant from a study spoke towards the concept of “insider status” (Greey 2022 para 17), which grounds the locker room membership theory in the lived experience of being unable to engage in locker room membership. Gender non-conforming athletes may be welcome to participate but find out they must use a neutral room, or they’re left with no choice but binary rooms. They are often forced to sacrifice a defining portion of their identity (Morris et al. 2016). If there is a neutral room, they can avoid the binary construct but are then confined to a room alone, which can be further marginalizing. For many, having to participate in locker room culture is impossible, and they end up lacking the physical and psychological benefits of physical activity. They cannot fulfil their need for community and are left to self-segregate from participating (Greey 2022).

Neutral or genderless change rooms have been acknowledged as a preference of many people, although gender-neutral locker rooms come with their complications. Typically, washrooms or locker rooms that are genderless are also accessible spaces for people living with disabilities. This functional dual facility can create an unconscious association between people living with disabilities and being genderless or sexless (Erickainen et al. 2020). Barker et al. (2019) elaborate on how the lack of gender and accessibility reminds the public how people with disabilities are generally viewed as non-sexual and less masculine or feminine than their non-disabled peers. It appears that the current research has yet to find a resolution that is not at the cost of a marginalized group.  

Locker room talk has been notoriously reported as an ideal of masculinity which is identified as ‘bro’ culture or toxic hegemonic masculinity that reinforces the binary structure of sporting institutions. Gendered language is a dynamic byproduct of the previously explained locker room membership. This type of language habitually intersects with sexism/misogyny, racism and homophobia; this includes common slurs such as “you throw like a girl,” “grow some balls,” and “man up,” all of which reinforce the binary and discriminates against genders other than men (Erickainen et al., 2020) The usage of this language also grounds harmful stereotypes and creates a culture to protect it.

Case Study: A non-binary league in Scotland

 Unfortunately, with non-binary gender identities becoming more visible, there is limited research on how non-binary individuals navigate sports. Therefore, validity must ground this paper in the current and relative event. In 2019, Scotland passed a policy that directly required there to be a non-binary league in “all Scottish… championship events, external events hosting on our behalf” (SA 2019, pp 9). The same policy acknowledges the lack of gender-neutral facilities but only recommends a case-by-case evaluation of that problem. Although this is a substantial step in the right direction, it still requires non-binary individuals to have to advocate for themselves rather than being able to simply enjoy an already existing facility. It also seems as though a non-binary league should require adequate equipment means such as a neutral area to prepare in. The lack of tangible evidence suggests an undertone of tokenism and that this policy is primarily a social initiative to create the perception of inclusivity. Regarding the concept of opening a non-binary league, one participant relayed the fact that attempting such a league would begin to pave the way for future developments. This would also work to highlight the discrepancy in sports for those who do not fit into the current binary structure.

Conclusion

In the current climate of heteronormativity expectations dominating all aspects of society, it is important to recognize the difficulties that gender non-conforming individuals face regularly. Unfortunately, gender inclusion within sports is yet to be rigorously researched; therefore, we still find a gap in remedying this problem of the sociology of gender in sports.

Citations: 

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