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Pride Month 2021 – Taking Stock of LGBTQ+ Inclusion in Snowsport

More than 25% of LGBTQ+ people within the snowsport community have personally experienced or seen discrimination in a snowsport setting, initial findings from diversity and inclusion research commissioned by GB Snowsport, Snowsport England, Snowsport Scotland and Snowsport Wales have revealed. Further results, drawn from a previously-announced research initiative focused on strengthening understanding of diversity and inclusion in snowsport, show that 30% of people nationally see snowsport as demonstrating high levels of LGBTQ+ diversity.

The findings, which are the first analysis made from wider research into diversity and inclusion in snowsport, offer some encouragement around LGBTQ+ representation in the sport while sounding a clear note of caution that work is required to eliminate discrimination against LGBTQ+ communities.

Among GB Snowsport audiences, around 15% of research respondents noted recent efforts to increase representation and inclusion of LGBTQ+ people in snowsport suggesting higher levels of visibility can have a meaningful impact on perceptions within and outside of the sport.

The research outcomes will inform wider work by GB Snowsport and the Home Nations Governing Bodies in efforts to boost representation, diversity and inclusion across the British snowsport scene and to ensure that snowsport is as vibrant and welcoming a body of sports as possible in the coming years.

Commenting on the findings, gb snowsport chief executive, vicky gosling, said:

“While it’s right that we celebrate successes we’ve seen around LGBTQ+ representation in our sports, it’s vital that we also reflect on the fact that too many people from LGBTQ+ communities have seen or experienced discrimination in snowsport settings.

“We will be doing everything we can to ensure our teams and our culture are as open, welcome and supportive as possible, and we will be working with counterparts throughout snowsport to consider the lessons we may need to learn and the steps we will need to take together.”

supporting our athletes

The experiences of GB Snowsport athletes who have spoken in recent years about being out members of the LGBTQ+ community have strengthened our resolve to ensure we take seriously our responsibility to LGBTQ+ people throughout our sports.

To find out more about the first-hand experiences of GB Snowsport athletes, read more below:

• Gus Kenworthy – On being the first Olympic skier to come out in 2015
• Makayla Gerken Schofield – Discussing Pansexual Visibility Day with Sports Media LGBT+