Pride Sports Summit, 10 October, Manchester

From Dutee Chand to Annet Negesa: Shifting the focus from our bodies to the governing bodies.

Dr. Payoshni Mitra is an Athletes’ Rights Activist and scholar who works closely with several athletes in Asia and Africa who are affected by the DSD Regulations and/or its predecessor policies. Dr. Mitra was instrumental in the case of Indian athlete Ms. Dutee Chand when she successfully challenged the Hyperandrogenism Regulations of the IAAF at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). Dr. Mitra was also one of the 10-member expert group who testified on behalf of South African athlete Caster Semenya at the recently concluded case at CAS.

How confident do you feel including young trans people in sports? This session explores basic understandings of sex and gender and looks at the current data in this area. Focusing primarily on binary experiences (to reduce overlap with the non-binary session) you will consider how to overcome barriers that may exist for young trans people accessing sports.

Facilitator:

Simon Croft
Director of Professional and Educational Services at Gendered Intelligence

I work for Gendered Intelligence (GI), a not-for-profit organisation that works to increase understandings of gender diversity and improve the lives of trans people.

I joined GI in 2009, and in 2013 initiated the Professional Services training and consultancy function. The service has grown rapidly such that GI has now trained over 15,000 people and we number diverse household names amongst our clients.

We work throughout the UK and occasionally beyond, offering a broad spectrum of non-judgmental, practical services, supporting organisations to develop trans-inclusivity in both internal and external facing disciplines.

A qualified professional trainer, I have over 18 years’ training and consultancy experience and draw on broad based community knowledge to ensure GI provides authentic, knowledgeable, effective support and thought leadership.

GI is a trans-led organisation and I’m a trans man myself – I transitioned over 20 years ago and have been active in the trans community since 1997.  I believe it’s important to be visible in my work, putting one more human face to our often invisible community.

As well as working for GI, I am an internationally exhibited practising artist, have a background of 12 years in commercial manufacturing as a qualified engineer and another 12 as a not-for-profit governance specialist.

What do we know about LGBT+ participants’ motivations and attitudes to sport and physical activity and how should this shape our approach to coaching? With insights from coaches and athletes themselves, this workshop sets out to provide participants with a person-centred LGBT+ inclusive perspective on coaching for all stages of the pathway.

Facilitator:

Lou Englefield is Director of Pride Sports and has been a leader in LGBT+ inclusion in sport for 13 years.  A former community football coach, Lou has first hand experience of coaching at grassroots level, whilst her recent tenure as Chair of Wales Wheelchair Basketball Association has helped her further her understanding of the performance environment.

From participation in sport to sports governance, we need to engage LGBT+ people in our sector. How do we reach, engage with, and get LGBT+ people involved in meaningful and sustainable ways? This workshop will include strategies for success.

Facilitator:

Hugh Torrance is Executive Director of LEAP Sports Scotland and is a leading force behind LGBTIQ+ inclusion in Europe, recently having been elected as Co-President of the European Gay and Lesbian Sport Federation. Prior to his specialism in LGBTIQ+ inclusion, Hugh has more than 16 years experience working with young people and people with disabilities in sports initiatives and has been a member and leader of many community sports groups.

In a time where the gender binary (female/male) dominates many spaces, how can we create services that are inclusive and safe for those who live beyond the binary? This session aims to explore some basic understandings of sex and gender, consider why non-binary inclusion is important and then spends time looking at ways to become more inclusive of people with non-binary identities and experiences.

Facilitiator:

Lee Gale
Gendered Intelligence Senior Trainer/Consultant

I joined Gendered Intelligence (GI) in 2013, having worked in support of the trans communities in a range of voluntary roles and organisations since 2000.

I deliver GI’s training sessions, presentations and consultation, providing support throughout the UK for organisations from all sectors – commercial, statutory and not-for-profit – and across many disciplines from museums to universities, and from health and social care organisations to transport.

I have 9 years’ experience of training and group facilitation, based on various Train the Trainer courses, including Preparing to Teach in the Lifelong Learning Sector (PTLLS)and honed through work with trans community voluntary work. I founded a Yorkshire based social/support group for trans masculine people and co-founded TransBareAll, an organisation that works with individuals to explore topics such as body, relationships and confidence, sexual health and intimacy. This grass roots work is my passion and has given me a valued insight into the issues and experiences trans people face.

GI is a trans-led organisation and I’mtrans myself – I started transition in 1999 to live a more masculine identity. Being visible in the work I do for GI is one more way I can help people gain an understanding of trans people.

For several years, I was also a freelance trainer and consultant offering awareness and equality training across the UK. I have also been involved in producing resources such as “Living My Life”, “Top Tips for Working with Trans People” and “Our Bodies, Our Health, a health guide for trans men, trans masculine and non binary people”.

Living Sport are delivering ‘Play With Pride’ a project aiming to make sports clubs and coaches more LGBT+ inclusive through a ‘youth voice’.

Engaging youth volunteers from 20Twenty productions we have created and delivered a ‘Rainbow Rating’ a 6 category system designed to help identify how clubs can be more LGBT+ inclusive.

Through 20Twenty productions we have delivered coach education workshops, to better inform practice across Cambridgeshire and Peterborough. The young volunteers are in a consultation process to develop two new LGBT+ physical activity groups which will be created as a result of the project.

“Pride in our workforce” focuses on how workplace relations can benefit LGBT+ physical activity participation. There is evidence of prejudice, discrimination and abuse in sport and physical activity that impacts on LGBT+ participation levels, and evidence of homophobia, biphobia and transphobia in the workplace. The workplace can be an enabler for physical activity through workplace diversity and inclusive practice and provision.

“Pride in our workforce” will help us develop a workforce that understands this community and gives them the confidence and motivation to lead active lifestyles.

Trans Pride Brighton & Hove themed our 2019 event around getting trans and/or non-binary, intersex & gender variant people into sport & physical activity, as these groups are among the most unlikely to be involved in these activities, and whose involvement in sport has recently been the subject of negative media attention. We ran some 'get into sport' style free taster events & talks, including several in the park at the main Pride event, and partnered with a local organisation to run a 'Couch to 5k' training programme leading to a 5k fun run on Pride weekend.

44% of respondents to our feedback survey reported greater confidence taking part in sport & healthy lifestyle activities, and we reached nearly 100 people directly.

The Proud Trust provides sport opportunities to LGBT+ children and young people aged 7-25. This includes hosting the regional Pride Youth Games annually, swimming and kayaking for trans young people, 18-25s peer-led tennis group and outdoor adventures (hiking) group, and Sporty September where young people from all our groups take part in a range of sporting activities. LGBT+ young people and adults are significantly less likely than their heterosexual, cisgender peers to engage in recommended levels of exercise (National LGBT Partnership, 2015).

Young people regularly reflect after our sports sessions that they feel safe taking part in LGBT+ focused sessions, and continue to struggle to take part in group sport outside of LGBT+ positive spaces. Many do not participate in any sports outside of Proud Trust sports.

The Tottenham Hotspur Foundation is the Clubs charitable body, which aims to create, deliver and sustain positive change for the local community.

As a part of this work, the Foundation has an LGBT+ Programme, which aims to provide pastoral, social and sporting opportunities for the local LGBT+ Community, as well as providing educational awareness sessions for allies. We work closely with our LGBT+ Supporters Group and local organisations that operate within the community, to provide the best support we can through our various sessions, which includes an LGBT+ Youth Group for 13-19 year olds, and LGBT+ Football and Fitness sessions. For future projects, we are planning to deliver LGBT+ Inclusive lessons in primary and SEN schools, in line with new curriculum guidelines. As an organisation, we embed inclusive good practice through all our projects, programmes and departments which has been boosted by Diversity and Inclusion training delivered to all Foundation staff.