Transitioning to inclusive sport
Understanding barriers to transgender Canadians' participation in recreational & high-performance sport
A research study aspiring to gain insight into the barriers transgender athletes face at both recreational and high-performance sport levels is being conducted by researchers at University of Manitoba and St. Francis Xavier University.
Dr Sarah Teetzel from the U of M’s Faculty of Kinesiology and Recreation Management and Dr Charlene Weaving from the Human Kinetics Department at St. Francis Xavier University are conducting a study entitled Transitioning to inclusive sport: Understanding barriers to transgender Canadians’ participation in recreational & high-performance sport.
“Many sports organizations in Canada, including Sport Canada, U Sports, and the Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA), have not developed formal policies addressing the inclusion of transgender and transsexual (hereafter trans) athletes in sport,” says Teetzel, Associate Dean of Undergraduate Studies of the faculty.
“Critical insight will be gained into trans athletes’ perceived barriers, and non-trans athletes’ concerns about the inclusion of trans athletes in their self-identified sex category, which will assist in the development of sport policies and education in Canada that is more gender-sensitive and inclusive.”
“This research addresses ways to ensure Canadians of all self-identified genders have access to safe, ethical, values-based sports programs and opportunities to pursue high-performance competition,” states Teetzel.
“Critical insight will be gained into trans athletes’ perceived barriers, and non-trans athletes’ concerns about the inclusion of trans athletes in their self-identified sex category, which will assist in the development of sport policies and education in Canada that is more gender-sensitive and inclusive.”
The study is spread over three categories looking for specific participants:
Study 1
Eligibility criteria:
- Over 18 years of age
- Identify as transgender*
- Participate OR have participated in sport at any level
* All interested participants who self-identify their gender as trans, two-spirit, non-binary, genderqueer, gender fluid, gender non-conforming, etc are all welcome to participate.
Study 2
Eligibility criteria:
- Over 18 years of age
- Identify as transgender*
- Do not participate in sport at any level
* All interested participants who self-identify their gender as trans, two-spirit, non-binary, genderqueer, gender fluid, gender non-conforming, etc are all welcome to participate.
Study 3
Eligibility criteria:
- Over 18 years of age
- Identify as a woman and compete in high-performance sport.
For more information about the study, or to inquire about participating, please contact Dr Sarah Teetzel (204-474-8762 / sarah [dot] teetzel [at] umanitoba [dot] ca) or Dr Charlene Weaving (902-867-2185 /cweaving [at] stfx [dot] ca).
This research has been approved by the Education and Nursing Research Ethics Board at the University of Manitoba. If you have any concerns or complaints about this project you may contact the Human Ethics Coordinator at 204-474-7122 or humanethics [at] umanitoba [dot] ca