Love Who You Want, Play What You Want is a community and police sports initiative promoting the inclusion and acceptance of 2SLGBTQ+ youth and adults to love who they want, and play or attend the sport they want, without fear. Sport has the capacity to connect people, as well as to provide role models and provide positive developmental opportunities.
Out on the Fields
This 2015 study surveyed 9500 gay and straight people in the largest and first international study of homophobia in sport. It included an in-depth look at the experiences of gay, lesbian, and bisexual people, including athletes, in sporting culture.
The study indicates the overarching reason people remain in the closet while playing sport is because of the homophobic slurs and chants they hear from spectactors and their fellow team mates in the locker room.
- 84% of gay men and 88% of lesbians, both spectators and players, have been targets of verbal slurs and homophobic chants
- 70% of 2SLGTBQ+ youth feel sport is not a safe place for them
- 66% of 2SLGTBQ+ people in Canada believe an openly gay person would not be very safe as a spectactor at a sports event
- Of those who have been personally targeted, 57% were gay men and 45% were lesbians
- Statistics Canada data (2018) has found the 2SLGTBQ+ youth play sport at up to half of the rate of their straight peers
viaSport 2SLGBTQ+ Resources
Viasport is a leader in sport engagement and sport policy in British Columbia.
These policy guidelines were developed for use by provincial and disability sport organizations to “create more inclusive environments, policies, and practices related to sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression.”
Their goal, which the “LoveWhoYouWant” campaign is following in step, is to have “safe, inclusive, and welcoming environments for all athletes, coaches, officials, volunteers, adminstrators, and spectators within our province’s sport organizations.”
Do you need help?
If you are experiencing or witnessing discrimination or any kind of inappropriate fan behaviour at a major sporting event at Rogers Arena or BC Place, you can report it.
- Rogers
Text 69050, type keyword ROGERS (followed by a space), with your SECTION, ROW, AND SEAT NUMBER, followed by your message. - BC Place
Contact staff, call Guest Services at 604-661-3434, or email guestservices@bcplace.com.
If you are an athlete having trouble integrating or getting on to a sports team because of discrimination, the You Can Play Project has materials and advice to help, including actions you can take to make your team more inclusive.
If you are a person with disability and are experiencing discrimination, either on your sports team or accessing a sports team of your choice, please contact:
ViaSport
778- 654-7542
1-888-316-3527 (toll-free)
SportAbility BC
604-324-1411
Sport is about having fun, and engaging with each other and our communities. This should be one of the places where it does not matter what colour a person is, how old they are, their physical fitness level, sexuality or gender. It especially should not matter who they love.
Are we leveling the playing field?
This study, published in the Journal of Sport and Health Science, examined trends and disparities in sports participation among sexual minority youth in Canada.
Vancouver Police Foundation
This program is generously funded by the Vancouver Police Foundation.
