From the Sidelines to the Playing Field: LGBTQI Youth Perspectives on Inclusion in School and Community Sport
Sport is central to young people’s growth, shaping health, confidence, teamwork and belonging. For LGBTQI youth, it is often one of the first arenas where identity and recognition are navigated. Yet, while sport can provide affirmation, friendship and community, it too often reproduces exclusion through stigma, unsafe environments and structural barriers, often leading queer youth to being bullied, fearing being outed, and deterring to engage in sport later in life.
These challenges extend beyond interpersonal dynamics to the rules and norms that structure sport. Binary, heteronormative frameworks remain the default, misrecognising or invalidating diverse identities and imposing medicalised eligibility criteria inappropriate for young people.
Non-binary, trans, and intersex youth face especially acute barriers, from exclusion under claims of fairness and safety to being left without any category of participation. Such exclusion carries heavy psychological costs, with heightened risks of anxiety, depression and diminished self-worth, compounded by intersecting factors like race, disability, class, and migration status.
Against this backdrop, IGLYO launched a qualitative study to document LGBTQI young people’s lived experiences in school and community-based sports. By placing their perspectives at the centre through 27 in-depth interviews, complemented by nine stakeholder consultations, this study aims not only to deepen understanding of the situation, but also to ensure that their realities shape future policy and advocacy.
We invite you to join us on Wednesday 29 October 2025 at 17:30-20:00 in Brussels (Ixelles), Belgium, for a public launch event with young activists, civil society and institutional actors.
What will be presented?
- The research main findings, articulated around three themes: access and participation, safety and exclusion, and affirmation and visibility.
- Examples of promising practices that can inform action at European, national, and local levels.
- Concrete recommendations for policymakers, sport institutions, educational actors and youth organisations.
Why join?
- Learn more about the findings of IGLYO’s research on LGBTQI youth inclusion in Sports, best practices and recommendations.
- Hear the voices and learn more about the work of civil society, activists and institutional actors in the field of LGBTQI rights, youth rights, and inclusion in Sports.
- Connect with young activists, civil society and institutional actors during an evening networking cocktail.
The full agenda of the event and list of speakers will be published soon. Register by Tuesday 27 October 2025 EOD through this form.
For any queries, you can contact Viola Bianchetti (she/her), IGLYO Programmes Manager, at viola@iglyo.org.
This event is open to anyone who is 18 years old or above but registration is mandatory. The exact location in Brussels (Ixelles) will be communicated to registered participants.
With the Support of
This event is organised by IGLYO — International LGBTQI Youth and Student Organisation in collaboration with Transfeminiinit. It is funded by the Dutch Ministry of Education Culture & Science, the Citizens, the Equality, Rights and Values (CERV) programme of the European Union, and the European Youth Foundation of the Council of Europe. The views expressed during the event and in the publication do not necessarily reflect those of the European Commission, Dutch Ministry, or Council of Europe.
Interested?
