Queer Soccer Players: A Cross-Cultural Study of Soccer Cultures, Attitudes, Experiences, and Policies

<p dir="ltr">This dissertation examines the cultural differences amongst and experiences of LGBTQ+ athletes in soccer and how exclusionary attitudes existing in the sport impact policy on LGBTQ+ athletes. The study compares and contrasts the cultural experiences of LGBTQ+ soccer players from a macro (global) and micro (local) lens, with a specific focus on soccer cultures in Italy, England, Canada, and the United States. The different levels of soccer (amateur, semiprofessional, and professional) in these four locales, and the impact that policies have on LGBTQ+ inclusion, are analyzed. Queer theory, intersectionality, Gramsci’s theory of ideology and cultural hegemony, and Butler’s concept of gender performativity provide the framework for the examination of the lived realities of queer athletes across different sporting environments. Through an in-depth analysis of literature on queer athleticism, the dissertation considers the associated relationships between masculinity, homophobia, transphobia, intersectionality, cultural, social, and political views, media representation of LGBTQ+ athletes, athlete voices, and social change. A mixed methods explanatory sequential design was employed to analyze 19 policy documents, conduct seven informal phone calls about anti-discrimination and trans eligibility policies, administer 40 surveys with athletes who have played soccer around the world, and conduct 11 semi-structured interviews with soccer players at the amateur or semiprofessional level in Ontario and the United States. A critical content analysis was then engaged to explore meaning and patterns that emerged from the different sets of data. Results suggest that education and policy reform are necessary to create an inclusive soccer environment. To uphold inclusive policy, sport governing bodies need to be held accountable and consider diverse and intersectional perspectives during the policy creation and development phase. Overall, this analysis is beneficial to soccer culture because it provides critically needed scholarly research that informs how soccer organizations, athletes, and leaders in the sport can remedy practices that hinder LGBTQ+ participation in soccer.</p>