Sex segregation and the participation of transgender adults in recreational sport in British Columbia, Canada

Abstract

The lack of a formal policy on transgender participation in recreational sport results in transgender people struggling alone with stigmatization. Recreational sport guidelines identify inclusion as an imperative in recreational sport participation, yet they have failed to lay out the means to achieve it. Considering this issue and opportunity, the purpose of this case study is to determine how transgender adults’ participation in recreational sport in British Columbia (BC), Canada is informed by their experiences with sex-based segregation structures in recreational sport and, secondly, to inform an enhanced and intentional change in transgender-inclusive policies and practices in terms of sex-based segregation structures in recreational sport in BC, Canada. With a qualitative research design, this case study approached the issue from two angles. First, five written biographies and film documentaries about transgender people in sport were used for a textual data analysis. Second, eleven individual semi-structured interviews were conducted with transgender adults recruited from recreational sport leagues and transgender-related organizations across BC. Findings show multi-level transgender stigma, a lack of explicitness about transgender inclusivity, and best practices recommended by transgender participants themselves in recreational sport. Implications and lessons learned from the case study include a need for widespread education on transgender topics, skill-based segregation over sex-based segregation, and strategies to build explicit transgender-inclusive sporting environments. Lastly, discussion questions, arising out of the study, are provided and serve as recommendations for future research.