The Women's Sports Foundation says parents can make sports safer for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender athletes by:
- Monitoring their own stereotyped beliefs about LGBT people and commit themselves to challenging them.
- Talking with their daughter or son about LGBT people in athletics to understand questions or negative or stereotypical beliefs they have about them.
- Encouraging young people to stand up for fairness for everyone, even when peer pressure does not support this perspective.
- Encouraging their school's athletic department to sponsor educational programs for athletes, coaches, and parents on LGBT issues in sport.
- Thanking coaches and athletic directors when they do sponsor educational programs focused on encouraging fairness, safety, and respect for all.
- Stopping young people from using anti-gay or sexist language and talk with them about why it is not acceptable.
- Modeling respectful treatment of LGBT coaches and athletes for their son or daughter.
- Challenging their own assumptions about the importance of rigid adherence to stereotypical gender expression for their children.
- Considering the possibility that their son or daughter might be LGBT and identify ways they can support him or her.
- Making it clear to their children that they have a right to set their own personal boundaries for interactions with teammates and coaches and that any unwanted breach of those boundaries is unacceptable.
- Making it clear to their children that any coach, regardless of sexual orientation or gender, who engages in sexual talk or behavior with athletes is unethical.
- Attending athletic department or school-sponsored programs about LGBT issues.
- Talking with other parents about the importance of encouraging young people to appreciate differences and treat all teammates and coaches with respect.
- Reading books or news articles about LGBT issues in athletics to better understand how to make sports safe for all.
- Using inclusive language that does not assume that all coaches or athletes are heterosexual.
- Assuming always that there are LGBT people on athletic teams and among the coaching and support staff even if they have chosen not to identify themselves.
- Proposing a non-discrimination policy for the athletic department at their child's school that includes sexual orientation and gender expression.
- Treating all athletes and coaches fairly and respectfully regardless of their sexual orientation or gender expression.
Source: Women’s Sports Foundation
