Tennis NSW has become the newest member of the Australian Pride in Sport program, committing to further develop and enhance the inclusion of LGBTQ people.
ACON Health’s Pride in Sport program is the only sporting inclusion program specifically designed to assist sporting organisations with the inclusion of employees, athletes, coaches, volunteers, officials and spectators with diverse genders and sexualities.
Being a Pride in Sport member means changing practices and working towards a more inclusive, safe, and healthy sporting environment for people with diverse sexualities and genders.
Nikita Sayle, Head of Inclusion, Diversity and Programming at Tennis NSW, is excited about the opportunity that Pride in Sport will play when helping promote positive messages and examples around LGBTQ inclusion for sport and recreation programs in the NSW tennis community.
“Tennis NSW is pleased to have partnered with Pride in Sport. We aim to further our inclusive practices so that everyone feels welcome”, Sayle said.
“Tennis NSW has recently announced Vision 2025, a four-year strategic plan for tennis in NSW. This strategic plan highlights the increased focus for the organisation in Inclusion and Diversity. Vision 2025 reiterates the plans for Tennis NSW to increase its focus on engagement with and opportunities for the LGBTQ community in NSW as we deliver on our Inclusion and Diversity strategy.”
Data from the 2020 PSI National Survey showed that just 44% of LGBTQ people felt mentally well within their sport, with 44% of people who are not an active LGBTQ Ally saying they were too busy to be engaged in individual activities.
Data from the Out on the Fields study showed that 80% of people have either witnessed or experienced homophobia in sport, with 75% believing that an openly gay person would not be safe as a spectator at a sporting event.
Data from the LGBTIQ+ Health Australia showing that LGBTQ young people aged 16 to 27 are five times more likely to attempt suicide compared to the general population, with transgender people aged 18 and over nearly eleven times more likely.
Beau Newell, National Program Manager of Pride in Sport Australia, said actual and perceived social exclusion is a leading cause of preventable death in Australia, and creating a much healthier and safer sporting culture for LGBTQ people has never been more important.
“By joining Pride in Sport and working with ACON, the Tennis NSW is showing the community that they care about the health and wellbeing of their athletes, and members across NSW”, Newell said.
“Congratulations to Tennis NSW for leading the way in changing Australia’s sporting culture, to be more inclusive.”
Pride in Sport is Australia’s first and only sexuality and gender diverse sporting inclusion program for the Australian sporting sector.
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