Our squash club is about inclusion, not sexuality | Iman Qureshi
Criticism of Sport England's grant to my LGBT-friendly squash club is characteristic of a far wider problem of sport's intolerance
News that an LGBT-friendly squash club was granted 6,500 by Sport England has given rise to indignation by publications including the Telegraph, the Sun and the Daily Mail. Since Sport England is accountable to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, much of this outrage is couched in terms of "austerity" libraries are closing, VAT has risen, benefits are being cut, so why is the government tossing money around trying to help gay people improve their racket skills?
These articles fixate on the idea that the grant will be used to attract women or "lesbians", as they accusatorially state. But this is a moot point; 4Play Squash does not discriminate along the lines of sexuality oddly enough, I've never had to undergo a routine "are you gay enough?" boot camp in order to participate. And nor is the money being used solely to "recruit lesbians" when I asked the group for a comment, they stated that the grant will be used only on coaching, equipment, facilities and attracting new members (gay or straight) as long as they are tolerant and respectful.
So when critics cannot seem to fathom ! why gay people don't simply join public leisure centres, I would argue that the media coverage of the issue is, simply put, a case in point. The LGBT-fixation indicates that it isn't so much a gripe about money being spent on sport, but rather, about money being spent on homosexuals.
Sport is particularly guilty of intolerance: Sky presenter Andy Gray's sexist behaviour, Alex Ferguson banning "snoods" because they are not worn by "real men", and sociologist John Bird claiming that female footballers ignore pain in order to "prove themselves in a man's game", are all recent examples of this. Having previously been actively involved in university sport, I am all too familiar with sport's associated gender hierarchy: netball is a "girl's sport" whereas "rubgy is for boys"; the netball girls are "fit", but the rugby girls are "dykey". Boys who play netball, on the other hand, are just a little bit "gay".
These attitudes are part of a broader problem, which begins at primary school with PE classes segregating sport along the lines of gender. This expands all the way up to the enforced gendered roles of sports presenters and professionals. It's probably why PR mogul Max Clifford has expressly advised footballer clients to stay in the closet, or why Clare Balding is ridiculed by AA Gill. And it is why the public were so desperate to determine the sex of Caster Semenya.
In my experience of playing with 4Play, I have felt the burden of these gender roles evaporate. Girls can flirt with other girls without being stigmatised, and men are not made to feel less of a man for wearing flowery shorts. LGBTs find such spaces to just be themselves without being judged. Moreover, these clubs enable people who may be confused or insecure about their sexuality to explore and experience it in a safe context it's the perfect place for a straight guy to bring his sister who thinks she may be gay, to meet other LGBTs and be exposed to the lifestyle. But, perhaps most importantly, it allows people who may feel isolated in many contexts to know they are not alone.
That said, inclusion is the ultimate goal. LGBTs don't want to be excluded forever, they don't relish being a minority, they don't enjoy being labelled. Anyone is welcome at 4Play. In fact, the more straight people that come along, the better mutual understanding and an awareness of our shared humanity is the key to equality. But until we get there, we must continue to support minority organisations that work to achieving this goal.
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