Alongside the 2024 Paris Olympic and Paralympic Games, Egale Canada and You Can Play have launched a sport inclusion campaign to celebrate 2SLGBTQI athletes and promote inclusivity in athletics and sport.
With the conclusion of the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, there is already much to reflect back on through a 2SLGBTQI lens.
While there were many triumphs there were also some disappointments. Read our 2024 Paris Olympics reflections below on inclusivity wins, and ways to do better in the future.
Inclusivity Wins
The inclusion of drag in the opening ceremonies
In a groundbreaking show of inclusivity, drag queens took centre stage at the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, highlighting the vibrant and influential role of French LGBTQI communities in France and around the world.
This moment marks a significant milestone in the ongoing fight for equality and representation of 2SLGBTQI people on the global stage. In a time of rising anti-2SLGBTQI hate in every corner of the world, showcasing representation on the world stage of the Olympics is more important than ever.
Egale Canada commends Thomas Jolly, artistic director of the Opening Ceremonies. Seen by 29 million people worldwide, the visibility and acceptance demonstrated in Paris sends a powerful message of support and solidarity to 2SLGBTQI individuals everywhere.
Having the artistry of drag performed on such a grand stage at the Olympics is a testament to the resiliency and creativity of 2SLGBTQI communities and is a beautiful way to celebrate the record-breaking number of out and proud 2SLGBTQI athletes.
Three French Drag Queens also carried the Olympic Torch for the first time in Olympic history. The Drag Queens were Drag Race France host Nicky Doll, Miss Martini, and Minima Gesté.
Most out 2SLGBTQI athletes in Olympic history
The Paris 2024 Olympic Games have made history with nearly 200 out 2SLGBTQI athletes having competed. This is a new record for the number of openly out athletes participating in any Olympic Games. And, “Team LGBTQ” had great success, with a total of 43 medals won. When compared to the country rankings, this equates to 7th place.
As for Team Canada’s medal-winning 2SLGBTQI athletes, we’re celebrating Olivia Apps, Sophie de Goede, and Maddy Grant from Canada’s women’s rugby sevens team who won a silver medal (Canada’s best-ever Olympic result in the sport).
These remarkable achievements not only highlight the progress made in recent years but also underscore the importance of continued advocacy for inclusivity in sport.
Canada’s “Team 2SLGBTQI” includes:
Pride House legacy for more inclusive sport continues
Modeled after traditional Olympic hospitality houses, Pride House provides a welcoming space for 2SLGBTQI athletes, fans, and allies during large-scale international sporting events. It serves as a place to watch competitions, connect with others, educate about 2SLGBTQI issues in sport, and foster relationships with mainstream sport.
With the support of Egale Canada, Pride House was first created during the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver and Whistler, Pride House has since expanded globally. It addresses homophobia and transphobia in sport through education, visibility, and advocacy. Despite challenges, such as the denial of a Pride House in Russia during the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics, the movement persisted with solidarity events and international support.
In reflecting on the atmosphere at the inauguration of Pride House Paris 2024, Alexander Martin writes, “the atmosphere was both joyous and solemn, blending humor and gravity around the critical issues faced by the LGBTQ+ community.”
With the ongoing rise of anti-2SLGBTQI hate around the world, the importance of Pride House is clearer than ever – not just as a welcoming space for athletes and fans, but as an ongoing legacy and means to advocate for inclusivity in sport.
Olympic Disappointments
The misgendering of athletes in the media
Queer, trans, nonbinary, and gender diverse people deserve to feel safe, included and respected in sport.
But historically, 2SLGBTQI individuals, especially trans, nonbinary and gender diverse people, often face exclusion in sport (a survey conducted by Trans PULSE Ontario found that 44% of transgender people and 54% of nonbinary people avoided going to a public gym or public pools).
Unfortunately, we saw some examples of this lack of respect experienced by gender diverse athletes play out in the media. Two nonbinary athletes who use they/them pronouns – Runner Nikki Hiltz and shot putter Raven Saunders – were repeatedly misgendered on-air.
Egale Canada spoke to CBC about this, noting that it is important for commentators and journalists to educate themselves on the correct language before they go on air. Making assumptions about someone’s gender identity can often lead to exclusion and harm.
Learning to ask for and use someone’s pronouns (or in this case ensuring a broadcaster is aware of someone’s pronouns in advance) is a small step in treating 2SLGBTQI people with decency and respect. Those in the media should be leading by example.
Egale’s Pronoun Usage Guide is available to support everyone in understanding how to affirm the rights of others to be addressed the way they want to be.
⚠ TRIGGER WARNING: MISGENDERING
Transphobia surrounding women’s boxing
Everyone deserves to be able to access the many benefits that come with involvement in athletics and sport. But more and more, trans and gender diverse athletes are being discriminated against and excluded due to rising hate and transphobia. The rampant misinformation and transphobia we saw surrounding boxers Imane Khelif and Lin Yu-ting – who aren’t even trans – shows how transphobia hurts us all.
The allegation that trans women in sport have a biological advantage is more reflective of sexism in sport rather than an accurate assessment of trans women’s ability in sport. The concentration of anxiety around testosterone levels in someone’s body is directly reminiscent of the sexist rhetoric that any man can perform better than a woman in sport regardless of skill and ability. This simultaneously puts down women, falsely vilifies trans women, and overinflates the athletic prowess of any average cisgender man.
This misconception ends up hurting all women. There is already a history of scrutinizing women deemed not feminine enough leading to invasive “sex verification” processes for women athletes and athletes with intersex variations. Policies to exclude trans women place further regulation on all women’s bodies, when research shows women in sport already fear for their personal safety, and have anxieties related to performance and to their personal appearance. In order to exclude trans women, by process any woman can then be accused of being trans; when does a woman become “too strong”, “too masculine”, “too athletic” to merit scrutiny? This line of thinking continues to follow the sexist values that women cannot possibly be that good in sport.
According to Canadian Women & Sport, excluding trans women will not reduce the barriers cisgender women face in sport.
Conclusion
While it is important to celebrate wins for inclusivity, this must go hand-in-hand with recognizing and advocating for ways to do better in the future.
Reflecting back on the 2024 Paris Olympics, it is clear that speaking out in support of inclusion is sport is more important than ever. Especially because we know that social attitudes toward 2SLGBTQI athletes have actually become less supportive in recent years. According to a poll by Ipsos – which was conducted in 23 countries including Canada – support for openly lesbian, gay, and bisexual athletes on sport teams dropped by 11 percentage points in Canada, while support for trans athletes competing in gendered divisions that don’t match the sex they were assigned at birth dropped by 12 percentage points. We cannot allow this trend to continue.
Sport is for everyone. The time to make sport more inclusive is now.
Visit egale.ca/sportinclusion to join us in sending the message that every athlete, regardless of gender identity, attraction, or level of sport deserves to compete and be celebrated fairly.
