Most queer teen athletes are not out to their coaches, and many transgender youth don’t feel comfortable in a locker room, according to a sweeping new survey.
About 12,000 teenagers ages 13 to 17 were surveyed by the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer lobbying group Human Rights Campaign, which worked with researchers at the University of Connecticut.
They found that about 80 percent of LGBTQ teenagers and 82 percent of those who are transgender were not out to their coaches, the study found.
About 41 percent of transgender boys, 34 percent of transgender girls and 31 percent of teens who identified as nonbinary also indicated they never felt safe in a locker room.
Even the number of LGBTQ students playing sports was quite low — only 24 percent of LGBTQ teens play a youth sport, versus 68 percent of the non-LGBTQ sample.
“Sports are a transformative way for students to build social skills and community, but when too many LGBTQ student-athletes are blocked from being their true selves — we fail them. Coaches and administrators must do more to make every court, field, track and mat a welcoming place for all,” Ashland Johnson, HRC foundation director of public education and research, said in a statement. “When LGBTQ teens can be their true selves in athletics, it not only benefits that athlete, it benefits their team and community. This data is an important starting point to identifying ways schools can improve the experiences of their LGBTQ players.”