LGBTQ+ athletes aren't the only ones who are impacted by homophobic language on the field.

Homophobic language in youth sports doesn’t only impact queer boys. It damages their straight peers even more, according to a new study.

USA Today published the results of a 2014 project that tries to quantify the harm of antigay slurs on boys’ mental health. Two Michigan high school students came up with the concept. They were mentored by a doctoral student.

To collect data, they sent the survey to five area high schools–urban, suburban and rural–and asked students how often they were exposed to anti-LGBTQ+ insults in sports settings, along with corresponding questions regarding their self-esteem in the form of “agree” or “disagree” statements.

The results were clear cut: the more high school athletes were exposed to homophobic or misogynistic language, the less likely they were to reap the benefits of playing sports, particularly in regards to self-esteem.

While decreases in self-esteem were universal, the largest drop came among… straight white cisgender boys.

“It harms the wellbeing of everyone,” said Laura Wernick, one of the study’s lead authors and professor at Fordham’s Graduate School of Social Service.

One of the theories why straight kids are especially vulnerable to the negative impacts of homophobic insults might be a lack of exposure. Queer youth likely hear anti-LGBTQ+ language more often, providing them with coping mechanisms.

“They may be more adept at dealing with stressors, because they’ve had that experience,” said Derek Tice-Brown, the study’s co-lead author and professor at Fordham. “It gives them skills to address those issues as they come up. Whereas cisgender straight boys may not have had that experience to develop those skills.”

The theory about self-coping also explains why straight white cisgender boys suffer the most harm. They’re typically not as exposed to insults about their race or ethic backgrounds, either.

The study’s findings vis-à-vis straight boys and homophobic language jives with other troubling trends regarding young men. They’re struggling across the board, finding less personal fulfillment and full-time employment than previous generations.

Overall, boys are less likely to attend college, more likely to drop out and twice as likely to be diagnosed with ADHD or suspended from school. And the results can be fatal.

Young men are four times as likely to commit suicide than young women.

In an ever-changing society, young men are struggling to live up to atavistic masculine standards. Hearing antigay or sexist putdowns–“you throw like a girl,” “stop being a sissy,” etc–further confounds their anguish.

“The irony of policing masculinity is that it’s actually having the opposite effect. It’s bringing these kids down,” said Wernick.

Notably, the study was conducted in 2014, a few years before research into the damage of homophobic language seeped into the mainstream. A decade later, it’s possible there’s less casual homophobia around youth sports.

Research published by Outsports indicates that’s the case. More than 95% of gay athletes survived in 2021 said their teammates’ responses to them coming out were “neutral” or “perfect.”

But the prevalence of antigay insults on the field is still apparent. Seemingly every year, a couple of high-profile male pro athletes get caught using homophobic language in moments of frustration.

Most recently, Boston Red Sox All-Star Jarren Duran shouted the antigay “f-word” at a fan… and didn’t issue much of an apology.

The masculine or macho culture around sports plays a role, too. Since showing emotion is toxically viewed as a more feminine trait, boys may feel pressured to internalize feelings of self-doubt when around coaches or teammates.

“Boys become emotionally withdrawn,” said Jeffrey Montez de Oca, a professor of sociology at Colorado State. “They become emotionally inarticulate because they don’t practice–because to talk about your emotions makes you vulnerable in a highly competitive environment. It makes straight boys in those spaces feel worse.”

When homophobia is widespread, everybody suffers. And those suffering the most may be struggling in silence.

Related*

Help make sure LGBTQ+ stories are being told...

We can't rely on mainstream media to tell our stories. That's why we don't lock Queerty articles behind a paywall. Will you support our mission with a contribution today?

Once Monthly Annually

Cancel anytime · Proudly LGBTQ+ owned and operated