Abstract
Sexual minority athletes face significant discrimination and barriers to participation in sports. For women athletes, these challenges are compounded by pervasive sexism. As a result, sexual minority women athletes endure interconnected stressors that necessitate further study into their unique experiences. The purpose of this research was to examine the lived experiences of sexual minority women in Canadian intercollegiate sports and explore the relationship between sexual orientation and mental health. Employing snowball sampling, six sexual minority women, competing in intercollegiate sport participated in two semi-structured interviews to discuss their mental health experiences. Through thematic analysis, four themes were identified: (1) athletic identity and perceptions as intercollegiate athletes where being an intercollegiate athlete deeply shaped one's identity and self-perception, influencing personal development and social relationships, (2) the impact of sport culture on LGBTQ+ intercollegiate athletes' self-expression, influenced by factors like support from teammates and coaches, as well as challenges and occasional insensitivity, (3) influences on mental health which highlighted the effects of supportive and inclusive environments to challenges such as bi-erasure, identity concealment, impact of sport program structures and coach-athlete relationships, and (4) creating an inclusive environment which requires consistent and genuine efforts, visibility, and proactive measures to support and represent LGBTQ+ individuals across various campus and athletic settings. Collectively, these findings contribute to our understanding of sexual minority athlete mental health and underscore the need for inclusive practices, such as inclusive policies, safe spaces, education and training, in intercollegiate sports to enhance the well-being of sexual minority women athletes.
