THE UNIVERSITY LIBRARY PROTECTION OF AUTHOR ’S COPYRIGHT This copy has been supplied by the Library of the University of Otago on the understanding that the following conditions will be observed: 1. To comply with s56 of the Copyright Act 1994 [NZ], this thesis copy must only be used for the purposes of research or private study. 2. The author's permission must be obtained before any material in the thesis is reproduced, unless such reproduction falls within the fair dealing guidelines of the Copyright Act 1994. Due acknowledgement must be made to the author in any citation. 3. No further copies may be made without the permission of the Librarian of the University of Otago. August 2010 “THE FIRST FIFTEEN” UNDERSTANDING THE CONSPIRACY OF SILENCE OF GAY RUGBY PLAYERS IN AOTEAROA/NEW ZEALAND Roger Gérard Joseph Le Blanc A thesis submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at the University of Otago – Te whare Wānanga o Otago Dunedin, New Zealand. March 2004 ii ABSTRACT To date, only three gay male athletes have ever come out publicly during their professional sporting career in team sports. This reflects the pervasiveness of homophobia in sport and its power to silence and render invisible gay athletes. Moreover, it leads to a number of important sociological, political, moral and philosophical questions. Research that seeks to understand the gay athlete’s perspective on the existence of silence and invisibility is made all the more pertinent as gay rights and equality are currently manifested within social institutions other than mainstream sport. In order to fill the void of knowledge regarding the silence and invisibility of gay men within mainstream sport, the questions: “What meanings from their perspective do gay rugby players give to their experience of participating in mainstream rugby?’ and “How do these meanings create barriers or opportunities for their survival in rugby?” directed this social phenomenological study of gay rugby union players in Aotearoa/New Zealand. The data arose from in-depth interviews. An emergent analysis of data found that players’ meanings of silence were predominantly informed by the fear of public opinion. The players’ negotiation of fear emerged as they strategically integrated all aspects of their identity into their everyday worlds. The key findings of this study transpired when the participants’ meanings of silence were located using a Conspiracy of Silence model which guided the research. The reconstruction of these meanings generated a better understanding of the Conspiracy of Silence phenomenon surrounding gay rugby players. iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS First and foremost I would like to thank the people and the country of New Zealand for sharing their land and its splendours. Of all the seventy-three countries I have visited and lived in on earth, it is truly the most beautiful. To the staff, other post grads and particularly the University of Otago School of Physical Education ‘Tech’ team for their enormous assistance. Hamish is the Word©! My Dad , pal and soul mate, is the only person who really ever understood me. I guess because he is also the only one who ever knew I was different from day one. Besides the fact he told my Mom I was the most beautiful baby he had ever seen ☺, he also became the first president and organiser of our local figure skating club. I guess he really did have the foresight that I would not have the privilege of making it to the NHL as a professional ice hockey player and I love and thank him dearly for his respect. My daughter Stéphanie in forgiving me for being sometimes physically and emotionally absent during the writing of this thesis. MERCI BEAUCOUP! My dearest friends Anne-Marie for granting me an extended leave of absence from teaching, Bridget, Claude, Didi, Karen, Lisette for believing in and encouraging me along the way and for being so patient and understanding. My supervisory committee members Dr Helen Lenskyj and Dr Rex Thomson for their thoughtful insights and supportive comments and especially Dr Steve J. Jackson for embodying my ideals of what being a good person is truly all about. Steve is the big brother, the role model that I always wanted, deserved and needed. His sense of altruism is second to none. Finally to the ‘First Fifteen ’: Gay Rugby Players in New Zealand who participated in this study by sharing their personal experiences and trusting my ability to be their voice. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT.....................................................................................................................ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ...........................................................................................iii TABLE OF CONTENTS ............................................................................................... iv LIST OF TABLES.......................................................................................................... ix LIST OF FIGURES......................................................................................................... x LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS ........................................................................................ xi CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION..................................................................................... 1 Research Question......................................................................................................... 5 Significance of this Study.............................................................................................. 6 Limitations of this Study.............................................................................................. 14 The Production of Silence: Assumptions and Meanings............................................... 16 The Conspiracy of Silence Model................................................................................ 19 Chapter Summary........................................................................................................ 24 CHAPTER II REVIEW OF LITERATURE ............................................................... 27 The Historical, Social and Cultural Context of Gay Male Athletes............................... 28 Homophobia and Homonegativism in Sport Today...................................................... 38 Research on Gay Male Athletes................................................................................... 42 Masculinity in New Zealand........................................................................................ 49 The Conspiracy of Silence Model................................................................................ 52 The Conspiracy of Silence of Gay Male Athletes in Sport............................................ 52 Hegemonic Heterosexuality in Sport............................................................................ 55 Oppression Theory ...................................................................................................... 60 Identity Management Strategies................................................................................... 66 The Spiral of Silence Theory ....................................................................................... 70 v Phenomenological Studies of Gay Athletes.................................................................. 75 Chapter Summary........................................................................................................ 77 CHAPTER III METHODOLOGY............................................................................... 79 Introduction................................................................................................................. 79 The Ontology and Epistemology of Constructionism................................................... 82 The Theoretical Perspective of Interpretivism.............................................................. 84 The Research Methodology of Phenomenology........................................................... 88 Phase 1: Review of literature and data collection ..................................................... 91 Phase 2: Profiling and categorisations...................................................................... 94 Phase 3: Interpretation and Analysis ........................................................................ 99 The Data Collection Method of In-depth Interviews .................................................. 102 The Analysis of In-depth Interview Data ................................................................... 106 Chapter Summary...................................................................................................... 110 CHAPTER IV PROFILES AND THEMES............................................................... 113 Part A: General Profile Description ........................................................................... 113 Part B: Individual Profile Descriptions ...................................................................... 117 #1 Art - Loose head prop: ...................................................................................... 117 #2 Val - Hooker:.................................................................................................... 118 #3 Ron - Tight head prop:...................................................................................... 119 #4 Bernie - Lock:................................................................................................... 120 #5 Pete - Lock: .....................................................................................................