SINGLED OUT: A NARRATIVE EXPLORATION INTO SEXUALITY, SPORT, AND MASCULINITY Daniel M. Sierra A Thesis Submitted to the Graduate College of Bowling Green State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF EDUCATION MAY 2013 Committee: Dr. Amanda Koba, Advisor Dr. Vikki Krane Dr. Sungho Cho ii ABSTRACT Dr. Amanda Koba, Advisor At the present time, gay men in sport are still a largely unexamined group. Currently, Jason Collins of the NBA is the only openly gay male athlete competing in the four major professional team sports in the United States: football, basketball, baseball, and hockey. Much of the research that does exist is based on Connell’s (1990) theory of hegemonic masculinity. This theory contends that society values a single form of masculinity over all others, and that sport in particular functions to reproduce this singular identity, valorizing traits such as strength, toughness, and aggression (Connell, 1990). This system creates hierarchies, with the most hegemonically masculine men at the top of the structure, and in a position to dominate over women and less masculine men (Anderson, 2005; Messner, 2002). Historically, homophobia has acted as the main tool to police the actions of men, especially in a sport context (Anderson, 2011; Pronger, 1990). Thus, it is an immense struggle for gay male athletes to come out and express their sexuality openly on their teams. New research is emerging that suggests the climate in sport is changing, and that greater social acceptance of homosexuality is making its way into the realm of sport. This qualitative, narrative analysis aims to provide a rich examination into the experiences and perceptions of gay male athletes. Eight current and former gay intercollegiate athletes were interviewed from a variety of sports. Through the use of a layered narrative approach, the participants’ stories were placed at the forefront of the analysis, allowing for unique and valuable new insight into the changing relationship between sport, sexuality, and masculinity. iii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS There are so many people I have to thank who have had a hand in the completion of this thesis. First and foremost, my advisor Dr. Amanda Koba for showing me that research doesn’t have to be scary. Thank you for helping me grasp what this process is all about and for listening to idea after idea in the beginning stages. Without your guidance and encouragement, I would never have found the confidence to undertake a study of this magnitude. I also need to thank Dr. Vikki Krane for being the passion behind this study. Without having experienced your incredible knowledge of sport and sexuality, the spark that ignited my own interest would never have been. You have been an unbelievable resource and authority throughout this process, and I feel truly lucky to have been able to learn from you these past years. I’d also like to thank Dr. Sungho Cho. Thank you for taking this journey with me and for expressing such sincere interest in the research. Your unique perspective helped expand my knowledge, and your support is truly one of a kind. Thank you all so much. I must also wholeheartedly thank my family and friends for their encouragement during my research. You may not have always been aware of it, but keeping all of you close kept me sane, and helped me finish something I never thought was possible. Lastly, I’d like to thank my participants. Thank you for your honesty and bravery in sharing your stories. The conversations we had were much more than data. I was profoundly inspired by each of you, and I can never thank you guys enough. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS Page CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION........................................................................................... 1 Statement of the Problem........................................................................................... 1 Evidence of Dissociation ........................................................................................... 4 Purpose of the Study and Research Questions........................................................... 6 Research Design ........................................................................................................ 7 Significance of the Study........................................................................................... 7 CHAPTER II: REVIEW OF LITERATURE ........................................................................ 9 Hegemonic Masculinity and Dominance................................................................... 10 Homophobia in Sport................................................................................................. 18 Experiences and Perceptions of Gay Men in Sport ................................................... 24 The Changing Scope of Masculinity ......................................................................... 32 CHAPTER III: METHOD..................................................................................................... 40 Research Design ........................................................................................................ 40 Gaining Access .......................................................................................................... 41 Data Collection Procedures ....................................................................................... 42 Data Analysis. ........................................................................................................... 45 Trustworthiness.......................................................................................................... 46 CHAPTER IV: RESULTS AND DISCUSSION .................................................................. 49 Participant Profiles..................................................................................................... 49 Layered Narrative ...................................................................................................... 51 In The Closet.. ........................................................................................................... 51 v Coming Out.... ........................................................................................................... 58 Being “The Gay One”................................................................................................ 75 The Problem of the Locker Room ............................................................................. 87 Discussions of Masculinity........................................................................................ 91 What is “masculinity?” .............................................................................................. 92 How important is masculinity? .................................................................................. 97 CHAPTER V: CONCLUSION ............................................................................................ 107 Implications…. .......................................................................................................... 109 Reflexivity….. ........................................................................................................... 113 Constructing the Narratives ....................................................................................... 115 Final Remarks ........................................................................................................... 116 REFERENCES .......... ........................................................................................................... 118 APPENDIX A. INTERVIEW GUIDE ................................................................................. 122 APPENDIX B. RECRUITMENT SCRIPT AND INFORMED CONSENT....................... 124 APPENDIX C: HSRB APPROVAL .................................................................................... 127 Singled Out 1 CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION Statement of the Problem …I could say that we are as strong as you are, we are as fit as you are, but until they have been beaten by us and we are standing there holding the pot, it doesn’t quite hit home. It is a tightrope because equally—if we do badly—we reinforce the negative image of gay men (as) a bunch of ‘Marys’ who couldn’t quite cut it. (Owen, 2006, p. 142) The athlete quoted here, in a study by Owen (2006), expresses one of the countless challenges that gay male athletes face on the sports field. In a world where boys grow up playing backyard games like “smear the queer” and graduate through youth sport programs that reward acts of dominance and aggression, it is no wonder that sport is an unwelcome environment for sexual minorities (Allain, 2008). The facets of hegemonic masculinity function to weed out and marginalize identities that do not, or cannot, conform to the characteristics associated with “manly men.” For one form of masculinity to be considered “hegemonic,” it must be valued above all others—held up high for all men and boys to aspire to (Connell, 1990). A hegemonically masculine male in today’s culture would be handsome, athletic, heterosexual, young, successful, and tough, among other privileged traits. With the addition of each characteristic, more and more men fall away, unable to meet these requirements. The fact that the majority of men fail to meet this standard does not lessen the power of the hegemonic ideal. As long as men continue to strive toward this image, and hold it in high esteem, hegemonic masculinity will continue to define what is acceptable behavior for men in today’s society