qsa workshop #6: queer athletics

qsa workshop #6: queer athletics
designed by talia young, talia@sccs.swarthmore.edu, fall 2000

objectives:

to give people tools to deal with the following myths:

all big strong guy athletes are straight
gay men are never athletic (and the homophobia that goes along with it)
all football players/frat members are homophobic
all women athletes are lesbians

and in doing so...

to build relationships between the athletic and queer communities on campus
to discuss tensions between the athletic and queer communities on campus

materials needed:

toilet paper
white board or chalk board
markers or chalk

preparation:

advertise to athletic teams, coaches, fraternities
set up the white board and a circle around it

icebreaker:

secret enemy & secret bodyguard? or human knot.

name game:

toilet paper: hand it around and have people take some. then have them tell us as many things about themselves that you can't tell by looking at them as they took sheets.

ground rules:

confidentiality: not that you can't talk about what goes on here (on the contrary, please do continue discussions outside of the workshop) but don't go around saying "so-and-so was at the workshop and said such-and-such"
respect: there are probably a lot of us coming from different places; please respect each other. feel free to disagree with each other but please use "i" statements
no stupid questions: on a similar note, there are no stupid questions here; you should feel free to ask everything. i realize this can sometimes be a risky position to take, but i think it's important. if you think a question is offensive, you should say so, but that doesn't mean that it was stupid. anyway, we'll see how this one works.
any others?

activity:

brainstorm some common stereotypes relating to queerness & athletics

all big strong guy athletes are straight
gay men are never athletic (and the homophobia that goes along with it)
all football players/frat members are homophobic
all women athletes are lesbians

go through each one:

where does it come from? where is the truth in it?
put it specifically in a swarthmore context
where is it false?
true or false, how is it hurtful

divide into groups: how to fight stereotypes
come back and share

follow up/wrap up/conclusion:

go around and share something you learned

1: what is queer? | 2: queer & family | 3: (trans)gender | 4: queer sex | 5: gay marriage | 6: queer athletics
7: queer literature | 8: erotica, smut & pornography | 9: queer religion | 10: culturally mediated (a)sexuality?
icebreakers | name games

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contact me! last updated 22 january 2001.