A new study out of the Univ. of British Columbia says that lesbian, gay and bisexual youth are less likely to participate in youth sports than their straight counterparts.
The study said that only about three in 10 gay boys in British Columbia participate in sports, while about double — 68% — of straight boys find their way to sports.
Bisexual kids of both genders hovered around 40%, and lesbian girls were around 50%. The study did not look at transgender youth.
The reasons for this can vary widely, from verbal harassment to over heterosexism to a feeling of unease getting naked around other kids of the same gender. That the participation rate of gay boys is half that of straight boys says there’s probably something going on that makes these young kids aware of their differences at an early age.
Sadly, participation rates in sports across genders and sexual orientations are way down. The reason for that isn’t so hard to figure out, given kids’ growing addictions to phones, computers and video games.
Check out more about the study at Medical Xpress.
