Researchers at the University of Stratclyde in Scotland are looking for LGBT athletes as an oral history on the role sexual orientation plays in sports and mental health.
The project is called “Out on the Pitch,” and Dan Callwood, one of the researchers described what’s involved:
We are historians based at the University of Strathclyde and are currently involved in a project about the history of LGBT sport and mental health. As part of this research, we will be carrying out interviews with LGBT athletes about their experiences, especially touching on how sport has had a positive or negative experience on their mental health. The interview would concentrate mainly on your life in sport, your sexuality, and the effect that participating in sport has had on your mental health.
We will be disseminating the findings of our research in academic publications and public engagement activities.
The interview, a one-to-one informal discussion focusing mainly upon your professional experiences and lasting between one and two hours, can take place at a time and venue of your choosing in person or via Skype or telephone. It will be sound recorded and then transcribed exactly as spoken on to paper.
The interview transcripts will be saved in electronic form and a paper copy, along with the interview recordings, will be stored in a locked filing cabinet at the University of Strathclyde. The recordings will be retained unless you request that they are destroyed after use. The full transcript of your interview will be sent to you for checking, giving you the opportunity to indicate if you wish anything to be taken out or changed.
You will also be able to decide whether you would like the recordings and transcripts to be deposited at the Scottish Oral History Centre for use by other researchers who might wish to consult the interviews. You will be able to withdraw from the interview and project at any time without having to give a reason.
Research into LGBT athletes is vital, especially as more and more people come out in sports, so I hope any athletes reading this agree to participate.
Callwood can be reached at [email protected], @dancallwood on Twitter or on +447817067073.
