Research Brief: LGBTQ Youth Sports Participation
September 2021
Research from the Trevor Project
“Amidst all of these accomplishments, there have also been a number of attacks on LGBTQ people’s right to participate in sports. Between January and September 2021, eight states implemented laws banning transgender youth from participating in school sports (Movement Advancement Project, 2021). Our previous research indicates that sports participation is associated with lower depression among LGBTQ youth, but that LGBTQ athletes are less likely to be out about their LGBTQ identity compared to LGBTQ youth who do not participate in sports (The Trevor Project 2020a, The Trevor Project 2020b). More research is needed to understand the role that sports play in the lives of LGBTQ youth. This brief uses data from The Trevor Project’s 2021 National Survey on LGBTQ Youth Mental Health to examine LGBTQ young people’s experiences and attitudes about sports.”