Long hours, daily practice, and pushing towards victory—that’s the life of the student-athletes at Harvard, who have to balance sports with their academic workload. Yet, some athletes on campus face an additional challenge—their identity.
Historically, athletics in the U.S. have had a reputation for lagging behind other extracurriculars in terms of LGBTQ+ acceptance. It was only in 2017 that My-King Johnson and Scott Frantz became the first openly gay NCAA Division I American Football scholarship players. In American College Football, having seven openly gay players is considered historic.
A 2023 paper headed by sports researcher Meng Xiang found that LGBTQ+ athletes face many challenges relating to their identity. Much of this has to do with the fact that even if athletes find community outside of their team, sports still remain a major part of their college experience. The study finds that discrimination, as well as a perception of stigma and internalized prejudice, can create stress and mental health challenges. This desire to fit in can also cause student-athletes to stay closeted or hide their LGBTQ+ identity. Some athletes fear that coming out could hurt their relationships or standing on the team, or even make things like changing in the locker room uncomfortable.
It is no secret that Harvard has a thriving LGBTQ+ community. According to a survey by The Crimson, 12.5 percent of the Class of 2025 identifies as bisexual, and 7.1 percent identifies as gay or lesbian. Despite its thriving LGBTQ+ community, Harvard has suffered from issues of LGBTQ+ exclusion within its sports teams. Grace Allen ’24 plays volleyball and also identifies as queer. She recalled a time when she was afraid to come out to her team, in an interview with the Independent: “I remember being very nervous to tell my team that I was gay, and that wasn’t because they were hostile, it was more in the casual jokes that were made sometimes.” The comments, while meant to be jokes, created an exclusionary environment. “We had a teammate with long hair hookup with a guy who had long hair and our teammates were like ‘Oh my gosh, I thought you were kissing a girl’…and that really stuck with me.”
Allen says she came out because she felt she could not hide it anymore. When she did come out, Allen remembers teammates being very curious, asking questions that veered into uncomfortable territory. However, she believes the team has improved significantly, and she says she feels very welcome now. “I would say the team that I had my freshman year is totally different from the team that I have now, and I’ve not heard a single joke along those lines, really in the past two years of being on my team.”
Neasa McLaughlin ’27, a member of the Women’s Rugby team, also feels that progress has been made. While she identifies as straight, she says allyship is a big part of her team. “Within our team we have a very diverse dynamic between people who identify as straight, gay, and bi…and we work hard to foster an environment that welcomes everyone.” As of 2023, there are now more openly gay athletes on Harvard’s sports teams, and there are active conversations about these issues.
While the voices revealed here show a lot of hope, the athletes who did not want to be included revealed a lot too. Finding gay male athletes that would openly interview was a challenge, as many had a fear of being made fun of or discriminated against. This creates an information gap that leaves many unanswered questions about Harvard’s sports scene. Why don’t all student-athletes feel comfortable coming out? Is the hesitation to come out due to internal fears or real external threats?
From discussions with athletes, it appears that each individual sport has different levels of LGBTQ+ acceptance, with some being more conservative than others. While generalizations should be taken with a grain of salt, male sports appear to be less accepting than women’s sports. Allen has advice for current and prospective LGBTQ+ student-athletes. “Make sure that you are finding gay friends outside of athletics…it opens you up to Harvard in a way that is beneficial.” She said that for her, participating in theater helped her meet different people and find community.
Acceptance has been found to be one of the most important factors in the mental health of LGBTQ+ people, as it ensures they can find a good social support system. Finding ways to make the sports scene at Harvard more accepting can help athletes feel at home. Overall, the Harvard sports scene is doing arguably better than ever before when it comes to LGBTQ+ issues. Still, there is a long road ahead and many stigmas to strike down.
Roberto Quesada ’27 (robertoquesada@college.harvard.edu) goes to the gym (almost) every day.