Syracuse University’s LGBT Concerns Committee has rightfully called for a way for student-athletes to anonymously report LGBTQ-related harassment.

The suggestion, made at a University Senate meeting earlier this month by committee co-chairs Francine D’Amico and Rachel Fox von Swearingen, is a valid measure that the administration can take in order to make its sports branch more LGBTQ-friendly. However, this step should be the first of many to forge a lasting, more positive climate for LGBTQ athletes.

Tangible manifestations of homophobia have occurred at SU before: D’Amico said that one of her students has been beaten on campus because of their sexual orientation. While she did not disclose whether or not the student was an athlete, measures that protect LGBTQ students contribute to a healthier climate across the board.

The issue of LGBTQ athletes’ well-being has been raised in University Senate meetings for the past few years. In 2013, the LGBT Concerns Committee discussed how homophobic language and behaviors are used as weapons against students here on campus, as confirmed by SU student-athletes, according to the committee’s report.

In an effort to reduce possibilities for harassment, the committee proposed creating more private locker room spaces to accommodate transgender athletes. In the same way that this recommendation respects and values the comfort of LGBTQ students, anonymous reporting would be a step in the right direction. These proposals create safe spaces for LGBTQ athletes without forcing them to come out to their teammates.

As recommended by the LGBT Concerns Committee, SU’s athletic department can take its inclusion initiatives to the next level by requiring LGBTQ training for staff. With sports-specific, discussion-based training, the athletics department will be better equipped to get to the root of prejudices. Active participation in dismantling homophobia on campus will bring about a thorough, lasting LGBTQ-positive atmosphere.

The LGBT Resource Center conducts “Safer People, Safer Spaces” training, a program that should be incorporated into the athletics department’s protocol. The sessions are a three-hour-long crash course on how straight and cisgender university community members can be better allies to their LGBTQ peers.

SU’s athletics department is working to address the issue of homophobia: it joined the sports activism campaign “You Can Play,” and an anti-harassment Carrier Dome video is in the works and an LGBTQ climate report is under way.

However, these efforts have yet to come to fruition and can take months, if not years, to do actually be completed. The climate assessment will only verify and quantify an issue that many already know is a problem, hence the creation of an LGBT Concerns Committee. In addition, while an LGBTQ-positive public service announcement is a great idea, a campaign video can only make so much of an impact.

The ability to anonymously report harassment protects LGBTQ student-athletes from outing themselves while also creating an incentive for other athletes to not harass them. In addition, inclusivity training has the potential to change homophobic attitudes and behaviors because it is specifically-geared toward helping an individual unlearn their biases.

SU Athletics is making progress in addressing the concerns of LGBTQ student-athletes, but there is more work to be done. Combined with anonymous reporting and similar systems that accommodate LGBTQ students, efforts that call upon all members of the athletic department to participate will bring about the inclusive atmosphere that SU’s sports community needs.

Caroline Colvin is a sophomore magazine journalism major. Her column appears weekly. She can be reached at ccolvin@syr.edu and followed on Twitter at @fkacaro.

Published on November 25, 2015 at 11:46 am