Aquatic Management of LGBTQ Participants in Park and Recreation Settings

Abstract

Research has noted that the experiences of individuals from the LGBTQ community have largely been negative within these settings when compared to those who are heterosexual and cisgender (Patchett & Foster, 2015; Rankin, Weber, Blumenfeld, & Frazer, 2010). With members of the LGBTQ community encountering bullying and/or harassment in spaces that have been designed to encourage positive health and positive social interaction, it raises the need for questioning of education and training of patrons and staff members in these settings (Forrester, 2014; Artinger et al., 2006; Patchett & Foster). As Theriault (2017) states, “recreation professionals have moral, fiscal, and legal incentives to ensure that individuals who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) have access to safe, beneficial services that respond to their unique needs” (p. 122). However, the realities of actual practices used by recreational professionals, legal ramifications, historical events, and experiences of LGBTQ participants in recreational/sport settings have indicated otherwise.