Coach's Guide to Supporting Athletes Coming Out
What To Do When an Athlete Comes Out to You:
Immediate Response to an Athlete Disclosing:
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Affirm their decision:
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“Thank you for trusting me with this. I want you to know I’m here to support you.”
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Ask what they need:
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“How can I best support you? Would you like me to help communicate this to the team?”
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Normalize their identity:
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“This doesn’t change how I see you—you’re still an important member of this team.”
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Addressing Issues After Coming Out:
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Set expectations
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“As a team, we support one another. Respecting everyone’s identity is non-negotiable.”
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"If you have a problem, I want you take it up with me. If we can't talk to each other, how on earth can I expect y'all to play together?"
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Address issues privately
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“I noticed your comment earlier about [name]. Let’s talk about what we can do instead next time.”
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"Care to elaborate what you meant by this comment? It seems like we may need to have a larger conversation about what sportsmanship looks like on this team."
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Follow up
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“If you get dysregulated, what does that look like? And what can I do to help?”
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"Is everything going ok? Just want to check in with you to make sure you're feeling like you belong on this team."
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