International Day Against Homophobia - -> Press Release

Montréal, May 14, 2010 – For the International Day Against Homophobia, Fondation Émergence revealed the results from a survey on people's perceptions regarding being gay or lesbian in the sports world. As a reminder, the 2010 Campaign to fight against homophobia proposed by Fondation Émergence and entitled Speaking About Silence is calling on all key figures in the sports world.

The sports world's silence

To the question “Do you agree with the following statement: the issue of homosexuality is kept a secret in the sports world?”, 78 % of Québec residents and 72 % of the rest of Canadians said they agreed with this statement whereas 13 % and 14 % said they disagreed.

Sports media's silence

75 % of Québec residents and 66 % of other Canadians agree with this statement according to which, in sports media, the issue of homosexuality is kept in silence. For Mr. Laurent McCutcheon, President of Fondation Émergence, “the survey confirms that the sports world is still one of the last, if not the last stronghold of homophobia. Individually, key figures in the sports world don't have any reason to be more reluctant than other people. We're dealing with built-in discrimination in which the system takes over the individual. Getting ahead in this community means accepting to keep homosexuality's existence in society a silent.” An old US Army policy “Don't Ask, Don't Tell” could apply here. Fondation Émergence's president continues by saying: “The sports world is a small society in itself with its own rules and its own media system. No other sector of society is organized that way, which is what enables it, though involuntarily, to impose its own social evolution at a rhythm different from general society's.”

People know what “homophobia” means

Almost all respondents are up-to-date on what the word homophobia means. 97 % of those in Québec and 96 % of those in the rest of Canada are familiar with the definition. A majority of respondents, 85 % in Québec and 82 % elsewhere in Canada, personally know gay men and lesbians, with most knowing more men than women. Mr. McCutcheon concludes by saying that “This level of acquaintance shows that in most cases people are now aware of gay and lesbian issues and that the sports world cannot go on isolating itself”.

Survey Methodology

The study was carried out from March 26 to April 4, 2010, by the Léger Marketing company for Fondation Émergence. It was conducted among 1501 people chosen from the Legerweb panel in Canada and weighted with help by Statistics Canada in order to provide it with a proportionate scale. Complete survey results are available on the International Day Against Homophobia website at www.homophobiaday.org.

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Information:

English Language Contact: Denis Cormier, Director of Programmes, 514 866-6788
Richard Rancourt, Director of Communications, 514 866-6788
Laurent McCutcheon, President, 514 522-7614

International Day Against Homophobia - May 17th