> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.scenemag.co.uk/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # LGBTQ+ people still avoiding sport over discrimination fears, Stonewall finds - URL: https://www.scenemag.co.uk/lgbtq-people-still-avoiding-sport-over-discrimination-fears-stonewall-finds/ - Published: 2026-10-13T15:48:59.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-13T15:48:59.000Z - Author: Graham Robson - Tags: News Thousands of LGBTQ+ people are avoiding gyms, sports clubs and exercise groups because they fear discrimination, according to new research released to coincide with the first-ever **Rainbow Laces Day**, which took place on **8 October**. The findings, published by LGBTQ+ charity **Stonewall**, suggest that many LGBTQ+ people still do not feel fully welcome in sporting environments despite years of work to improve inclusion. The survey found that more than one in 10 LGBTQ+ people (11%) avoid gyms, exercise classes or sports groups because of concerns about discrimination. Among trans people, that figure rises to almost three in 10 (29%). Stonewall chief executive **Simon Blake** said the findings showed that sport remains a difficult environment for many LGBTQ+ people. "All LGBTQ+ people should feel safe to exercise and benefit from the boost to mental as well as physical health that sport provides," he said. "Sport should be one of the easiest places to belong: you turn up, you play, you cheer, you're part of a team. But for too many LGBTQ+ people, it is still somewhere you check who is around before you let yourself relax." The research also found that sport is one of the public settings where LGBTQ+ people are most likely to experience discrimination. Fifteen per cent of LGBTQ+ respondents who had attended a live sporting event or watched sport in a bar over the previous year reported experiencing anti-LGBTQ+ discrimination. The figure was matched only by education settings, while places of worship recorded the highest level at 19%. Trans people reported higher levels of discrimination across every setting included in the survey. More than a quarter said they had experienced discrimination in hospitality venues, educational settings, sporting environments and exercise spaces, while more than a third reported discrimination in faith settings. Alongside the survey, Stonewall commissioned research agency Bolt Insight to hold in-depth discussions with LGBTQ+ people who play or follow sport. Participants described physical activity as playing a crucial role in their mental and physical wellbeing, but many said they felt forced to hide their identities in mainstream sporting spaces. One football fan told researchers he felt he had to conceal "a big part" of who he was in order to enjoy the sport, while another participant said joining a local men's football team had led him to adopt a more "macho" persona that left him feeling he was being dishonest with himself. Participants highlighted women's football, parkrun events and LGBTQ+ grassroots sports clubs as examples of inclusive environments. By contrast, many felt elite men's football still had significant work to do. Among the changes they said would make the biggest difference were stronger enforcement of anti-discrimination policies, easier ways to report abuse, private changing facilities and greater visibility of LGBTQ+ role models, particularly in men's professional sport. Stonewall said Rainbow Laces Day was intended as both a celebration of LGBTQ+ inclusion and a reminder that more action is needed. Blake added: "Nobody should have to hide who they are. This Rainbow Laces Day, we are asking everyone in sport to take one action to make LGBTQ+ people feel safe and included, whether that's lacing up, speaking up, or showing up." The charity said visible support campaigns such as Rainbow Laces remain important, but participants stressed that clubs, governing bodies and sporting organisations must back those messages with meaningful action throughout the year.