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From Straight to Gaie? Quebec Sportswomen's Discursive Constructions of Sexuality and Destabilization of the Linear Coming Out Process

Université de Montréal, Canada

Geneviève Rail

University of Ottawa, Canada

Sport is often perceived as affected by heteronormativity; however, it also seems to facilitate the expression of nonconventional sexualities. In this article, the authors explore the narratives of 14 young Francophone sportswomen from Montreal (Quebec, Canada) who identify themselves as "gaie," "lesbian," "bisexual," or refuse labels altogether. A feminist poststructuralist approach is used to examine their discursive constructions of gender, sexuality, and sport. More specifically, the article aims to investigate the coming out process and the expression of nonconventional sexualities in sport. In line with queer theory, the findings challenge the heterosexual/homosexual binary, the idea of a fixed sexuality, and the linearity of the coming out process. The results also suggest that the coming out process and the expression of nonnormative sexualities may be influenced by sport.

Key Words: lesbian • sexuality • women • discourse • poststructuralism

Journal of Sport & Social Issues, Vol. 32, No. 1, 4-23 (2008)
DOI: 10.1177/0193723507312022


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