An insightful new documentary, Playing with Pride, has been released via ShoutOut, a registered charity committed to improving life for LGBTQ+ people.
The programme sheds light on the current status of LGBTQI+ inclusion in sports across Ireland, exploring the challenges, triumphs, and ongoing efforts to create a more inclusive environment for queer athletes.
Presented and Created by ShoutOut Volunteer and Steering Committee Member Domhnaill Harkin, the doc introduces viewers to active LGBTQI+ members of the sporting world in Ireland.
The online doc examines both the progress made and the hurdles still faced in fostering an environment where everyone can compete and thrive without fear of discrimination.
You can watch the documentary above and you can read our Q&A with Domhnaill Harkin below.
How did this documentary come about?
"I've been involved with the LGBTQ+ charity ShoutOut as a volunteer since 2017, going into schools and giving workshops on LGBTQ+ topics and I have done a few projects with them.
"One thing I noticed was the rise in LGBTQ+ specific sports teams in Ireland and how very few professionals athletes either aren't LGBTQ+ or aren’t open about it and my own personal experience. I grew up in rural Donegal and I felt excluded from sport when I was very young.
"My parents put me into everything but I wasn’t exactly welcomed. I didn’t know I was gay, but I was different and other kids picked up on that and I was kind of pushed out of sport. After I came out and got to know other members of the community, I found a lot of others who had a similar story.
"I wanted to do a documentary that looked at this issue, I wanted to find out what has changed and what still needs to change and start a conservation around it. ShoutOut kindly let me run with it and along with Fearghal and Salvador who were both editors and producers we created this doc."
What message(s) do you hope audiences will take from this?
"I hope this doc shows that even though LGBTQ+ in Ireland are overly very much welcome in society as a whole, sport is one area that still has issues. So many LGBTQ+ people I know felt pushed out of sport and I think that’s such a shame.
"If some LGBTQ+ people are involved in sport, they often feel they can’t be open about who they are. So, I hope everyone especially sports orgs can recognise this and think how do we ensure every club of our sport is welcome and opening to people of whatever sexuality or gender identity."
What actions do you think sports clubs / schools around the country could take to encourage more diversity and inclusion within teams?
"I think it’s all connected, sport/school are two sides of the same coin. Having workshops in school that educate young people on LGBTQ+ topics is so important and that then translates to every other area. If someone in school is struggling to accept that they are LGBTQ+, hearing positive conversations in school will help them accept themselves and other students who aren’t LGBTQ+ will become accepting of someone who is.
"I really believe workshops and talks on LGBTQ+ topics for young people is key and promotes understanding and acceptance. This then will transfer over into the locals sports teams and clubs. Also, I think local clubs themselves should have workshops for their coaches and other staff to ensure they are aware.
"They need to know how to handle a situation if young people in a sports environment are saying homophobia remarks. It is really easy to foster a welcoming environment for LGBTQ+ people and such small steps can lead to people feeling comfortable and not feeling like they aren’t welcome especially in a sporting environment."
Why do you think sports are such an important thing for young people to be apart of?
"I think sport is such a rite of passage for young people; it helps them make friends, experience team work, and also makes them conscious of their health and fitness. In rural areas, the local sports clubs are often the beating heart of a community so to not be involved or not welcome can be disheartening for young people. Someone doesn’t have to be the next top GAA player, but they should feel welcome and become involved if they want too."
Do you feel you missed out yourself?
"Yes, I really do and that’s one of the main reasons I came up with the idea of the doc. My parents did send me to every sport going, but I never felt welcome and some other young people were quick to point out that I wasn’t "manly" enough or that I wasn’t good at sport.
"So, being very young I began to hate any form of sport. Now, as I’m much older and wiser, I’ve realised it wasn’t sport I hated, but they way I was made feel by some other children. At that young age, I just started to hate sport full stop; I didn’t understand the complexity around it.
"Also, I was young and wasn’t fully aware of my sexuality, so for all these reasons I did miss it. And as I grew older and realised I was gay, I felt even more so that sport wasn’t for me.
"That’s why I did this doc and wanted to look at what we need to do now, so other young people like me don’t feel pushed out or unwelcome in sporting environments."
Female athletes across the sporting world seem to be getting more support from both the media and the public - does that give you hope the inclusivity to grow even further?
"Yes, I think it does. For a long time, women’s sport weren’t taken seriously and that was such a shame. Again, I think it goes back to the idea of sport being the most manly thing you can do and if you’re a woman or not a stereotypical ultra masculine man then sport isn’t for you.
"There is definitely more support coming for women’s sport, but I think we all know there can still be a dismissive attitude towards women’s sports. I have often heard it,and while people may say they’re joking, I think it’s clear many do still have a dismissive attitude to women’s sport. But it is getting better and I think women’s sport along with LGBTQ+ engagement in sport is all of the same vein and something that we should all strive to promote both groups to be welcomed and taken seriously in the sporting arena."
Do you have a sporting highlight from this year or something you're looking forward to?
"It’s funny actually as for so long I had this dismissive attitude towards sport and would nearly turn off the TV when it came on. This doc has made me challenge my own views of sports and sporting orgs. I was watching the Donegal v Galway GAA match the last week and I actually enjoyed watching the match and I felt that excitement and adrenaline of wondering what will happen, who will score, who will win, etc.
"It was a bit of an eye opening experience for me as I never looked at sport like that before. I’ve made a promise to myself to engage more in watching sport. I can’t really make the doc and ask people to challenge their own attitudes and beliefs if I don’t myself.
"Unfortunately, Donegal lost but maybe for next year Jim McGuinness might give me the call for the panel after seeing this doc and if I start training like mad, who knows!"
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