The Boston-based advocacy group Lawyers for Civil Rights is calling out an uptick in LGBTQ-related bullying in school sports, “especially hockey,” across Massachusetts, and they want Bay State Attorney General Andrea Campbell to address it, according to a Boston.com report.
Reports Boston.com
Lawyers for Civil Rights said it has seen a “noticeable spike” recently of reported bullying and harassment in school-affiliated hockey programs, “especially conduct that targets students who are gay or perceived to be gay.”
“We are concerned that this rise is a backlash to the growing visibility and popularity of the television series Heated Rivalry — and the resulting attention, commentary, and social media discourse it has generated around gay hockey players,” the nonprofit wrote in Tuesday’s letter.
According to Lawyers for Civil Rights, public high school athletes have made an “alarming” number of complaints in recent weeks regarding homophobic comments and conduct by hockey coaches and fellow players. These incidents included slurs, locker room intimidation, admonitions not to “play like they are gay,” and references to having a “d**k in their a**” while playing defense, Lawyers for Civil Rights alleged.
“LCR is also receiving reports that students who are gay — or perceived as gay — are being intentionally benched during games, denied meaningful playing time without legitimate athletic justification, and otherwise isolated from team events and bonding activities,” the nonprofit said.
The letter urges Campbell to take immediate action to combat identity-based bullying, harassment, and exclusion in school sports, “particularly within hockey programs where locker room culture can intensify harm.”
In a statement provided to Boston.com, Campbell noted her office leads a statewide initiative on addressing hate in schools and sports and “takes all reports of bullying, harassment, and discrimination very seriously.”
“Homophobia and hate of any kind has no place in our locker rooms, ice rinks, or playing fields, and I am committed to ensuring that all young people feel safe and supported in their classrooms and on their sports teams,” she said.
Lawyers for Civil Rights also took aim at the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association, which serves more than 200,000 student-athletes statewide. The Attorney General’s Office must ensure the MIAA “does not abdicate its responsibility to investigate, remedy, and prevent identity-based harassment in school sports,” Lawyers for Civil Rights urged.
In its letter to Campbell, the nonprofit alleged the MIAA “undoubtedly has the authority and institutional structures to adjudicate and punish discriminatory conduct by coaches, team members, and fans, but chooses not to exercise them.” Lawyers for Civil Rights is actively suing the MIAA for records on incidents of discrimination, harassment, and bullying at sporting events.
The MIAA did not respond to a request for comment.
Read the complete Boston.com story here.
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