ABSTRACT
The LGBTQ situation has always been influenced by conservative values in Italy, triggering reactions that include prejudice against and the rejection of queer people. This aspect is also reflected in the sports system and sports policies, and homo- and transnegative incidents are worrying daily phenomena in Italian sports environments. In this chapter, we present the situation of LGBTQ athletes and sports practitioners in Italy. The Erasmus+ Outsport survey provides the first insights into the situation of LGBTQ people in sports in Italy. The majority of the Italian respondents remained completely closeted about their sexual orientation or gender identity in their sports contexts, while less than one-third reported coming out. It seems that the situation is slowly changing, as the Italian National Olympic Committee has recently addressed in its statute the issue of discrimination based on sexual orientation. However, national federations and grassroots organisations have not yet adopted these changes. In the last decade, the main sports organisations in Italy have launched numerous initiatives and hosted a number of events in support of LGBTQ athletes. Moreover, openly gay teams have also organised such initiatives. A pool of experts under the new government is still discussing the introduction of policies to support LGBTQ diversity, inclusion, and anti-discrimination.
