Between gymshoes and high-heels — The development of a lesbian identity and existence in top class sport

Abstract

The sports system, which orientates itself according to male values and norms, is in many ways in contradiction to the characterisation of the female sex role. Through participation in this male domain of sport, top sportswomen attempt to escape being reduced to the narrow female role. On the other hand, they are then plunged into being torn between being a sportsperson and being a woman, a situation which has a strong influence upon the sporting career and upon the development of personality as a whole. The development of an identity and existence as a lesbian woman is shown to be a dissolution of, and a mastering strategy for this specific inner strife.