“There Will Always Be Opposition”: Collegiate Coaches’ and Athletic Administrators’ Perceptions of LGBTQIA+ Pride Initiatives

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, and asexual (LGBTQIA+) individuals face adversity in the form of rejection, stereotypes, discrimination, and violence. In an effort to promote inclusion and allyship, several professional and collegiate athletic programs have begun hosting Pride events. The purpose of this study was to better understand the perceptions and decision-making process of college athletic administrators and coaches regarding Pride programming. Using convenience and snowball sampling, 12 National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I athletic administrators and coaches participated in semistructured interviews. Findings revealed that although Pride programming is currently implemented by many National Collegiate Athletic Association member institutions, several factors contribute to athletic administrators’ and coaches’ reluctance to engage in Pride-specific programming. Although significant barriers are discussed, participants agreed that the benefits to developing Pride programming are substantively impactful at both the university and community levels.