Strong Women, Deep Closets: Lesbians and Homophobia in Sport [Paperback]

Pat Griffin (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 088011729X | ISBN-13: 978-0880117296 | Publication Date: February 4, 1998 | Edition: 1st PB Edition

Former athlete and coach Pat Griffin makes a provocative and impassioned call for attention to a topic too long avoided by women's sports advocates. In Strong Women, Deep Closets, she provides a critical analysis of discrimination and prejudice against lesbians in sport.

The book is the first to explore the lesbian sporting experience as well as examine homophobia and heterosexism in women's sport. The work is based on theoretical and historical foundations and is written in an academic yet engaging style. Griffin brings to light the experiences of lesbian coaches and athletes in their own words.

Strong Women, Deep Closets concludes with Griffin's assessment of the current state of lesbians' rights in athletics, set against the overall social picture in the United States. The author lists obstacles lesbian athletes face in transforming sports and details numerous personal and political strategies for leveling the playing field.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Griffin draws on her experience as a lesbian coach and athlete for this groundbreaking work intended to "challenge the despised sexual predator image" that so often stalks when women and sport come together. She also draws on 15 years of leading various workshops on homophobia in the world of sport, on previously published writings, and, perhaps most important, on interviews with lesbian athletes, coaches, and sports administrators that she conducted specifically for this book. The resulting 11 chapters consider such things as stereotypes old and new that keep many women out of sport; the defenses of institutionalized sport against lesbianism, including silence, heterosexual-image promotion, and downright attacks on lesbians; the role of the Christian right in sport; and identity management for lesbian coaches and athletes. Written in a brisk, readable style, this generously referenced summary of the lesbian sporting life will appeal to readers of serious sports studies as well as lesbian studies. Whitney Scott

Review

""""This is without a doubt the most informed, insightful, engaging and detailed work on lesbian experiences in sport."""
Don Sabo, PhD
Professor, D'Youville College, Buffalo, NY
"""In this ground-breaking book, Pat Griffin brings the shameful consequences of the long-standing and deep-seated association between women's sports and lesbianism out of the closet without shaming anyone in the process."""
Mary Jo Kane
Director, Tucker Center for Research on Girls and Women in Sport
University of Minnesota
"

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 18 and up
  
• Paperback: 264 pages
• Publisher: Human Kinetics; 1st PB Edition edition (February 4, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 088011729X
• ISBN-13: 978-0880117296
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #816,656 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent,fast-read book, a must-read for all woman athletes, December 6, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Strong Women, Deep Closets: Lesbians and Homophobia in Sport (Paperback)

This is an excellent book that explores the deep roots of homophobia in women's sports and lists reasons why ALL women-athletes must work to negate the fear of lesbians in sport!

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An interesting read, February 27, 1999

By 

Jen ([e-mail]) (Rotterdam, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Strong Women, Deep Closets: Lesbians and Homophobia in Sport (Paperback)

I flipped through this book in a college library and found it very interesting. Most enlightening were the real life experiences embedded in the techincal( for lack of a better word) information provided.