On the Limits of “Gaie” Spaces

Discursive Constructions of Women’s Sport in Quebec

Bibliographic Data

ID12082079
AuthorsBarbara Ravel (0000-0002-8737-8932, 1Université de Montréal, corresponding author), Geneviève Rail (0000-0002-3519-1519, 2University of Ottawa)
Year2007
Volume24
Issue4
Pages402-420
Publication date2007-12-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueSociology of Sport Journal (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0741-1235 • E-ISSN: 1543-2785
PublisherHuman Kinetics (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1123/ssj.24.4.402
OpenAlexW2130107433
LanguageEN
Citations received26
References cited36

Several studies on the experiences of nonheterosexual women in sport have highlighted the development of lesbian subcultures in sport, while others have emphasized the scarcity of athletic contexts embracing sexual diversity. This article explores the narratives of 14 young Francophone sportswomen positioning themselves as “ gaie ,” lesbian, bisexual, or refusing labels altogether. Using a feminist poststructuralist perspective, we examine their discursive constructions of sport and argue that the discourses articulated in sport allow for the creation of a space of resistance to heteronormativity. We suggest that the sport space is constructed as a “ gaie ” space within which a normalizing version of lesbian sexuality is proposed. We investigate how in/ex/clusion discourses are inscribed in space and how subjects are impacted by and, in turn, impact these discourses

Art · Heteronormativity · Human sexuality · Inscribed figure · Lesbian · Linguistics · Narrative · Sociology · Doping in Sports · Gender Studies · Sport and Mega-Event Impacts · Sports, Gender, and Society