5 How can my sporting organisation be inclusive?
5.3 Codes of conduct
Everyone has the right to live free from violence
and harassment.85 This includes the right to enjoy
sport in a harassment-free environment.
Some transgender and gender diverse individuals
experience harassment when they participate in
sport.86
Sporting organisations need to pay close attention
to the needs of transgender and gender diverse
children in order to ensure that they are not
subjected to violence and harassment.87
Sporting organisations can address this by:
• implementing codes of conduct which
stipulate a zero-tolerance policy for
harassment and the consequences of any
breach
• raising awareness through education and
training programs for their staff, players,
officials, volunteers and spectators
• reviewing existing codes of conduct to
ensure that the harassment of transgender
and gender diverse individuals is specifically
addressed.
Codes of conduct should apply to:
Exclusion and harassment
Examples of exclusion or harassment
experienced by transgender and gender
diverse people include:
• being told they are in the wrong
bathroom and asked to leave
• being asked invasive questions about
physical characteristics
• having team members or players from
other teams refusing to play with them
• having their privacy breached (for
example, walked in on while in the
shower)
• being intentionally addressed by incorrect
pronouns (for example, calling a trans
woman or girl ‘he’).
•
•
•
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•
coaches
umpires and other officials
staff and administrators
spectators
players
volunteers.
A code of conduct should include a commitment
to creating a harassment-free environment and
an inclusive culture within the sport. It should also
outline how the organisation will allocate roles and
responsibilities to support this.
A spectator code of conduct should be developed
and displayed at venues where training and
competition take place. It should clearly
communicate to spectators that the sport has a
zero-tolerance policy for harassment and outline
how harassment by spectators will be dealt with.
Case study
How adhering to a code of conduct can promote a safe and
inclusive environment
Rami plays cricket for the state women’s team. At the beginning of each season the players sign a code of conduct.
A spectator version of the code is displayed at the entrance to venues, and compliance is a condition of entry.
Rami identifies as non-binary transgender. Rami has body and facial hair and prefers to play in a looser uniform.
A spectator for the opposing team sledges Rami by referring to Rami as ‘it’ and making derogatory comments about
Rami’s appearance. Rami’s teammates notify the umpire about the harassment and the umpire pauses the game to
speak to the ground controller.
The ground controller asks the spectator to leave, based on the zero-tolerance policy for harassment outlined in the
code of conduct.
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