Throughout June, Badminton England will be supporting Pride Month as part of our commitment to ensuring our sport is inclusive and welcoming for all.
We’ll be shining a light on some of our LGBTQ+ clubs to hear about the experiences of their members and we’ll reveal the identities of our Inclusion Champions, selected after engagement with the badminton community.
Our Inclusion Hub has been developed to assist players, coaches and volunteers at clubs looking to provide a warm welcome for LGBTQ+ players and ensure their clubs are LGBTQ+ friendly, while we will be changing our logo to a rainbow version from today (June 1) as a show of solidarity.
We are aware that those who identify as LGBTQ+ experience high levels of discrimination within sport, with four in 10 feeling that sport is not welcoming according to Stonewall UK.
We want to ensure that badminton is a sport that does not tolerate discrimination or prejudice of any kind.
We are currently in the process of gathering more information about current engagement with the sport and the barriers that exist, in order to be able to work proactively moving forward to remove these barriers and promote inclusivity.
And, as ever, we want to hear from you – the badminton family.
You can show your support on court by taking part in the Rainbow Laces campaign and we’d love to see your pictures – send them to us on social media using the hashtag #StrongerTogether.
Make sure you stay tuned to Badminton England channels throughout Pride Month as we continue our pledge to embed inclusive practice across the sport, ensure we remove barriers to play and continue to showcase badminton as a sport for everyone.
Access to badminton should be available to everyone, regardless of their sexual orientation.
