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Inside The World Of An LGBT Olympic Gold Medalist: An Interview with Kate Richardson-Walsh

Inside The World Of An LGBT Olympic Gold Medalist: An Interview with Kate Richardson-Walsh

Tragically, many LGBT members are unable to be as easily accepted as Kate and Helen were...

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The final ever international game of the most capped and decorated women's player in the history of England and Great Britain hockey, was one of the most notorious steps for women's sport in the 21st century.

Kate Richardson-Walsh, captain of England and Great Britain for thirteen years, hung up her stick for the final time, by winning Olympic gold at Rio, alongside her wife, who also achieved the same accolade. The duo became the first same-sex married couple to win Gold at the Olympics together - a momentous feat to remember, during LGBT History month this February.

Kate's fruitful career, alongside the achievements of the team, have raised the profile of female equality and LGBT players in sport.

"When Hollie scored the final penalty at Rio, I remember running the fastest I've ever run, towards her, screaming and screaming. Every emotion I had ever felt, all the highs and lows, the thoughts of my family back at home, the thoughts of the women who were missed out from the Rio squad, an entire rollercoaster of emotions was felt inside that scream, as I ran towards Hollie."

Image: PA
Image: PA

Kate's wife, Helen, had also scored a vital flick in the final. This year marks a decade since the pair became a couple. "We were just teammates for a long time. We had both been through break ups before, we became close friends and then one day something just changed. We had to discuss the matter with our coaches and teammates, but we made it very clear that we are professionals and that we are always open to talking about it."

Tragically, many LGBT members are unable to be as easily accepted as Kate and Helen were. "We feel it is important to share our experience and talk about it, because lots of LGBT people are not in our situation. Helen and I have been lucky enough, to always feel comfortable in our own skin", Kate explains. "It was when we got married and double-barrelled our names, that it became the centre of attention with the media."

The 6th of February marks the 100th anniversary of voting rights for British women. As the nation celebrates this milestone, Kate reflects on the progress we have made on female equality in sport. "We have come very far. If you look back to the Battle of the Sexes between Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs in 1973 and how Billie was mocked for setting up the Women's Tennis Association, you can see how perspectives have drastically changed since then."

Image: PA
Image: PA

Nevertheless, the battle for gender equality in sport is not over, according to Kate. "The situation of Larry Nassar and the women's gymnastic team in America is an example." In late January, Nassar, the former team doctor for USA Gymnastics and Michigan State university, was sentenced to up to 175 years in jail, for the molestation of several female gymnasts.

Kate also expresses her concern over the gender pay gap in sport. "If you look at all the major male-dominated sports in this country: football, rugby and cricket; these get the most media atten-tion. The men are getting paid far, far more than the women."

Nevertheless, Kate recognises that subtle steps towards pay equality are being made. "There are some great stories which we can learn from. The women's Rugby Sevens team in Australia is now getting paid on par with the men's team, and they have even managed to negotiate a pregnancy policy, which has never been done before."

"It is really exciting that we are breaking ground all the time", Kate blithely mentions. "There is a great amount of movement going on, but it is going to take some really big steps for media outlets, sponsors, endorsers and sporting government bodies to really even out the playing field."

Image: PA
Image: PA

Whilst Kate endorses female equality in sport, she also agrees that it is common for LGBT male athletes to find it more difficult to be accepted. As of February 2018 there is only one openly gay footballer, out of the 4,000 professionals in the UK. "It goes back to the traditional roles of genders in the 60s, 70s and early 80s. There are stereotypical views that male athletes have to be mascu-line, heterosexual and aggressive; and that persona does not match people's opinions of a gay or bisexual man."

The former England star pointed out how the same principal applies to females. "There used to be a stereotype that if you were a female playing sport then you must be lesbian or bisexual. Women had to prove that this is not the case, and that is partly why sportswomen are overly sexualised now."

High-profile athletes are not omitted from partaking in gender bigotry, Kate reveals. "I read a bril-liant, honest article by Neville Southall, in which he admitted that, in his playing days, he was dis-criminative and used derogatory terms, because he only had heterosexual teammates. However, now that he has retired, and met lots of interesting people of different sexualities, backgrounds and points of view; he has completely opened his eyes to the LGBT community."

According to the latest government research, carried out in 2016 by the Annual Population Survey, 93.4% of the UK population identifies as heterosexual. This prevailing group of society have a co-lossal impact on general perspectives of the LGBT community, and it is vital that they are educated on unfamiliar sexual orientations and genders. "Unless you have openly LGBT people around you, in your circle, then you don't know what to expect." Kate suggests. "Open your eyes. If you don't know any LGBT people, then find them; or read about them. Educate yourself to what life is like for people different to you. I think that is a really key point."

Image: PA
Image: PA

Kate, united with her wife, will be developing a workshop in 2018. The project will help children to appreciate their own strengths, and to recognise value in others, no matter how different they might be. This programme was inspired by the culture of the Great Britain hockey team, where Kate and Helen learnt that everyone brought disparate values to the changing room. This is a con-cept that they want to convey to children, who's sense of confidence and understanding of others is under increasing pressure following the outbreak of social media in recent years.

"When you retire from hockey, you feel that you lose your purpose, identity; and also what you stand for. It is not just about getting our purpose back in life, but it is also about us giving back to society. Once upon a time, when we were youngsters, someone saw potential in us. This gave us belief, confidence and opportunity. Unfortunately, most kids do not get to have that. We want to make sure that kids do have that opportunity, whether it is representing your country by playing hockey, or even being a lawyer, teacher or hairdresser. It is so important to not have a judgement on that and being ambitious about what you want from life, whilst being comfortable in your own skin."

A beautiful theme which Kate has noticed during her time working with children, is the impartiality of young people's attitudes towards the LGBT community. "Nowadays kids are totally cool about this stuff, which I love. They are so open to difference, whilst they understand that everyone is unique in their own way. They accept people for who they are, at face value, and ask questions with no hesitation. The more kids talk about it at this age, the better our society will be in the fu-ture."

Another fundamental issue that sport is facing is how to be inclusive to transgender people, when sport has historically been built around gender specific teams and competitions. "It is the elephant in the room", Kate explains. "It is going to become more and more front and centre, and it needs to be discussed as soon as possible. Obviously it brings up loads of questions, but the best way around that is to listen." If you have a transgender teammate,

Kate advises that you talk to them about how they feel, and what they believe is possible, and not possible, for transgender people in sport. "There is misconception from some media outlets that it is just a flash in a pan, or a phase, or that transgender people are making rash decisions. I do not think this is true in any way, shape or form. It is a very difficult process to go through and it takes a lot of time and thought. The only way we can move forward, in regards of sport concepts, is to listen, talk and understand."

Image: PA
Image: PA

On the subject of media fallacy, another present-day issue is that women are still deemed 'too weak' to compete at the highest level of sport. This assumption that a certain gender is more ath-letically competent than another is proven to be erroneous by the fact that Kate captained England to an Olympic bronze medal despite a broken jaw, which has inspired many young female athletes to follow in her footsteps and substantiate the true power of women in sport.

"Be the best version of yourself - no one can ask any more of you than that", Kate advises to every young women read-ing this. "There is a lot of fear that certain people cannot play sport because you have to look like this, or you should be doing that. Understand what you want and tread your own path. There is no good trying to be someone else, or being fearful of turning into something different. Just be you - and that is the best advice I can give."

There is an omnipresent argument that the sport of field hockey has become an elitist sport, partic-ularly at the youth standards. The ever-rising prices of equipment, combined with the neglect of hockey from most comprehensive schools, has led to the sport becoming more and more exclusive to just those who can pay their way in. "In Rio it was a 50/50 split between the girls who were from comprehensive schools and those who were from private schools", Kate confesses. "I do feel like the balance is shifting towards private schools because the privately educated have greater facili-ties at their disposal and more school hours to assign to hockey. This is something that Helen and I are both concerned about."

Kate and Helen have recently met up with representatives from the charities Sported and Access Sport, both of which work with disadvantaged kids who have not had the opportunities to play sport. "Why shouldn't they play hockey, why shouldn't they have the opportunity to go to a local park and just play sport?" an inquisitive Kate asks. "I think that we can get stuck on the idea that you must play hockey on a wonderful, open-spaced astro-turf that has been cared for and beauti-fully manicured. You can play on grass, concrete or gravel - I grew up playing on these surfaces, and we need to go back to the basics of that."

WORDS BY MATTHEW JONES - @MatthewJ_Joness

Featured Image Credit:

Topics: Hockey, England, Gold Medal