The 519 Releases Recommendations for Inclusion in Sport

TORONTO, ONTARIO--(Marketwired - July 17, 2015) - The 519 has released the preliminary recommendations from its forthcoming Inclusion Playbook, a plan to make recreational sport more inclusive to members of the LGBTQ community. The recommendations were produced by delegates of the first international Sport Inclusion Summit, hosted by The 519 during the TORONTO 2015 Pan Am Games at PrideHouse Toronto.

"It's not enough to talk about athletes coming out at the elite and professional level, we have a responsibility to create local and recreational sport environments that are welcoming and accessible to people of all identities, ages and ability levels," said Kristina Flynn, of The 519. "The Inclusion Playbook recommendations are an important first step in creating the tools for cities, LGBTQ organizations and sporting associations around the world to introduce meaningful change at the recreational level."

The recommendations outline opportunities for more inclusive practices in five areas of recreational sport: Provincial and National Sport Organizations; Municipal Parks & Recreation Departments; LGBTQ Sport Organizations; PrideHouse Stakeholders; and the Education Sector.

Recommendations include:

• Adoption of zero-tolerance anti-discrimination policies by Provincial and National sport organizations that explicitly include sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression
• Including LGBTQ inclusion training in provincial and national coaching certification
• Revising standardized registration for municipal parks & recreation programs to avoid "outing" through gender and family assumptions
• Creating and adapting municipal recreation spaces and programs that are not segregated by gender
• Enforcing code of conduct for anyone accessing municipal recreation space that explicitly prevents discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression
• Creation of an LGBTQ sports taskforce for inclusion, connecting governing bodies of leagues, advocacy organizations and largescale events including the Gay Games and OutGames
• Taskforce to release an annual report card on LGBTQ inclusion climate in rec sport
• Knowledge sharing between PrideHouse host nations through the creation of a PrideHouse Toolkit of best practices, historical records and legacy documents
• Development of international standards and collaborative fundraising for PrideHouse to provide support to host nations who lack local resources
• Consolidating educational tools for LGBTQ inclusiveness in sport and recreation for improved access by teachers and coaches
• Introducing students to LGBTQ ambassadors and positive champions within the education system and recreation sport

The above recommendations with be explored and developed in the creation of a full Inclusion Playbook that will be released by The 519 in partnership with summit participant organizations as a free and accessible tool for groups interested in increasing their inclusion efforts at the recreational level.

The Inclusion Playbook will be distributed to municipal governments, sports organizations and other stakeholders as part of The 519's commitment to creating space for change.

The three-day Sport Inclusion Summit from July 13-15 welcomed delegates from a variety of global organizations including the Canadian Association for the Advancement of Women and Sport and Physical Activity (CAAWS), Athlete Ally, You Can Play, Outsports, CDG Brazil, Leap Sports Scotland, the PGA, Toronto Parks, Forestry & Recreation, the Ontario Volleyball Association and the YMCA.

The keynote address was presented by Trevor Loke, who introduced successful inclusiveness initiatives as chair of the Vancouver Parks Board. A municipal panel featured Howie Dayton, Director of Community Recreation for the City of Toronto; Sevaun Palvetzian, CEO of CivicAction; and Vass Bednar, Associate Director, Cities - Martin Prosperity Institute.

What Summit Participants Had to Say

Anna Aagnes, You Can Play

"The 519 Sport Inclusion Summit has brought together a diverse group of international leaders who are motivated by their love of sport and are committed to making the sports world a better place."

Howie Dayton, Director of Community Recreation for the City of Toronto

"The City of Toronto's Parks, Forestry and Recreation division's vision is that every Torontonian will have improved access to quality recreation programs, services and facilities. Realizing this vision is essential to building a strong and healthy community that is inclusive of the many needs and interests of our very diverse city. The Sport Summit and the Inclusion Playbook will be a valuable tool in helping us be successful."

Hudson Taylor, Athlete Ally

"Sport should be a safe and welcoming environment, regardless of a person's perceived or actual sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression. The 519 Sport Inclusion Summit is helping make that goal a reality."

Jefferson Sousa, CDG Brasil

"I will take away every comment, every idea and all of the expertise I witnessed at the Summit to make a truly amazing moment in Rio for the 2016 Olympics. This Summit has changed my life forever. I can see we are not alone and this makes me feel stronger."

Candy Darim Yun, PrideHouse Korea

"If I didn't come to the Sport Inclusion Summit I wouldn't have any idea how to put these ideas into practice in Korea in 2018. The Summit was hugely empowering and gave me ideas to build our own successful PrideHouse during the Winter Olympics."

Jennifer Birch-Jones, Canadian Association for the Advancement of Women and Sport and Physical Activity

"The 519 Sport Inclusion Summit provided an amazing opportunity to bring LGBTQ activists and leaders in sport inclusion together to meet, share, discuss, debate and identify concrete steps to break through the resistance and barriers to LGBTQ inclusion in sport, both here in Canada and internationally. I am excited about the work ahead."

Matt Allen, The PGA of Canada

"This Summit is crucial to the development of our sport system in Canada and as someone who works with coaches and athlete development, it has the potential to not only create safe sport environments for LGBTQ inclusion but also develop better athletes delivering better results."

Dr. William Bridal, University of Calgary

"The Summit is important because it provides opportunity to not only have conversations about LGBTQ inclusion in sport at all levels but also create actionable items that will help shift the culture of sport."

About The 519

The 519 is a City of Toronto agency that contributes to the advancement of LGBTQ equality and inclusion in Toronto and beyond. For 40 years, our innovative model of Service, Space and Leadership has made a real difference in people's lives, while working to promote broader inclusion, understanding and respect.

We provide direct service to members of the LGBTQ community; provide free, accommodating and non-judgemental space to individuals, organizations and non-profit groups; and advocate for progress by sharing the knowledge and insight we gather on the ground through consulting and workshop services, research and public engagement campaigns.

Our Contributions to Sport Inclusion:

• The 519 Recreation Centre: Since 2012, The 519 has been working with a private philanthropic donor and the City of Toronto to build the world's first sport and recreation centre focused on sport inclusion at Moss Park in Toronto. When completed, the proposed 200,000 sq. ft., $100 million dollar facility will be an inviting setting that brings people together, fosters acceptance and healthy living, showcases the city as a world-class leader in diversity and sport inclusion and acts as the home to Toronto's 40+ LGBTQ leagues, representing over 6,000 members.

• Trustee of PrideHouseTO, a significant, community-engagement project that has brought together 15 organizations from the business, government, labour, education and community services sectors with the City of Toronto and Pan Am Games partners to make TORONTO 2015 the most LGBTQ-inclusive multi-sport games in history.