Strong women, deep closets (1998)

Former athlete and coach Pat Griffin makes a provocative and impassioned call for attention to a topic that has been avoided by women’s sports advocates. In ‘Strong Women, Deep Closets’, she provides a critical analysis of discrimination and prejudice against lesbians in sport. The book is the first to explore the lesbian sporting experience as well as examine homophobia and heterosexism in women’s sport. Engagingly written, the work brings to light the experiences of lesbian coaches and athletes in their own words. The author lists obstacles lesbian athletes face in transforming sports and details numerous personal and political strategies for leveling the playing field.