La experiencia de las minorías sexuales en el contexto deportivo español: la salida del armario como una matrioshka (The experience of sexual minorities in the spanish sport context: coming out as a matryoshka): la salida del armario como una matrioshka

Introduction: LGTBIQA+ people face discrimination in the sport context, which makes them feel unsafe to come out. In this study we explore this transition, focusing on male sexual minorities in the Spanish context. Method: We conducted semi-structured interviews with six sexual minorities athletes. We developed a thematic analysis from the critical realist perspective to explore both the subjective perceptions of the participants and the structural factors present in this transition. Results: Participants expressed different phases of coming out. First, they were aware of their sexual orientation from an early age and eventually came out to themselves. Later, they came out to the close environment during adolescence. The sport context was consistently the last environment where they share their sexual orientation. In terms of structural factors, we propose themes such as: awareness of sexual stigma, gender and sexual orientation beliefs and stereotypes, and especially in male sport, the heteronormative belief system and hegemonic masculinity. Discussion: The transition of coming out can be seen as the image of a matryoshka. First the initial figure is formed, coming out with oneself. Next, matryoshkas are added to represent the environments in which athletes make their sexual orientation visible. The order is determined by the sexual stigma and acceptance they expect in each environment. The perception of sport as a hostile environment makes it the last matryoshka that athletes add.