When Sports Become Healing: What Two Years of Research Taught Us About LGBTQ+ Youth

When we launched Rainbow Labs, we knew one thing deeply: mentorship matters. But we also believed something that isn’t always obvious in traditional LGBTQIA+ youth development spaces… the idea that sports can heal.

Ultimately, movement, belonging, and affirming mentorship can fundamentally shift how a young person experiences their body, their stress, and their sense of identity.

Two years ago, through Beyond Sport’s Head In The Game grant program, we had the opportunity to put that belief into action.

Building Sports Spaces That Affirm Identity

Through this two-year partnership, we expanded our Sports Lab to reach 150 LGBTQ+ youth each year. We hired LGBTQ+ coaches/community partners who could lead not just drills and games, but conversations. We formalized trauma-informed mental health practices within our sports programming. And we ingrained specialized coach training focused on prevention, mental health promotion, and crisis identification in our onboarding.

This wasn’t about adding a mental health oriented workshop to a sports clinic. It was about redesigning the formalities of sports in order to create a warmer space.

Because LGBTQ+ youth are disproportionately vulnerable, safe spaces and identity-affirming mentorship are not optional enhancements. They are mission-critical.

In our Sports Lab, movement becomes a coping tool. Running is not just exercise; it is stress management. Yoga is not just stretching; it is emotional regulation. Coaches intentionally introduce multiple wellness pathways because every young person deserves “other tools” — maybe running isn’t their thing.

One participant put it simply: participating “helped me a lot to be able to manage my stress.”

That sentence carries weight especially for a young person navigating discrimination, identity exploration, and systemic barriers.

The Power of Queer Mentorship

Perhaps the most powerful finding from the case study was the central role of queer mentorship in our model.

what we learned is that many of our youth do not consistently encounter affirming adults in school, at home, or in traditional sports environments.

In fact, for every 5,000 youth mentoring programs nationwide, only five focus specifically on LGBTQ+ youth.

What our youth described as the most meaningful impact of Sports Lab wasn’t a championship or a skill milestone. It was the feeling that “you’re not alone.”

In a climate where LGBTQ+ communities often feel increasingly targeted and unsafe

Belonging becomes protective. It stabilizes and it becomes healing.

Sports spaces, when led by affirming coaches, transform into places where identity is not hidden but instead celebrated.

Why This Matters Now

Traditional sports systems have not always made room for LGBTQ+ youth... based on the rise on anti trans legislation in youth sports, it’s even more apparent.

Gendered participation rules, exclusionary norms, and hostile locker room cultures have pushed too many young people out of spaces that should instead build confidence and give athletes the chance to shine.

But our Sports Lab was built as a remedy.

We as an organization wanted to create a place where trans and nonbinary youth can play without fear.

Over two years, the research confirmed something simple and powerful: when LGBTQ+ youth move their bodies in affirming spaces led by trained, identity-aligned mentors, healing happens.

Confidence grows.Stress decreases.Community strengthens.

Help Us Keep Building Healing Spaces

The research recommends sustaining and expanding our identity-affirming mentorship model, particularly by recruiting and retaining queer mentors.

As an organization, we couldn’t agree more.

Healing spaces don’t build themselves. They are built by adults who show up consistently, intentionally, and with care.

If you believe LGBTQ+ youth deserve sports environments where they feel safe, supported, and seen, we invite you to volunteer with our Sports Lab programming

Whether you have experience in athletics, mentorship, or simply a desire to stand alongside young people, your presence matters!

To volunteer at our next Sports Lab Clinic or to learn further information feel free to contact our Sports Program Coordinator:

Destiny Contreras

Email: Dcontreras@rainbowlabs.org