ABSTRACT

Football is an area of activity that ratifies power relations based on gender and feeds heterosexism, homophobia, and discrimination in Turkey. Accordingly, and as is seen in other countries, the body and sexuality of women footballers is the subject of considerable debate. The enforcement of compulsory heterosexuality and heteronormativity are reproduced by many actors in football. In this research, based on a feminist perspective, the experience of female footballers is examined, along with how the decisions and behaviours of the referees are shaped by the appearance of the player. In-depth individual interviews with eight élite level female footballers and seven referees were conducted and the themes analysed. The findings suggest that the referees’ decisions and behaviours on the field are not always equal and may vary with the physical appearance of players. Referees appear to discriminate particularly against short-haired and ‘masculine’ footballers while favouring long-haired and ‘feminine’ players. As a result, referees may reconstruct compulsory heterosexuality through a homophobic approach to the players.

摘要

在土耳其，足球是一个认可基于性别的权力关系并助长异性恋、同性恋恐惧症和歧视的活动领域。因此，正如在其他国家所看到的那样，女足球运动员的身体和性行为是一个颇有争议的话题。强制异性恋和异性恋的强制执行被足球界的许多演员复制。在这项研究中，基于女权主义的视角，研究了女足球运动员的经历，以及裁判的决定和行为如何被球员的外表塑造。对八名精英级女足球运动员和七名裁判进行了深入的个人访谈，并对主题进行了分析。调查结果表明，裁判在场上的决定和行为并不总是平等的，可能会因球员的外貌而异。裁判似乎特别歧视短发和“男性化”的足球运动员，而偏爱长发和“女性化”的球员。结果，裁判可能会通过对球员的恐同态度来重建强制性的异性恋。