By Zoe Collins Rath
Salon J at the Crystal Gateway Marriott was cold, but the “Reporting with accuracy and respect on LGBTQ+ issues in sports” was a cozy session on Friday morning, July 17 at the 2026 APSE Summer Conference in Arlington, Virginia.
But the warm and fuzzies went away as panel moderator Dan Spears snapped the audience members to reality, explaining how reporting in this space was important in the rapidly changing political landscape. Spears envisioned the session as an opportunity to see how journalists can use reporting to course-correct and share the stories of LGBTQ+ athletes year-round, rather than solely during Pride Month.
“We wanted to talk about what reporters are seeing, hearing, and advising them on how to handle situations for a local audience,” he said.
Joining him were Katherine Fominykh of the Capital Gazette and Monica Lewis, the senior director of athletics communications at Howard University. Jonathan Lovitz, the senior vice president for campaigns and communications for the Human Rights Campaign, joined them for the second session in the afternoon.
Fominykh works for the Baltimore Sun media group, owned by David D. Smith, a prominent Republican donor. She explained that, if she were asked to write a story about a transgender athlete, her coverage would take a tough direction.
“My paper would want it to be a scandal,” she said. “I know I would look out for the kid.”
Lewis explained how Howard’s approach has to find a balance. Federal funding could be jeopardized as members of Congress approve funding for the private university. But she still pitches stories of LGBTQ+ student-athletes if they are comfortable being out of the closet. Lewis focuses on their accomplishments and would put their gender identity “towards the bottom.”
“Their identity isn’t the story, so it’s a fine line. We gotta play it smart,” she said.
The conversation pivoted when Philadelphia Inquirer columnist Mike Sielski asked about a conversation he had with a librarian in his hometown. Playing devil’s advocate, he asked how the panel would report on transgender sports at a local level, since certain communities can see trans athletes as a threat to their child’s success because they could take a scholarship spot due to a “biological advantage.”
Fominykh said she would lean on how things like height, muscle mass, etc., are typical biological advantages that play out in sports across ages and gender divisions. Plus, she explained that what trans athletes must do to be considered to even play a sport varies state to state, or even county to county, like in her state of Maryland.
The conversation then evolved into honoring the intersection of queer athletes to preserve their safety.
APSE Foundation Fellow Lyric Swinton explained how certain professional wrestling organizations she has covered, such as AEW, are more welcoming to LGBTQ+ athletes than others. She also noted now it can be difficult for Black athletes to put their sexuality front-and-center for fear of alienation.
“A lot of people lack the language and knowledge to honor the totality and intersectionality of the athletes being presented,” Swinton said.
Yet visibility remains a key for many. “I want to see and read those stories,” APSE Vice President Erik Hall said.
What followed was a fiery back-and-forth over the value of making queerness the center of an athlete’s story vs. treating it as only a small detail. There were concerns about shoehorning athletes, because they are more complex than a “queer athlete” or the “Black athlete.”
“If they play a sport at an HBCU, they are going to be known as the ‘Black athlete’ anyway,” Swinton said.
Hall echoed his previous thoughts that centering queer identities in stories is important because “he doesn’t see queer stories that often,” even though more people are comfortable acknowledging the LGBTQ+ community.
The afternoon session also focused on where to find resources to improve one’s cultural competency regarding LGBTQ+ issues so that storytelling can get stronger.
But there was one takeaway in both sessions.
Queer athletes’ stories are worth noting. Reporters need to tell their stories year-round, using data and personal experience to give the athlete a stronger voice, as that will resonate more.
