DEI and Sports – Inclusion and Belonging: Moving Beyond the Binary

LGBTQIA+ athletes have received considerable news coverage in recent months, and there have been debates on how they can compete against cisgender athletes. Carla Varriale-Barker, who has represented such athletes as part of her sports law-related practice, will discuss the legal and ethical issues involving the right of these athletes to compete, and the paradigm to foster inclusion and belonging.

Discussion Questions

• What are the eligibility and legal considerations facing athletes?
• Who are the stakeholders with an interest in resolving these considerations?
• What steps have been taken by varying sports organizations to foster inclusion, belonging, and robust competition among all athletes?

About the Speaker
Carla Varriale-Barker is a shareholder in the New York City law firm of Segal, McCambridge and is chair of the firm’s sports, recreation, and entertainment practice group. An accomplished litigator, she represents a portfolio of clients in the sports, recreation, amusement, and hospitality industries focusing on discrimination and sex abuse cases. Varriale-Barker counsels clients involved with the U.S. Center for SafeSport, an organization established by Congress to address sexual abuse, bullying, and other misconduct, and the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Movements.