Media Outing in Volleyball: Performance, Fans, and the Paradoxes of Lesbian Visibility

Abstract:

The study is based on the media episode of a kiss between two volleyball athletes as an instigator of performances on digital social networks, involving: speculations about the sexuality of lesbian athletes in digital environments as a central feature of the mobilization of so-called volley fans; the performative negotiations involving the outing of LGBTQIAPN+ athletes and the engagement of fans in naming homo-affective practices between women; and the paradoxes of visibility for lesbian women, which strongly operate under the logic of cis-heteronormativity. The notion of media outing is proposed as a device for revealing athletes' sexuality beyond interview practices and as a way to broaden the debate on performance and dissident experiences in the sports arena.

Keywords:
Performance; Volleyball; Fans; Digital social networks; Lesbians