The qBody Project: From Lesbians in Physical Education to Queer Bodies in/out of School

The qBody project is a qualitative research study that aims to understand how students with “queer bodies” are impacted by heterosexism, transphobia, ableism, and fat phobia in Canadian physical education. Approximately 40 adults, who self-identified as a sexual minority, gender minority, having a physical disability, and/or socially undervalued body shape/size were interviewed about how physical education impacts their participation in, and alienation from, physical cultures later in life. This article situates the theoretical approach of the qBody project within the historical development of research into homophobia and lesbians in physical education and sport. Specifically, the article traces how postmodern theories of embodiment are transforming “lesbian studies in sport” into multidimensional studies of marginalization and normalcy—an area that might be referred to as “postmodern body studies.