AFLW Athlete Dakota Davidson Speaks Out About Constant Anti-LGBT & Gendered Abuse
Image: Image: dakotadavidson_ / Instagram
Brisbane Lions key forward Dakota Davidson has spoken out about receiving ongoing gendered abuse – which is transphobic in nature, despite Davidson being a cisgender woman – after she was subject to verbal abuse from the crowd on Sunday’s game against St. Kilda.
The AFL Integrity Unit is currently investigating the matter of when a visibly distraught Davidson, comforted by her teammates Breanna Koenen and Shannon Campbell, was in tears after speaking with an on-field umpire according to AFL.com.
The verbally abusive fan was almost immediately found and removed. Although the inciting comments were not made exactly clear it was understood that the comments were in reference to Davidson’s body image as per AFL.com.
Dakota Davidson speaks out on emotional toll of body image comments
The comments were not a first time offence. Davidson recently discussed on the Keegan and Company podcast the impact of frequent gendered abuse that has been hurled at her in regard to her short hair and athletic build, sparked recently by a Herald Sun cover photo.
“I get quite a lot of comments about how I look” she said. “I don’t even know, actually, what part of me looks like a boy”.
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“I scrolled through the comments and it was all, ‘He’s the best one out there’, ‘He won them the game’, ‘He grew a leg when it was needed’ — and I’ve just copped a lot.”
During the candid interview, Davidson was overcome with emotion due to her frustration towards the hurtful comments nearly ‘every game’.
“It’s frustrating because I’m proud of how I look and who I am,” she said. “Now, when I go to games, I make a point to notice little girls with short hair, knowing they see me and think, ‘Daks has short hair, I can too’—and I love that.”
Former AFLW players speak out against abuse faced by women athletes
Former AFLW player-turned-commentator Kate McCarthy rushed to the Dakota Davidson support, stating to ABC that “Enough is enough. Stop the vile, homophobic, racist and sexist comments. Our AFLW athletes do not deserve this treatment for doing their job and advocating for marginalised communities”.
“We have now seen multiple players this year face vilification,” McCarthy told the ABC.
Although upset with the abuse received by women athletes, AFLW pioneer Chlyoe Kurdas emphasised the AFLW’s potential to set a positive example for inclusivity, describing it as “an opportunity to model a different way forward.”
“Each incident, we have the chance not only to call out unwanted behavior but to celebrate the diversity within our competition,” Kurdas said to the ABC, adding that embracing this diversity—across identity, culture, race, religion, and expression—is crucial for progress.
Other instances of anti-LGBT abuse in AFLW
Similarly in October, queer Richmond AFLW player Kate Dempsey was the target of homophobic abuse when a post of her and her two-year-old daughter during Pride Round was flooded with hateful comments. The AFL apologised for insufficient monitoring when Richmond slammed the commenters for their “deeply disturbing” abuse reaffirming their zero-tolerance policy for homophobia and discrimination.
Comments that are transphobic in nature, delivered to both cisgender and transgender woman athletes, have grown rampant this past year. The most prominent case being Olympic boxer Imane Khelif who was vilified for her less traditional feminine features. Khelif’s nearly instant win sparked conspiracies online that she was actually a man from the likes of known TERF JK Rowling and Elon Musk.
Today, according to AFL.com, Brisbane Lions’ coach Craig Starcevich said despite Dakota Davidson’s “stoic” nature, the incident “rocked” her a bit as well as her teammates and coaches. But she has ‘been great’ and is surrounded by ‘love’ with support from teammates, coaches and family.
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