Fewer Dutch sports club members are comfortable with gay team-mates, survey finds

The Netherlands likes to call itself the gay-friendly country, and a new survey says the locker room is not keeping up.

The Mulier Institute, which researches sport, found that 66% of club sports people now have no objection to a gay club-mate, down from 85% in 2008. Asked whether they would mind showering with a gay team-mate of the same sex, 55% said it made no difference, against 73% in 2008. The findings were reported by DutchNews.nl and NOS on 27 October 2026.

A wider trend

The institute said sport is reflecting a wider social shift. Both outlets point to research from Utrecht University and the Trimbos Institute, published last month, which found Dutch teenagers have become less positive about homosexuality. According to DutchNews.nl, the share of boys aged 12 to 16 with a positive view fell from 40% to 22% since 2021.

Attention is up, comfort is down

Awareness has grown. NOS reports that 28% of club sports people said their club pays attention to the issue in 2026, compared with 12% in 2017. Researcher Rens Cremers told NOS that this attention may have shown people that coming out is harder than hoped: in 2008 roughly 75 to 80% thought it would be no problem, whereas now it is 55 to 59%.

• Acceptance of a gay club-mate: 85% in 2008, 66% now

• No problem showering with a gay team-mate: 73% to 55%

• Clubs paying attention to the topic: 12% in 2017, 28% in 2026

What sport bodies say

Dutch sports federation NOC*NSF called the results “highly regrettable” and pledged to step up its inclusion work. The John Blankenstein Foundation, which campaigns for LGBT emancipation in sport, told NOS it has seen less enthusiasm for its workshops and more objections from parents.

“I get the sensitivity around transgender people in sport at the top level, but this is about amateur sport.” Karin Blankenstein, as quoted by DutchNews.nl, from NOS

For Vibra members, the numbers are a reminder that visible, welcoming spaces still need people to build them. Pulse is where the community can find and share nights and events that put that welcome first, on and off the pitch.

Illustrative image, generated for this article, not a photograph of a real club or event.

Sources: DutchNews.nl, “Sports club members becoming less tolerant of homosexuality” (27 October 2026); NOS Nieuwsuur, “Homo-acceptatie daalt ook op sportclubs: ‘Schrikbarend’” (27 October 2026).