Amanda Fleet is a Sports Development Coordinator for Highlands and Islands Students’ Association (HISA) at UHI. For Pride Month, Amanda is sharing a little bit about herself, her experience as an LGBT+ colleague at UHI, and the impact that sports and activity has had on her life.
My name is Amanda, my pronouns are she/her and I identify as a gay woman. I work as Sports Development Coordinator for Highlands and Islands Students’ Association (HISA) at UHI. This is a regional role, based across all the UHI campuses from Argyll to Shetland! I live in Perthshire, with my fiancé Rebecca who is a Vehicle Accident Repair student at UHI Perth, as well as working for LEAP Sports– an organisation promoting LGBT+ participation in sports.
Working at UHI I have no reservations about being completely open with my identity and have felt nothing but support from my wonderful manager and colleagues. Equality is especially important to me in my role with HISA and I want all students to be able to participate comfortably in sports and fitness, no matter their sexuality, gender, ethnicity, or background. I’ve been able to collaborate on projects with my fiancé, in her LEAP Sports capacity, which has been really exciting for us both. I am also a volunteer for LEAP Sports and enjoy being a part of this brilliant organisation, helping to arrange taster sessions for lots of different sports and working with participants throughout Perthshire.
For anyone struggling with their identity or coming out, I would definitely recommend playing team sports as I believe that keeping active is fundamental to both physical and mental health. My partner and I both play rugby for Perthshire Ladies and floorball for Perth Parrots- Scotland’s first LGBT+ floorball team. Equality is of the uttermost importance for both of these teams and we have always felt extremely supported by the clubs and our teammates. The social side of sports is almost as important as the physical benefits and within my sports clubs I have found great friends. Obviously, I can’t speak for all sports teams in terms of inclusivity, but LEAP Sports have a section on their website where you can find your nearest LGBT+ inclusive team here. I believe it is of the uttermost importance that the LGBT+ community are given plenty of opportunities and support to get active and involved in sports.
I feel so proud that my partner and I are a part of the LGBT+ community. We bonded over our love of horses when we first met, and I am the perfect size to ride one of her ponies! We regularly compete at showjumping and cross country and we really want to bring more LGBT+ visibility to the equestrian world. We have our wedding planned for this October- a Vegas wedding followed by a ranch stay in Arizona (we knew the trip had to involve horses!).
We’re both very active in the Perthshire community, as part of the team planning Perthshire Pride for the past two years. We’ve also both been picked to play as part of Team Scotland for floorball at the EuroGames in Switzerland next month, an international LGBT+ inclusive tournament. I’m very excited to represent Scotland in a sport that I love, especially alongside such supportive and welcoming teammates. Perth Parrots is more than just a sports team- I also sit on the social committee for the club and we organise many free or heavily subsidised social events throughout the year.
I wouldn’t change anything about myself or my life- it hasn’t always been straightforward but I’m so lucky to be where I am now- with a loving partner, a successful career, a supportive group of friends and family and wonderful hobbies. I realise that many of the LGBT+ community aren’t in such a privileged position as myself- the staggering rates of homelessness, suicide and hate crimes against the community show that we’ve still got a long way to go in terms of ending discrimination. Participation in sports often presents additional barriers for the LGBT+ community and we need to work collectively to break down these barriers. We need better representation across all sports, especially traditionally conservative ones like equestrian sports. LGBT+ athletes speaking out means role models for young people- at a crucial time for getting involved in sport. Sport and activity can foster a real sense of community and belonging- no matter your ability, there’s something for everyone!
Sport and activity can foster a real sense of community and belonging- no matter your ability, there’s something for everyone!
Part of my role with HISA is to help students get involved with both UHI teams and community clubs so I’d be more than happy to have a chat with anyone thinking of joining a sports club, making sure that they feel comfortable going along to training and meeting the team. UHI Perth has recently gained a hillwalking club- climbing munros is a favourite hobby of mine and getting out in the hills is extremely beneficial to mental wellbeing.
If you have any questions about getting involved in sport at UHI, please email me at amanda.fleet@uhi.ac.uk.
You can read Amanda’s fiancé Rebecca’s Pride Month Blog here!
UHI have put together a handy section with lots more information for LGBTQ+ students and staff on our website.
UHI Blog | Bloga UHI 
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