Together on the court: An autoethnographic inquiry into belonging and social capital in gay tennis communities

In an era of liberalising attitudes towards sexual minorities across Asia and beyond, sports like tennis offer vital spaces for queer identity negotiation amid persistent heteronormative pressures. This autoethnographic study, rooted in one author's decade-long immersion in a Taiwanese gay tennis community, investigates integration processes – from initial entry to deep belonging – and the organisational evolution of events like the Taiwan Gay Open. It assesses their role in building bonding and bridging social capital. Drawing on the first author's reflexive narratives, semi-structured interviews with 10 participants (aged 30–49, diverse tenure), and 40 + hours of observations (2014–2015, with 2020–2024 follow-ups), thematic analysis revealed three themes: institutional supports for safe subgroups via dedicated courts, interpersonal practices enabling authentic expression through queer lexicon and reframed athletic identities and social pathways transforming turmoil into elective kinship via shared joy and digital ties. These findings extend Cass’s Cass VC (1979), Homosexual identity formation: A theoretical model. Journal of Homosexuality 4(3): 219–235, individual identity model to collective resilience in distinct East Asian contexts. They demonstrate tennis as a ‘lifeline swing’ that buffers stigma. Implications include policy subsidies for queer venues to enhance wellbeing, offering a blueprint for global sports inclusion. By blending personal vulnerability with cultural critique, this work underscores leisure's emancipatory potential and invites intersectional probes into queer sports for equitable agency.