Sports
Triumph and glory
D.C. LGBT sports leagues celebrate international victories
D.C. Aquatics Club members in Iceland. (Photo by Eyjólfur Karl Eyjólfsson)
The District of Columbia Aquatics Club (DCAC) swimmers are just returning from the International Gay and Lesbian Aquatics World Championships in Reykjavik, Iceland. The event was held from May 30-June 4 and the club brought home multiple gold medals along with a second place finish in the team category.
Next up for the Aquatics Club will be hosting the 21st annual Swim for Life on July 14. The event is a fundraiser for HIV/AIDS nonprofits as well as local watershed organizations. Swimmers will compete in races of varying distances beginning and ending at Rolph’s Wharf on the Chester River. This is also a great opportunity for anyone training for a triathlon. Details on the event are at swimdcac.org.
Congratulations to the D.C. Strokes Rowing Club or hosting a successful 19th running of the Stonewall Regatta which was contested last Sunday. About 500 rowers came in from across North America to D.C. to compete in a mix of men’s and women’s sprint races on the Anacostia. Stonewall is the only regatta in North America hosted by a gay and lesbian rowing team.
The Rowing Club has had some impressive turnouts for its Learn to Row Program in the past few years. After completing that program, rowers are welcome to join the next level which is the Novice Program. This season they are welcoming an astonishing 58 new rowers to the Novice Program. Details are at dcstrokes.org.
Former Learn to Row Program alumni and Club rower Jason Beagle just completed his bid for a spot on the United States Paralympics Rowing team headed to London this summer. After an intense week at selection camp in Charlottesville, Va., which capped off with several days of seat racing, Beagle was named first alternate to the London squad in the Legs, Trunk and Arms category.
Beagle will be returning to the High Performance Center in Oklahoma City to continue training for a spot on the team headed to the 2013 World Championships in South Korea. Those interested can follow him on Facebook at Jason Martin Beagle.
Not to be outdone in the water by the rowers and swimmers, the D.C. Sentinels basketball team will be hosting Splash III on July 7 from 4-11 p.m. in Accokeek, Md. The event is a pool party fundraiser with a hot body competition, raffles and door prizes. Proceeds from the event will fund future basketball tournaments and local HIV/AIDS charities.
The Sentinels traveled to Chicago on April 21 to compete in the Coady Roundball Classic. Their B team brought home second place in the lower B division. More information on the Sentinels and the pool party can be found at teamdcbasketball.org.
The Federal Triangles Soccer Club will kick off the intra-club Summer of Freedom league on June 19. The league is D.C.’s only LGBT soccer league and consists of nine-on-nine coed formats with a minimum of three women on the field at all times.
The official launch party is Tuesday at Duplex Diner. Find out more about all of the soccer leagues at federaltriangles.org.
The Washington Renegades Rugby Football Club is just returning to D.C. after competing in the Bingham Cup in Manchester, England last weekend. The Bingham Cup is the world championship of gay and inclusive rugby teams and attracts roughly 1,500 players from 15 countries.
Both of the Renegades squads performed well with the Blues losing in the semifinal of the premier division and the Reds losing in the semifinal of the bowl division after two periods of extra time. Check out the ruggers at dcrugby.com.
Tickets are available for the eighth annual Night OUT at the Nationals to be hosted by Team D.C. on June 19. The event is the largest LGBT community night in professional sports in the United States. Details are at teamdc.org.
Iran and Egypt on Friday faced off during the World Cup’s “Pride Match” in Seattle.
Iran is among the handful of countries in which consensual same-sex sexual relations remain punishable by death. Discrimination and persecution based on sexual orientation and gender identity is commonplace in Egypt.
Friday’s match coincided with Pride weekend in Seattle. The Egyptian Football Association and the Football Federation Islamic Republic of Iran both objected to playing in the “Pride Match.”
Egypt and Iran tied 1-1.
FIFA, for its part, allowed Pride flags inside the stadium during the match.
“The FIFA World Cup 2026 is an inclusive event that welcomes people from all backgrounds,” a FIFA spokesperson told the Washington Blade in a statement. “Fans of all sexual orientations and gender identities are welcome at matches and events. General statements of human rights, including rainbow flags and other flags representing sexual orientation and gender identity, are permitted under the FIFA World Cup 2026™ Stadium Code of Conduct and may be displayed inside stadiums provided they are used in a manner consistent with the code.”
Human Rights Watch welcomed FIFA’s decision to allow Pride flags inside the stadium. Outright International, a global LGBTQ and intersex rights group, distributed Pride flags in Seattle on Friday, which was Pride Match Day.
“Visibility matters,” said Outright International Executive Director Maria Sjödin. “Pride is now being celebrated in more than 100 countries, including this weekend in Seattle. For many LGBTIQ people, seeing a Pride flag in public is a reminder that they are not alone, and that their rights and dignity are recognized.”
FIFA President Gianni Infantino earlier this year told Die Weltwoche, a Swiss magazine, that “there will be no ‘Pride Match’ at the (FIFA) World Cup.”
“There will be a FIFA World Cup match in Seattle, and on the same day, events organized by external organizations will be taking place in the city,” said Infantino. “But that has nothing to do with the match itself.”
Peter Tatchell, a long-time LGBTQ activist from the U.K. who is director of the Peter Tatchell Foundation, was among those who traveled to Seattle for Friday’s match. Tatchell accused FIFA of not vetting World Cup teams — specifically Iran, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Ghana, Senegal, Qatar, Tunisia, Morocco, Iraq, Uzbekistan, and Algeria — over whether they would allow gay players.
“FIFA is protecting LGBT+ visibility in the stands while failing to protect LGBT+ players on the pitch,” said Tatchell.
The Baltimore Orioles will take on the Washington Nationals on Friday, June 26 at 7 p.m. for Pride Night at Oriole Park.
The first 15,000 fans will receive an exclusive Pride Night Orioles jersey. The Washington Blade is a media sponsor of this event.
To purchase tickets, visit Orioles.com/Tickets.
Sports
Minor league team in York, Pa., forfeits Pride Night game after some players refuse to wear special jersey
City is roughly 20 miles north of Md. border
An independent minor league baseball team says it is forfeiting a game because some of its players refused to wear a special Pride Night jersey.
The Atlantic League Pro Baseball’s York Revolution were planning to hold their 11th annual Pride Night event Thursday for a game against the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs.
But the Revolution announced the day of the game that it wouldn’t be played. York is about 20 miles north of the Maryland line. The Blue Crabs play in Waldorf.
The rest of this article can be found on the Baltimore Banner’s website.
New book reveals what we can learn from animal sex
Who might replace Lindsey Graham? The contenders and their LGBTQ records
PHOTOS: Westminster Pride
Un terremoto también se vive desde el exilio
PHOTOS: Emerald City Pride
Mr. Henry’s celebrates 60 years of proud inclusivity
It’s good to see some justices standing up to Trump
Queer media dominates 2026 Emmy nominations
Egyptian authorities refuse to allow gay cruise to dock in country
