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D.C. Pride Volleyball all stars find competition, varying skill levels

Local members George Atiyeh and Bill Klitz are regulars in gay league

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Pride Volleyball, gay news, Washington Blade

George Atiyeh, left, and Bill Klitz say the team dynamic in volleyball is especially satisfying. (Photos courtesy the subjects)

Registration is open for the next season of the D.C. Pride Volleyball League through March 23. The league is expanding this year to include a novice division to go along with their advanced and intermediate divisions.

The League offers both league play and open play in addition to traveling to tournaments around the country as part of the North American Gay Volleyball Association. Members also host three tournaments of their own ā€” Spring Fling, Presidentā€™s Pride Cup and the Rehoboth Beach Open.

The week in the continuing All Star series in the Washington Blade, we meet two gay players who have immersed themselves in the sport.

After getting hurt playing football in junior high school in Bethlehem, Pa., George Atiyeh switched over to volleyball and immediately fell in love. He began playing year-round on both high school and club teams. While attending college at Lehigh University, he played club volleyball for four years.

He came to Washington in 2016 to work for Deloitte as a tech consultant and after settling in, he began looking for volleyball options. Atiyeh started with the Leagueā€™s open play and found a wide variety of skill levels. The organizers noticed his talent and asked if he was interested in their structured league play.

ā€œMy experience with (the League) has been amazing and I couldnā€™t have asked for more,ā€ Atiyeh says. ā€œI didnā€™t expect to play at this level post-college.ā€

Atiyeh, who plays as an outside hitter, was named the most valuable player of the leagueā€™s advanced division and has been attending tournaments including stops in Columbus, Atlanta, Minneapolis, New Orleans and Chicago.

ā€œMy favorite thing about volleyball is the six players on the court forming a team dynamic,ā€ Atiyeh says. ā€œYou need all six players to be in sync for a good functioning dynamic. Itā€™s very momentum driven.ā€

The opportunity to play in the League has been so enjoyable for Atiyeh that he ran for the board and is now the representative for the advanced division.

ā€œIf I am going to give my time back, why not give back to something I love,ā€ Atiyeh says. ā€œ(The League) offers so many great things ā€” playing at a competitive level, making great friends, inclusive space and giving back to nonprofits.ā€

Bill Klitz grew up in an athletic family in Markesan, Wis., where he was a three-sport athlete in football, basketball and track. His father was a former college athlete, his mother was a coach and his sister was also a three-sport athlete. When he wasnā€™t playing structured sports, he was playing pick-up sports.

While attending University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh, he was a varsity high jumper competing in both the winter and spring seasons. Even though it wasnā€™t allowed by his coach, he managed to sneak in some intramural volleyball.

After college, he moved to Florida, came out and met someone. They moved to D.C. together in 2011 and Klitz works as a personal trainer, manages Corporate Fitness Works and is a program manager at Inter-American Development Bank.

ā€œWhen I first came to D.C., I was too busy with work to be in sports leagues,ā€ Klitz says. ā€œOnce I got started it was nice to be competitive again. I missed it after college.ā€

Klitz went into the LGBT sports community headfirst playing in the DC Gay Flag Football League, Stonewall Dodgeball, Stonewall Bocce and Chesapeake and Potomac Softball League. He was recruited to the volleyball league by League co-founder, Michael Dā€™Zgoda, because of his 6ā€™5ā€ height.

ā€œMy first volleyball season was an eye-opener because of all the technical aspects of the sport,ā€ Klitz says. ā€œIt was fun learning together and growing together with my teammates.ā€

His position is middle blocker and Klitz has played in every season of the League. He upgraded to the advanced division this past season. He has also traveled to tournaments in cities such as New York, Boston, Houston, Baltimore and Minneapolis.

In his spare time, he volunteers each spring as an assistant track coach at St. Albans School. Itā€™s all part of the sports mindset that has been with him since his youth in Wisconsin.

ā€œI have found a home in the LGBT sports community with these like-minded, supportive athletes,ā€ Klitz says. ā€œOnce an athlete, always an athlete. You have to live by that motto. Itā€™s a state of mind.ā€

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Former UMD basketball player Abby Meyers discusses lesbians in sports, March Madness

Potomac native signed with the London Lions last August

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Abby Meyers (Photo courtesy of Abby Meyers)

Star basketball player Abby Meyers signed with the London Lions last August, but she called Maryland home before calling the shots in London.

Meyers, a lesbian shooting guard, grew up in Potomac and graduated from Walt Whitman High School in 2017. She played for Princeton in her undergraduate years and played for the University of Maryland during graduate school.

She began playing basketball in elementary school, and she was already showing an abundance of potential by the time she was in high school.

In her freshman year of high school, the schoolā€™s basketball coach sat down with Meyers and her family and showed them a list of universities with Division I basketball teams. Meyers circled the names of the schools that she was interested in attending. From there, the doors leading to a collegiate basketball career began to open. She began working towards her dream and ended up playing for Princeton.

ā€œIt was kind of like a mutual understanding between the two of us, me and basketball,ā€ Meyers told the Washington Blade. ā€œI took more individual lessons, and I just realized that the potential was sky high.ā€

She came back to her home state to attend the University of Maryland not only for its business program but also for its celebrated basketball team.

ā€œI grew up watching Alyssa Thomas, Shatori Walker-Kimbrough and so many other legends that passed through that program,ā€ Meyers said. ā€œSo for me, I knew that basketball-wise, it was the best decision I could make. ā€¦ They definitely had all of the qualities to make me the best player I could be.ā€

Before shipping off to London, Meyers briefly played in the WNBA for the Washington Mystics in the summer of 2023. In fact, the aforementioned UMD alum Shatori Walker-Kimbrough was one of her teammates.

She described her time with the WNBA and in London so far as a ā€œlearning experience.ā€ 

ā€œI got to relearn what it meant to be a rookie again,ā€ Meyers said. ā€œAll of a sudden you enter a new team, a new level and you’re at the bottom, and you just have to let your actions speak louder than your words.ā€

Meyers publicly came out around 2019, and since then she has been a role model for many other lesbian women in sports.

ā€œBy coming out I’m actually being my authentic self, but I was scared that people were going to judge me and look at me differently when in fact, I was met with open arms, love, and appreciation,ā€ Meyers said.

Meyers believes the journey one takes to coming out is an individual process that looks different for everyone.

ā€œAt the end of the day, it’s your own race; run it at your own pace,ā€ Meyers said.  ā€œNever be apologetic for who you are. When you have to start compromising yourself and your values for other people like though thatā€™s not the community you want to be a part of.ā€

She has not experienced much anti-LGBTQ stigma since coming out, but that does not mean that it does not exist in other sports communities. However, in this modern social climate, Meyers pointed out, people are much more accepting of gay women in sports.

Nina Hazra, a University of Maryland medical student, grew up playing basketball with Meyers. The two were on the same team in middle school, but they went to different high schools and would often play against each other. 

Hazra did not play much past high school, but she remained close friends with her former teammate and rival to this day. She went to most of the home games during Meyersā€™ stint at UMD.

Though Hazra does not identify with the LGBTQ community, she noticed a tension in the sports world that affects all women, regardless of sexuality. However, with todayā€™s shifting climate, it has become easier for female athletes to express their identities

ā€œWomen who express strong emotions in sports are often treated differently than men who do the exact same thing,ā€ Hazra said in an interview. ā€œI feel like as we’ve gotten older, there’s been a lot more celebration of womanhood in whatever form in sports, and I think that’s one of the places where you can then kind of go outside those societal norms.ā€

But Hazra still noticed the impact Meyers had on younger generations in sports who may be struggling with their identities.

ā€œIt doesn’t matter your sexuality, your gender identity, all that stuff. That doesn’t matter when you’re playing a sport,ā€ Hazra said. ā€œA lot of us didn’t have role models in those years growing up and just to get to see her being that for so many girls is so amazing.ā€

Elisa Pinzan, also a former Terrapin, is good friends with Meyers. 

Originally from Italy, Pinzan played for the University of South Florida for four years before entering the transfer portal and landing at UMD. She now plays for Keflavik IF in Iceland.

Pinzan and Meyers formed a strong bond while playing for the Terrapins together. 

ā€œShe was the first person I got close to; she is very open, smiley and friendly, and I felt comfortable around her from the first day,ā€ Pinzan described. ā€œI am glad to have met someone like Abby, with such a kind soul.ā€

Pinzan thought that fans should keep their eyes peeled for the Terrapins this upcoming March Madness season. 

ā€œThey are a very young team with energy, enthusiasm and grit on the floor, and I think they are a lot better than the record they have,ā€ Pinzan wrote about the Terrapins in an interview. ā€œDespite being young though, they are learning a lot every game and I am sure they will be able to transfer these lessons for the best time of the year coming up.ā€

Meyers agreed that there is a lot to look forward to this March Madness. She said that with Coach Brenda Freseā€™s game plans and strong assistant staff, the Terrapins have a strong chance of advancing throughout the competition.

According to Meyers, March Madness will be different for womenā€™s basketball this year, pointing out that itā€™s more popular right now than menā€™s games, as womenā€™s basketball is selling out arenas.

ā€œI only think it’s gonna get better and it’s going to grow even more,ā€ Meyers said. ā€œJust the marketing, the social media, the overall awareness of the women’s game. Fans are growing by the number.ā€

Meyers believes that female basketball players have to rely more on their skill than their athleticism, which she believes makes womenā€™s games just as ā€” if not more ā€” exciting than menā€™s games. She said that over the past few years, there has been a strong shift in womenā€™s viewership that has shrunk the gap between menā€™s and womenā€™s basketball, including from a technical standpoint, given that men and women play with the same level of equipment.

Regardless of where UMD ends up this March Madness, Meyers will be cheering the Terrapins on from across the pond ā€” especially the women.

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Banned trans golfer Hailey Davidson: ā€˜Hate and bigotry will never win’

NXXT mandates players must be ā€˜biological female at birthā€™

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Hailey Davidson on Good Morning Britain. (Good Morning Britain YouTube screenshot)

Transgender pro golfer Hailey Davidson is pushing back against a policy change announced Friday by the Florida-based mini-tour, NXXT. From now on, competitors must be ā€œa biological female at birthā€ in order to participate. 

ā€œEffective immediately, I have been removed (banned) from the next three NXXT tournaments that I had already signed up for and been approved to play,ā€ said Davidson in a post on Instagram. ā€œThey changed their policy mid season, after signing me up already and being 2nd in the Player of the Year race.ā€Ā 

The three-time winner from Scotland has played nine times on the tour this season.

According to a statement by the tourā€™s CEO, Stuart McKinnon, the change underscores the organizationā€™s commitment to ā€œmaintaining the integrity of womenā€™s professional golf and ensuring fair competition.ā€ NXXT Golf issued that statement on International Womenā€™s Day.

ā€œAs we navigate through the evolving landscape of sports, it is crucial to uphold the competitive integrity that is the cornerstone of womenā€™s sports,ā€ said McKinnon in the statement. ā€œOur revised policy is a reflection of our unwavering commitment to celebrating and protecting the achievements and opportunities of female athletes. Protected categories are a fundamental aspect of sports at all levels and it is essential for our Tour to uphold these categories for biological females, ensuring a level playing field.ā€

Davidson said the policy change in her social media post was discrimination, adding that the decision denigrates cisgender female athletes as well as trans athletes. 

ā€œYou know what really bugs me is that people think I win just by showing up,ā€ she wrote. ā€œThis is such a slap in the face to ALL female athletes being told that any male can transition and beat them regardless of the life of hard work those women put in.

ā€œYou think youā€™re attacking me, but youā€™re actually attacking and putting down ALL other female athletes.ā€

She concluded with a vow: ā€œYou can scream at me, threaten me, throw insults at me, and even ban me BUT I will ALWAYS get back up and keep fighting to the very end. Hate and bigotry will never win.ā€

Davidson also posted a message for the women she had planned to compete against: ā€œI hope those NXXT players who are now in the top five are still able to earn those Epson Tour exemptions they were promised and continue to be reminded of in the previous couple of tournaments.ā€ 

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Gay figure skater Colin Grafton shares his story and his dream

Boston native is contestant on British televisionā€™s ‘Dancing On Ice’

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Colin Grafton (Photo courtesy of Grafton's Instagram page)

For a second year, Boston native and professional figure skater Colin Grafton is carving up the ice on British televisionā€™s ā€œDancing On Ice,ā€ and now heā€™s doing it as his authentic self. 

ā€œI told my closest friends. I told the people around me and I eventually told my parents,ā€ Grafton, 32, recalled in an interview with PinkNews, in which he discussed coming out as gay. ā€œI was maybe 24 when all that happened. I know thereā€™s a lot of curiosity about my sexual orientation and my love life, but I never actually came out to the public,ā€ said ITV personality. 

ā€œI guess this is me announcing it to you guys.ā€

Grafton, who has been skating since he was 7, reflected on how watching Tara Lipinski win an Olympic gold medal at the 1998 Winter Games inspired him to pursue this career. But being a male figure skater was ā€œreally toughā€ in the 1990s and 2000s, he told PinkNewsUK.

ā€œI remember feeling so nervous at various points in my childhood,ā€ said Grafton. ā€Iā€™d be skating and the hockey players would come and bang on the side of the rink and shout words. That was something all male skaters had to deal with back then. It wasnā€™t easy but all of it made me stronger because I took it and focused everything on my sport.ā€

Graftonā€™s focus catapulted him to competing for Team USA, winning a bronze medal at the Junior U.S. championships in 2012, with his former partner Kylie Duarte. The memory of those who taunted him only fueled him to work harder. 

ā€œWhen somebody tells you, you canā€™t do something, or somebody makes fun of you, just prove them wrong.ā€

Grafton ended his competitive career in 2013 and transitioned to professional skating, leading several European tours, and even becoming a coach. Then came the COVID-19 pandemic.

ā€œI feel very fortunate about the fact that Iā€™ve been able to kind of dabble in so many different areas in the professional world, but tour life is quite hard, all the travel and being away for so long,ā€ he said. ā€œSo, when ā€˜Dancing on Iceā€™ came up, I jumped on it.ā€ That was in 2023. 

The program is broadcast Sunday nights on ITVā€™s Channel 3 from studios in Bovingdon, a village in Hertfordshire about an hour northwest of London. During that first season, Grafton made history being paired with ā€œRuPaul Drag Raceā€ star The Vivienne, the first drag performer on the show and the first time ā€œDancing On Iceā€ featured a same-sex team. They made it all the way to the finals, finishing in third place.

ā€œBeing a part of that representation, being a part of that team, it was just wonderful,ā€ he said. ā€œThe support we got from everyone was just fantastic. If Iā€™m honest, I didnā€™t really understand the impact that it would make in the end.ā€

And at the conclusion of last season, Grafton finally found time to read the many messages of encouragement from fans, as well as from viewers who wrote, ā€œSeeing us helped them and gave them the courage to either come out or be themselves,ā€ he said. ā€œIt was truly something.ā€

And now, as a regular on the showā€™s 16th season, Grafton has decided he wants everyone to know who he really is, and in doing so, show others they are not alone. 

ā€œIf Iā€™m honest, I never really felt the need to announce it before, but the reason I am saying this now, is because I want to show that there is representation in any way I canā€, the TV personality explains.

Along the way to self-acceptance, Grafton revealed he had a lot of ā€œsmall steps and small triumphsā€ leading him to finally feel comfortable being himself in the public eye. ā€œIt was on my own terms,ā€ he said, and feels ā€œblessedā€ to have found support among friends. 

ā€œItā€™s been a long journey but now I am proud of myself and Iā€™m proud of my sexual orientation and I want to let other people know that they should be proud of every part of themselves too,ā€ said Grafton, acknowledging he had concerns about coming out publicly. ā€œI was really nervous of doing that to myself. It was like, ā€˜OK, if I come out as gay then people are going to think Iā€™m this or that,ā€™ when in reality the human sexuality spectrum is so vast and itā€™s just one small part of the person you are.ā€

But appearing in primetime on such a popular TV show means that Grafton is the target of speculation about his personal life. He admits to having ā€œlived and breathed skatingā€ until finally getting in a relationship at age 24, around the same time he decided to come out to friends and family.

While that lasted two and a half years, Graftonā€™s frequent travel commitments and work on the ice left him no other chance for love. ā€œI just didnā€™t really have an opportunity,ā€ he said. ā€œYou might meet someone while youā€™re on a contract for six months and after that, youā€™re both off in different directions, so, I wasnā€™t really able to hold down a relationship because of that.ā€

But now that London is his home, Grafton told PinkNewsUK he feels ready to settle down. His perfect match? Someone local and appreciative of his business obligations. 

ā€œWe live really crazy fast-paced lives as skaters,ā€ he said. ā€œPersonally, I want to meet someone who is also fast-paced and able to keep up with that, but they donā€™t have to be a fellow skater. I just want someone who supports me and I can support them, too.ā€

ā€œAt the end of the day, weā€™re all just humans doing our thing on this planet and trying to find love.ā€

Until he does, Grafton said he is excited to keep skating on television.

ā€œI absolutely love ā€˜Dancing on Ice.ā€™ Every season that Iā€™m asked to do it, I feel like Iā€™m blessed and I feel very lucky to be able to keep doing the show. I would love to continue doing it while I can or while my body allows me to as well,ā€ he said. And when it doesnā€™t? Grafton imagines he might try his hand at acting. 

ā€œI think thatā€™s what life is all about,ā€ he said. ā€œLearning new things and pushing yourself to do other things.ā€

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