Sports
Raise your sail with the Rainbow Spinnakers
It’s the best way to enjoy the Chesapeake Bay
With images and stories of the BP oil spill filling up our media outlets, what better time to get out and enjoy the Chesapeake Bay?
Team DC has a sailing club on its roster, which offers a great daytrip out on our local waters. The Rainbow Spinnakers Sailing Club (RSSC) is a diverse group of mostly gay and lesbian sailing enthusiasts who stay connected through their Google Group e-mail list, which has close to 400 names.
The Spinnakers generally do short day sails on the weekends and the occasional weekday. If you sign up for the Google group, you will receive notices as to when the next sail is taking place and how many sailors are needed to fill the boats. If you would like to become a member, the dues are $20 for an individual and $30 for a couple. The RSSC also welcomes those who are just interested in going out for a day sail. They do not offer sailing lessons, but many people have learned to sail by going out sailing with the Spinnakers. If you let the skipper know that you want to learn how to sail they can provide extensive, but informal instruction. Formal instruction is offered at both of the launch locations, Belle Haven Marina in Alexandria and the Downtown Sailing Center in Baltimore.
The group sails on rental crafts obtained from their launch locations and occasionally a member will offer up their boat for a sail. The number of boats that depart on any given weekend depends on how many skippers are available. A skipper is defined as the person who has command of the boat, but may or may not be the owner of the boat. The rental boats are either Sonars or Flying Scots. The Flying Scot, ideal for beginning sailors, is a 19-foot day sailer dinghy used for pleasure sailing as well as racing throughout North America. It has a large deep cockpit and provides comfortable sailing for up to 6 people. The Sonar is a 23-foot keelboat with a contoured sit-in cockpit that seats 3 to 5 people. The Sonar was adopted years ago by the world’s disabled sailors as their premier boat for racing. Its large cockpit makes adaptations easy for handicapped sailing.
The costs associated with going out for a sail with the Spinnakers range from $20 to $40 depending on the length of the sail. All you need to bring is a change of clothes, a beverage, sunscreen and a hat. Whether you want to learn to sail or just be out in the water is your decision. The Chesapeake Bay has an abundance of osprey, blue heron and other wonders of nature. What are you waiting for? Visit rainbowspinnakers.org for more information.
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.
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